Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sky Watch Friday - Big Dam Bridge - Post 35


I had occasion to be close to the Arkansas River in Little Rock yesterday afternoon and took the opportunity to visit The Big Dam Bridge, a structure I'd read about but not seen. Lest you think I'm using an expletive but don't know how to spell, I've included a photo of the sign. This bridge, which crosses the Arkansas River a bit northwest of downtown Little Rock at Murray Lock and Dam (part of the Kerr-McClellan Navigation System on the Arkansas River), is the longest pedestrian/bicycle-only bridge in North America. While my photo captured neither pedestrians nor bicycles (I arrived coincident with a heavy rain shower and had to wait it out to get this photo), I understand that it's very popular with both. I'd love to walk it someday. Unfortunately, there is no way my camera can capture the full extent of the bridge which is 4,226 feet long. The section I've displayed here is just the part that crosses the dam itself, and not even all of that. Other details, if you're interested, may be found on Wikipedia here. And some beautiful photos may be found at the official Big Dam Bridge website here.

Sky Watch Friday is hosted by Tom Wiggers at Welcome to Wiggers World. Please visit to see stunning sky photos from around the world -- you won't regret the time spent.

100 comments:

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I love the clouds. The lampposts on the bridge help give a perspective of immensity. And I thought it was funny that you posted a sign to prove you were using the name and not swearing.

Thank you for your compliment on my poem. I honestly didn't know what kind of reaction I would get when I posted it.

Anonymous said...

This is a very nicely framed photo ... the way things appear in it give us the perfect notion of how bif the bridge is, of space and of the beauty up there waiting to be seen in the form of clouds.

Louise said...

That is one Dam Big Bridge! Love the photo and your commentary.

Anonymous said...

That would give me a nightmare tonight if I had to ride or walk across that. It is way to high to be safe if it falls.

And the momma rabbit goes on to other bunny making episodes with the first buck she spots. I guess that is what keeps them happy. The little ones are on their own soon after weaning and that comes extra early.


Thanks for your visit to my Brookville Daily Photo blog this morning. I hope you enjoyed my
post today showing the baby rabbit eating the poppy leaves.

I also wrote a longer piece on my Better Blog Writing about my Mom and Dad. See if you like the
writing style. It is popular among better blogs.

Last evening, it was almost dark, when one of the baby rabbits came up to our patio door and wanted in. I was flabbergasted but only took a picture and didn't leave him come in the house.

I wanted you to know I stopped-in to repay your visit and leave a you a comment.

I enjoyed reading your blog post for today and I thought your photography was excellent.

Unknown said...

interesting bridge!
My Sky Watch Friday post

me ann my camera said...

This is a beautiful perspective and the bridge with the clouds above and below really seems so very high!
varying seasons

Willard said...

An interesting post with an excellent photograph! I enjoyed it very much!

imac said...

Great post also love the photo.

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

This is so pretty. I love the clouds.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Pat: Very nicely done and thanks for waiting until the photo was available.

Rune Eide said...

That was not an everyday bridge - we should have more of them!

SandyCarlson said...

Simply amazing!

Anonymous said...

loved your photo and your comments too. Thank you for visiting mine. Have a great day ~ Lynn

EG CameraGirl said...

You've captured this bridge well. I can tell by looking at it that it's really, REALLY big. Good job.

Flying Solo said...

Beautiful sky and structure!

Gerald (Ackworth born) said...

that is pne mighty big bridge

abb said...

Wonderful picture! The older I get the less I like heights and that bridge scares me just looking at it!

Perfect SWF capture, Pat!

Tom said...

Thank you for helping to make Sky Watch so popular and special. I hope you enjoy your Sky Watch as much as I do.
Tom

I've marked this down for a revisit so I can read through better and follow the links.. I'll see you again really soon :O)

JC said...

Love the picture. That has to be some more bridge. WOW!!! Thanks for visiting my site this week. I'll have my Skywatch pic up tomorrow. JC

Petunia said...

Very nice Sky Watch pic:)


Petunia's SWF

Michele said...

Egads... that is one mighty long bridge!! Good shot...
Mountain Retreat

Kay said...

That bridge looks rather scary. What a great shot. Have a great weekend!

Reader Wil said...

It certainly is an impressive bridge! Do you mean to say that it's a bridge for cyclists? Well I wouldn't cycle across that, not for a million! The photo is great! Thank you for your visit.

Unknown said...

An interesting post with a great bridge photo!

Ramosforest.Environment said...

A pedestrian/bicycle-only bridge in North America. Beautiful shot for a good building.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a dam high bridge, and for cyclists to boot. Love your sense of humor.

Thanks for the image and your commentary explaining it. Both were enjoyable.

Pretty Life Online said...

Pretty one for SWF! Which reminds me the quote... "we all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon".... Mine's up too hope you can drop by. Happy Weekend!

david mcmahon said...

Lovely angle, Pat. Really captures the majesty.

becky aka theRAV said...

Your title made me burst out laughing! Thanks for the laugh and your kind comment on my blog.

Ranch wife said...

Love the picture. I didn't know that such a bridge existed. Really cool.
~M~

Carletta said...

Very nice photo. The bridge against the sky is terrific!
I laughed at the title!

Thanks for visiting my earlier.

Jane Hards Photography said...

That bridge is bigger than my island. Well not qiute, but it is awesome.

TR Ryan said...

a big bridge in my favorite state! Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post, and nice photo. Nice title too! :)

April said...

What a grand sight against that backdrop of beautiful cloud formations! Thank you for visiting earlier.

Diane Vogel Ferri said...

What a great shot - I am fascinated by bridges.

Pappy said...

Best bridge by a dam site I've seen in a long time.

Linda Reeder said...

That's quite a bridge, and not a place I'd want to be in a thunder storm!

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

Oh, I was fishing in the Arkansas River many, many years ago. I bet it was right where the bridge stands now.
Sky Watch ~ fun people taking amazing photos, nicely done.

maiylah said...

wow .. that's an awesome perspective!
love it!

thanks for visiting my SWF post in my other blog!
happy SWF!

Anonymous said...

HAHHAAA!! That is a big dam bridge isn't it! Interesting post and great images :)

Ann said...

I love watching clouds, they are ever changing. NIce photo.

Christy said...

That bridge is so tall and the perspective adds to it. Lovely shot of the clouds behind it.

Indrani said...

It is sooo high, I wonder can we touch the clouds standig there.

Raven said...

Wonderful shot. I love the photo of the sign too. Very funny.

Gemma Wiseman said...

O wow! These clouds are really rock and rolling!

Maria Verivaki said...

scary looking bridge - amazing

Anonymous said...

this is a very beautiful composition. wonderful choice for sw

Anonymous said...

That is one impressive structure - set against a great sky.

Berit T said...

Amazing SWF photo!!!

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for the visit! So your birthday is September! Mine in December then I'll be 75. Well I'm looking forward to reading about your walk on the bridge!

Angie said...

This is really beautiful, I love the way the bridge towers over everything around it.

Anonymous said...

That must be some scenic ride - when there is no wind.

Suzanne said...

Wow that is a great photo. How scary looking for bike riding. Happy SWF.

Dragonstar said...

That is certainly a big bridge, however you put it! I love the perspective you have here.

Anonymous said...

Great perspective! I've never heard of that bridge. Big Dam Bridge. LOL. Too funny. Happy SWF.

Alan said...

Haha. That's great. Like from the movie. Welcome to the dam tour. Feel free to take dam pictures and ask dam questions. :)

Mental P Mama said...

Wow. What a bridge. I don't know if I could do it....Too much of a scaredy cat when heights are concerned.

Countrygirl said...

Beautiful summer picture, makes me want to ride across the bridge on a bike or a carrage (if they allow that)!

Anonymous said...

Wow, 62 comments!! Great job!!

Catherine said...

A so imposing building, reserved for bicycles and pedestrians traffic deserved to be noticed! Thanks to share with us.
So high! I hope, one day, you'll post pictures of the view up in the air, the head in the clouds!

Craver Vii said...

This post made me laugh. And then, I had to search through the comments, because I just knew someone would use the expletive in their comment. That brought forth another chuckle.

My first thought, when I saw the photo, was that I would NEVER drive up there, but I see that it is for bikes and walking. Well, I wouldn't mind biking across, then.

Thanks for this week's Sky Watch contribution. :-)

esnorway said...

fine Bridge good pic

 gmirage said...

In this perspective, one might think, is that a a really tall bridge or is the sky falling down? Great photo! Happy skywatching!

http://viennadaily.blogspot.com/
http://mirageasusual.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

You get two of me on this post today...

I have been outside slinging paint on the shutters and painting the benches so I can put out a Wet Paint sign and just got in.

Thanks to you and others, I get a big lift out of trying to outdo myself and post things that may surprise some and make others laugh a bit and most of all make lots of people aware of things that might not know much about.

When somebody actually takes the time to write a comment about my work and what I do, that to me is the biggest gift a person can give another. It is a smile on greeting, it is a welcome handshake, and it gives me and my family some hope that the dementia farm is still down the road.

You, yourself, are an inspiration to me. I come back not only to say, "thanks for visiting and leaving a comment" but thanks for taking the time to photograph things of interest and great beauty. Without that, blogging would be about as exciting as a wart on the end of my nose.

So, thanks for stopping at my blog. And rest assured, when you do, I will always try to visit your blog, in return, and leave a comment on your blog. I might not think your photography is ready for the masterpiece award, but it got my attention.

Sincerely,

Abraham Lincoln
oldmanlincoln in Brookville, Ohio

Wanderer said...

Great shot--I think your photography is fabulous!

kellypea said...

Beautiful puffy clouds. The perspective is perfect -- the bridge looks so tall against the sky. (I'd put my non-food link below, but there seems not to be that option in your comments....)

Becky said...

Very nice Pat. Thanks for the story about the bridge too. I can imagine the interesting photos you could get from on the bridge looking down.
Happy SWF.

rhymeswithplague said...

Beautiful photo of sky! Scary bridge! Funny words!

On the road to the dam at Lake Lanier here in north Georgia, there's a little store at the bend in the road just before you start to go across that says "Dam Good Food." You can buy some "Dam Gas" there too!

An excellent post.

Fugazi said...

Incredible.....thats one tall bridge and fantastic picture, love the clouds too:))

Dina said...

Good for Arkansas, making a bridge only for pedestrians and cyclists. I'm impressed. With your photo too.
I just posted a bridge also, the new Bridge of Strings in Jerusalem.

lissa said...

pretty good shot even without the whole bridge in the photo

postcards from the clouds

Unknown said...

Great capture for sky watch!
Have a nice weekend.

Jules said...

Pat, cool photo of that Dam Bridge:)
J

Lilli & Nevada said...

Wow that bridge looks like it is touching those beautiful clouds

Stacey Olson said...

WOW! that is one big dam bridge... looks kind of scary to me..
Great choice...
No the pelicans did not have anything in their bills. those are bumps on the top.. distinguishes between adult and juvenile... Have a great weekend..

Roan said...

I hate heights. Beautiful sky. Big Dam Bridge!

chrome3d said...

I loved your dam good pic!

Dancin Fool said...

That is a Big Dam Bridge! I am not sure how sturdy it looks though but who am I to comment on it's structural properties! Great shots!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That Big Dam Bridge is high! I would love to go up and take a picture looking down -- of course, it wouldn't have those incredible clouds in it.

Maria said...

Very impressive bridge! If you see it, you immediately want to cross it and see the landscape from this elevated point of view.
BTW, thank for coming over to my blog and your humorous comment which really made me laugh! The truth is, that
I had signed for SWF in the afternoon whithout realising what this was all about, and, therefore, not posting a special SWF picture...
But, really, the European soccer championship here in Austria and Switzerland is a great event, our city Vienna is full of soccer tourists, I love it when there is so much life in the city...
Thanks for making me travel to Arkansas!
Kind regards,
Maria

Sunshinelene said...

beautiful fluffy clouds!
thanks for the visit and comment!

happy week-end!

Andrea said...

Interesting post with a very nice Sky Watch photo.

Dave Coulter said...

That's an amazing structure. Have a nice weekend! :)

Mustang Mike said...

Great shot. Is that a bridge I see up there? Man, that is high! Great catch! Mustang Mike

Max-e said...

Interesting bridge, and a long walk too from your information, but probably well wroth it

Lara said...

that is an impressive bridge!

Lew said...

Nice capture of sky and an interesting topic. The bridge seems to be a very appropo addition to the dam. I also enjoyed your post on reading. And it's nice to know there was a time when "bilingual" was not a dirty word. I also posted a picture of a bridge over the Arkansas River earlier this month.

D Herrod said...

Nice.

Chuck Pefley said...

I assume a "dam" bridge spans a dam? Or is it really a big damn bridge??

And no, it doesn't rain ALL the time in Seattle. Sometimes we have drought conditions during July-late September.

CherryPie said...

Wow! nice angle!

Gusto! said...

Thanks for sharing the "story" thar goes with the pics. And yes, until I saw the sign I'd agree at over 4200 feet it is one Big "Damn" Bridge.

And thanks for the visit also.

Ví Leardi said...

Dear Pat ...I thank you so much for your indication...How very nice of you ...BEYOND WORDS... thanks again and HAVE A LOVELY SUNDAY .
VIRGINIA

Ví Leardi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Very nice!

Suffeli kuvailee said...

beautiful photo!
have a nice weekend!

Stevenson Q said...

I so love the bridge! But if ever i'll be on top of it, I'll be scarely terrified! It's so High!

Thanks so much for sharing the link to A Vision of Eden! I really loved the site! And so as yours!

Thanks for dropping by my Skywatch Friday Post and Leaving a comment! Hope to see you soon! God Bless and Have a great week starting tomorrow!

Steven^^

Tom said...

Great to see the interest in your SW.. I've just now been able to come back and read up on the Dam.

Dewdrop said...

Does appear to be a big dam bridge.... must have been named by a man. Too funny.

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.