Night Bridge

                                                       ASB Bridge over the Missouri.

"Just Me" Visits "Hyperblogal" Tourism Ensues

 Part of the fun of blogging is getting to meet fellow bloggers.  It's a little like reading a book that you like and then getting to meet the characters.   Donna has written her "Just Me" blog for years now.  She has frequent posts on it and Facebook.   Her husband Cliff is now retired and enjoys reading blog entries himself.  She spent part of her childhood in Harlem on the north side of the Missouri River and has fond memories of crossing the river on the ASB Bridge... she has always wanted to visit the bridge again and today was the day.  First stop was the pedestrian bridge over the very active railroad tracks... at least four trains passed while we were down by the river.

 On the observation deck overlooking the Missouri River above, and, below, Donna standing by the water level marks for major floods.... bottom, 1951, middle 1844, top 1993.

 Cliff is remarkably curious about how things work... and he pointed out many things that made the visit really interesting...

 Above, the concrete counterweights.... the middle section of the bridge can be raised to allow taller ships to pass under.

We ended up at Harry's Country Club in front of a naked bar picture..... great food and super company.... I had to come home after lunch, they headed to City Hall to see the view from the top.

Walking by the Mighty Mo

Tried the new river walk on Sunday..... which allows a person to travel from Main street almost all the way to Paseo Boulevard along the Missouri River.

Above looking east toward the ASB Bridge, below looking west toward the Broadway Bridge. Old mooring post in the foreground below with wire rope still attached.And yes, the Mighty Muddy Mo is Mighty Muddy. As Twain said: "too thick to swim in and too thin to walk on."
Above the ASB Bridge which stands for Armour (Packing Co.) Swift ( & Company) and Chicago, BURLINGTON (and Quincy Railroad). The piers were built in 1890 but sat unused until 1909 when construction of the rest of the bridge began. It consisted of two decks the upper for cars and trucks and the lower for trains. The bridge, as you can see, is very close to the surface of the water right now which is one reason why the center portion is counterweighted and can be raised. Bridge designers made it possible to do this without disturbing the top deck so traffic was not impeded. After the Heart of America Bridge was finished in 1987 the ASB's top deck was removed. It is a National Landmark in Civil Engineering and is owned now by the Burlington Northern Railroad. Note the pathway goes down under the bridge....on the right in the image. The path is handicap accessible and is for biking or walking.
Areas next to the trail have been planted with native grasses and other plants which should make it look a lot like it did when Lewis and Clark came by just after 1800.
Above, ASB on the left showing one of the massive piers. The piers were originally 9 stories tall in 1890 when completed but were lowered to just 10-feet over the high water mark.
Another view of the Bond Bridge looking east above and below the ASB and The Heart of America Bridges.

Below.... "adaptive reuse" sorta. An old administrative building which was in horrible shape has been stabilized and even has flower boxes in the windows.
To access the walkway you can take Grand down to Berkley Park and then walk west, or, park at the foot of Main, walk out on the tower and then down by stairs or elevator to the walkway.