An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Today's BIG story!
A couple of interested folks have dropped a line wondering if we are OK after yesterday's bridge collapse here in Minneapolis. We are fine. As it turns out, I rode under the bridge about an hour before it went down--one of the Twin Cities' wonderful parkways/bike paths runs along the Mississippi from downtown all the way out to Fort Snelling, and I frequently take that route as the long way home on a nice day.

In recent weeks, I'd noticed that the construction boys put a spotter down on the bike path, a guy with a hardhat and a green vest. He just stood there looking up. Apparently it was his job to watch for falling concrete. You could see vast patches of blue sky through the holes they were drilling in the bridge deck, and I frequently got sprinkled with dust and water as I passed under the old green ironwork.

It'll be a good long while before that path reopens, and I'll spend the time counting my blessings and mourning the tragic loss of life. It's easy to forget how deadly that beautiful river can be.

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