B2
THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, OCTOBER 12, 2019
Ed Hunt
The Dalles Bridge.
Bridges: Monuments to human cooperation
Continued from Page B1
not completed until 1883
because the East river’s
busy ship traffic required a
span high enough to allow
a constant stream of world
commerce to pass under it.
So too does our four mile
long span of the Astoria
Bridge arch its back 197
feet off the water to allow
the endless movement of
world trade to glide under its
girders. Imagine the prob-
lem given to its engineers
— design this bridge to be
high enough that ships can
pass under it — not just sail-
ing ships of yesterday or the
modern cargo ships of 1964
— but all the ships of the
future as well.
I have talked with people
who remember what it was
like before these bridges
we take for granted, who
remember the wooden truss
bridges, the swing bridges
and draw bridges that would
daily bring travel to a halt to
allow water traffic to pass. I
have talked with those who
remember when the ferries
were replaced by the Asto-
ria Bridge and I myself have
seen the way the removal of
the toll across that bridge
changed patterns of com-
merce and commuting in the
region.
Ed Hunt
The Grays River Covered Bridge.
Ed Hunt
A festival being set up on a bridge that crosses the Rhine between Germany and Switzerland.
everyday — that make my
life here possible.
By
necessity,
then,
bridges are monuments to
human cooperation and
belief in future and practical
investing in progress.
Those are things worth
celebrating, worth wonder-
ing at and worth appreciat-
ing the next time you cross
a bridge.
Ed Hunt is a writer and
registered nurse as well as
the author of “The Huckle-
berry Hajj,” a collection of
essays available on Ama-
zon.com. He lives in Grays
River, Washington.
Ed Hunt
Runners and walkers cross the Astoria Bridge during the
Great Columbia Crossing.
Jonathan Williams
The Brooklyn Bridge’s arch closest to lower Manhattan.
Crossing and
considering bridges
I love to run the Colum-
bia Crossing each year —
to take my time to appreci-
ate the marvel of the Astoria
Bridge. So too do I love the
Grays River Covered Bridge
dinner — an annual 4H
fundraiser that transforms
the last covered bridge over
a public road in Washington
into a rustic celebration of
local talent and bounty.
I love stopping at the top
of the nameless practical
bridges on my daily runs or
motorcycle rides around the
valley.
I get a thrill on a hiking
trail when some wood struc-
ture deep in the forest car-
ries me across the creek. I
study it and wonder at the
work that must have gone
into transporting its materi-
als miles into the woods —
assembled just to await the
passage of my hiking boots.
It is hard to build a bridge
single handed.
I know first hand. A few
years ago, I worked to build a
sturdy bridge across the sea-
sonal creek behind my house
— something strong enough
to ride a horse across. Even
though the creek I needed to
cross was only five feet deep
and eight feet wide, it was
hard to work the heavy rail-
road ties into place. Hard to
make it solid and level while
jumping from one side to the
other. Building such a sim-
ple span over such a shal-
low creek gave me renewed
respect for bridges I cross
I got screened.
Now, I’m talking about it.
Screening can prevent colorectal cancer
or catch the #2 cancer killer early when
it’s highly treatable. Most people get
screened because they’re encouraged
by someone they know and trust. So
if you’ve been screened, please talk
about your experience. And encourage
others to get screened too.
COLORECTAL CANCER
The cancer you can prevent.
TheCancerYouCanPrevent.org
Gretchen Darnell
Seaside, Oregon
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded campaign