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Clifton Bridge spans the river Avon and connects the City of Bristol to Leigh Woods in Somerset. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed after his death in 1864. He won a competition to design a bridge here, but because the powers that be didn't believe that such a span could be built, he had to build a brick abutment on the Leigh Woods side to reduce the span. The chains used were second hand having been used on the original Hungerford bridge over the Thames in London. The river here is tidal although the sea (Bristol Channel) is over 5 miles downstream. This is why the water is kept in Bristol Docks by lock gates (the floating harbour) otherwise all craft ended up resting on the mud at low tide. They had to have extra strong hulls hence the phrase "shipshape and Bristol fashion!'See:http://share.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=27492 for a distant view from Dundry hill. Clifton Bridge in Bristol was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to cross the River Avon at Avon Gorge.
It was completed after his death in 1864 It is the location of the first ever bungee jump on 1st April 1979 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8DLooHqJMc See the view from Dundry athttp://share.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=26462 and http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=24574 and http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=27492 and balloons over the bridge at http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=30205. Balloons over the bridge at http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=30355 Sorry about the stitching on the bridge guys. I'll do better next time. 621 shots Canon SX1IS manual settings Sept 2009 |
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The Covington Inn is one of America's few floating bed and breakfasts permanently moored within the reflection of downtown St. Paul's towering skyline. In 1946, this towboat hit the inland waterways with a splash. For 30 years the 300-ton Covington pushed barges of liquid cargo, usually petroleum, along a 1,000-mile stretch of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. 20 years later, the visionary partners of River Valley Preservation Company saw the Covington dry-docked in Louisiana and hauled her upstream to St. Paul. They gutted the tow's inner workings, then inch by inch transformed the boat's steely chambers into cozy rooms. In 1995, the boat re-emerged with a new purpose, The Covington Inn. Along side her is the River Boat Grill. Every place to stay must have a nearby restraunt. |
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The original Showboat, built in 1899, was acquired by the University in 1958 as a part of the state’s centennial program and was converted into a theater. After serving students and audiences for many years the showboat was badly in need of repair. In 2000 a welder’s torch ignited a blaze that burned the old boat to the waterline. The University was unable to replace the Showboat with the available funds and the Padelford Co. volunteered to build the boat within the University’s budget. The Padelford Co. ended up contributing $300,000 to project and received a management contract with the University for the 225-seat theater and reception area. |
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The Robert Street Bridge is a reinforced concrete multiple-arch bridge that spans the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota with the St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge crossing underneath it at an angle. It was built in 1924-1926 and was commissioned in the early 1920s to replace a wrought-iron span, originally built in 1884-1885, that had become obsolete due to increasing traffic. The engineers who designed the bridge had several obstacles to work around. The tracks of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway, St. Paul Union Depot, and the Chicago Great Western Railway mainline were factors. The engineers also had to provide adequate clearance above the river, as defined by the United States War Department at the time. Finally, the bridge had to clear Second Street in downtown St. Paul and work through a busy manufacturing district at the south end. The location of nearly every pier was dictated by these requirements. As a result, the bridge was designed with a combination of barrel-arch and rib-arch flanking spans and a rainbow arch for the central span. |
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The Wabasha Street Bridge is a segmental bridge that spans the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. There are actually two separate bridges, one for northbound and one for southbound traffic. The bridge was built in 1996 with a large opening ceremony and with bridge closed to traffic and free ice cream. Mayor Norm Coleman let loose two rehabilitated Bald eagles, a male and a female. The bridge replaced an earlier structure that was built in 1889. The new bridge was built with pedestrians in mind with 11-foot wide sidewalks, six overlooks at the pier locations, and a stairway down to Raspberry Island. The color scheme of the bridge was also planned to reflect the architectural heritage of St. Paul, with a soft buff color (the color of sandstone) to reflect the colors used in many downtown St. Paul buildings. The color of terracotta roofs in the city was used to select the color of the railings, and the green patina of the St. Paul Cathedral is echoed in the ornamental color of the overlooks. |
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These boats are used to move barges up and down the Mississippi river. |
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The Lafayette Bridge was constructed in 1968 using the standard design, detailing and fabrication methods of the late 1960’s. Like many bridges of that era, it has developed a history of structural steel fatigue problems that may not pose an immediate safety risk, but still requires the constant attention of Mn/DOT’s bridge inspectors. The Lafayette Bridge, a part of Hwy. 52 that carries 81,000 vehicles a day and spans the Mississippi River near downtown St. Paul, is the state's most-traveled bridge with troubles similar to the I-35W bridge. Like that bridge, the Lafayette is "fracture-critical," meaning that if one part fails the whole bridge could fall. |
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Falls Park on the Reedy provides an oasis in the heart of downtown Greenville in the historic West End. The park features a one-of-a-kind curved suspension footbridge and scenic overlooks, outdoor amphitheaters, world-class works of public art, nature trails, picnic areas, excavated mill ruins, several distinct garden areas, and of course the beautiful Reedy River with its impressive series of falls. The park has a self-guided walking tour with historic markers.
This shot was taken from a rock in the middle of the river. I won't bore you with what it took to get there, but it involved rock-hopping and ropes. |
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Tirbuna Sivori River Plate |
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Falls Park on the Reedy provides an oasis in the heart of downtown Greenville in the historic West End. The park features a one-of-a-kind curved suspension footbridge and scenic overlooks, outdoor amphitheaters, world-class works of public art, nature trails, picnic areas, excavated mill ruins, several distinct garden areas, and of course the beautiful Reedy River with its impressive series of falls. The park has a self-guided walking tour with historic markers.
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