Siuslaw River Bridge

Sunday we escaped the pollen in the Willamette Valley and headed to the coast.  Mark decided that since we usually head north when we get to Highway 101, we would head south instead.

We walked along a very windy jetty and watched osprey at Honeyman State Park and wound up in Florence.   As we drove over the Siuslaw River Bridge, the finials and art deco-ish bits caught my eye and I said I wanted to photograph the architectural details of the bridge.





We walked through Florence and up the stairs to the bridge's deck.  I've taken photos of the bridge before, but usually from a distance.  I am a little confused about how the bridge's structure works as a bridge, because I'm not used to seeing concrete used in a suspension arch -- maybe it's concrete-clad iron girders?







In any case, the bridge has aesthetic lines in the arches.  The 1930's decorations remind me of the Empire State Building.










We walked along the eastern side of the bridge, which was a little alarming because the sidewalk didn't seem to be far enough away from the traffic.  I took a few detail shots and realized that I wasn't going to get good detail on the various designs embossed into the concrete unless I crossed 101.  So I did and was rewarded with much better lighting (the hight contrast on the concrete caused by direct sunlight confused the light-meter on the camera).

I think scaled down columns like this would be fun in our back yard... it might be too imperial, though.  And I can hear Mark saying how they might tip over onto someone or a cat.

The arches had decorative wings on them.  The details came out much more clearly on the west side of the bridge.

One of the things I like about 1930's American architecture is that they took the time to put little decorative details on otherwise utilitarian objects; it gives a animistic or spiritual aspect to structures.

The timing was perfect for this photo, and I didn't realize until I got home that the shadows of the feathers were lining up with the feathers beneath.

I really do think the columns were inspired by the Empire State Building.  Or maybe the Chrysler Buildind.

Or Orthanc. 

I'll have to keep how they sculpted this column in mind the next time I'm making sand castles.  I think a simple triangle-cut plank could make a good tool to get this effect.

Mark gave me a hard time for crossing Highway 101, and I replied it wasn't like I clambered under a moving, two-ton, ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) robot at JLP (yes, I saw a photographer do this--the engineers all collectively gasped).

I took a final, obligatory photograph of sunlight slanting underneath the bridges gothic arches.