A match made in River Heaven, you might say?
Over the weekend, we took a stroll over the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge outside of Auburn. Built in 1912, the bridge was the longest concrete bridge in the world during that time. The railroad ties were removed in the 1940s, and guardrails weren't installed until 1984. The bridge is also known as the No Hands Bridge and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
As part of the Auburn State Recreation Area, with views of the American River Canyon and its Middle Fork, Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge is a popular place to hike. Most people were dressed for to kill for hiking--new boots, backpacks and fancy water containers.
So what were these city slickers thinking? The hardest thing you have to do on this short, easy trail is to avoid the mud puddles. No doubt, this is a family friendly location where you can take the kids and walk the dog at the same time. I saw a woman wearing muddy flip flops while pausing to look down at the river. She must have been a local and was used to the cold weather.
A man clutched his miniature pinscher against his chest as he walked by. The woman walking behind him looked at the ground and kept walking. She didn't want to be seen with him or the dog.
"This is the way we walk our dog," he explained. It almost sounded like an apology.
What's with these "Manly Men" and their tiny, spoiled dogs?
I wanted to see how high the American River got after a lot of rain and melting snow. Well, I was disappointed. Sure the river was running, but not fast enough or high enough to reach the No Hands Bridge or the Foresthill Bridge above us.
Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown proclaimed that it was the end of the California drought.
D-U-H.
No comments:
Post a Comment