Law have mercy...........................
Well, this above image is a artists rendition (where is Artiste, btw?) the building it is coming out of has yet to be built. It is a work in progress for sure, and sorry to say I have no pictures because cameras, cell phone or personal items in general are not allowed, but I do have a certificate that says I have been out on it..........
But first let me say "this thing" has got to be the most remote human made creation on the planet earth. From I-40 we drove 26 miles on Stockton Hill Road, then another 7 on Pierce Ferry Road, and then we got on this dirt road, I forget the name, it was twisting and winding and DUSTY as hell, for 14 MILES, washboard all the way. I decided it we ever got there, there was no way I was not going out on it. It truly is the best example of "If you build it, they will come" I have ever seen.
As soon as we reached the Havalupai reservation, the road became paved, for the last 5 or so miles to the construction site. This bridge only opened last year. The offices were in trailers, earth moving equipment was stirring up more dust than the wind could. There was helicopter tours (no-way, forget it). It was a bit over $150 for both of us to have our fifthteen minutes on the glass, which was another bus ride of about a mile. We put our belongings in the lockers provided, had our tickest scanned, went thru a metal detector, had our wrist bands scanned, and then were allowed to walk out to the thing.
I guess I would liken it to the first time I flew, but that was so long ago.....we climbed the steps and some daddy was carrying his screaming toddler son back. I told the kid not to feel bad I didn't know if I could go thru with it either.
We had to put booties on our feet to keep from scratching the glass. 5 panes 1/4 of an inch thick, (sorry I don't know for sure, I would say 1 cm thick) specially tempered, made in Germany, $30,000 per pane we were told. On the inner and outer loop was a steal beam about 18 Inches wide, where everyone was walking. Glass on the side came up maybe 4 feet, some one could climb over it easy. There was a photographer set up to take pics and so everyone was in line for that. I held on to the rail and took a deep breath and concentrated on the horizon, on the beauty of the western grand canyon. The line for photos was holding me back, I didn;t like it. Some people were walking by on the middle of the glass, not many.
We had out picture took, I look hung over. I thought about how I recently rode an old wooden roller coaster, not really scary but I kept my eyes closed the whole time. I thought for a second maybe I could do the same. I thought about a friends blind aent and what she would think about this. I concentrated on the horizon and got 70 feet out over nothing. The bottom of the canyon is 4000 feet lower, but the walls slope so your probably only half that, I got out there and started on around. Heard an interpretor talk about how it was assembled nearby and rolled into place in one piece, how engineers all over the world worked on it. I quickly glanced down, saw the wall below me. OMG, I started moving to the end. At the canyon edge there is another cross beam that connects the two, everyone utilized its psychological qualities to cross to the other side. On the inside loop I looked down again. My mind could not get around it. I saw it was beautiful, but just wrong I felt.
My Mom had inched her way around the semicircle and was talking to a tribal member about the wind measuring apparatus. I inched my way back out to the fartherest point. I made my self look down. Gawd it was a long way down. I put one foot out on the glass, I let go of the hand rail. This was okay. I moved across to the other side, and then I saw below me, the shadow of the thing on the canyon wall. I saw the dots of the people moving thru it like a tube. I stepped out on the bridge and waved my arms. I saw my dot. I saw my shadow, just barely, way down below me. I had never seen my shadow separate from me before. It was a weird feeling. I thought of the shadow self and all it represents. (maybe call it an out of shadow experience?) It was okay. I looked up and looked around and told people to look at their shadow and I wasn't afraid. 15 minutes, hell I could have stayed there all day.
But I didn't. I walked to the end, my shadow climbing up the wall to meet me faster than I have ever moved in my life, to join me again. To make me whole again. I made my mom come out and look at it, look at hers too.
I heard it called a bridge to nowhere. Well, it ain't the destination, it is the trip it takes you on.
Topic: Shakesthegrounds Rumblings (Read 2591084 times)