markwesti

mstateglfr 

And here I figured you were talking bridges that cyclists use to cross stuff! Funny.

This is an old local trail bridge that was converted from rail to pedestrian use a couple decades ago. The ice floe that came with historic flooding this past March was too strong for the bridge and took it down!

conspiratemus1

Referring to the opening photo, technically it's not a bridge because it does not carry anything; there is no deck for vehicles to use and there is no visible reason for non-intoxicated walker-climbers to clamber up one side and down the other. It could be described as a decorative arch, like the ones in Paris or St. Louis, or the natural ones in Arches National Park. Now....if there was some kind of no-go zone the arch was meant to provide a means of crossing (albeit only by clambering in this example), say a patch of quicksand or some rare desert plants, then it would be a bridge, ...but not to nowhere, as it would now have a purpose: to get to the other side.

The old question about the chicken crossing the road thus ceases to be a joke and becomes engineering philosophy when re-framed as Why did the chicken cross the bridge?

Warning: I like bridges a lot.

jackbombay

Without googling do you know the difference between a natural arc and a natural bridge?

conspiratemus1

No, I do not know. But if I were allowed to guess, I would guess that a natural arc looks like the OP's arc of bikes, while a natural bridge crosses a gap, and wouldn't necessarily have to be of an arch form.
Now I'm off to Google.

jackbombay

I only learned this somewhat recently, but, a bridge can and often does look like an arch, especially in southern Utah, BUT, an arch is formed when material falls out from under stone, leaving the arch, and a Bridge is formed when a creek/river flows behind/under rock and errodes material away slowly from under the stone, plus fall out, leaving the arch remaining. Bridges are notably more rare, 1 bridge for every 10 arches I've been told.

Rainbow bridge in Utah is a famous bridge, supposedly they limited the height of the glen canyon damn to leave this Bridge fully above water when the lake is "full", https://www.google.com/search?q=rain...&bih=717&dpr=2

And you can see that arches don't have streams/rivers running under them, https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...b8&ved=&uact=5


I love the southern utah landscape so much!

Bridges national monument is a really cool place if you are ever in the area, 5 LARGE bridges quite close together, certainly a unique situation!

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...67.Zcktuq1CAgQ

79pmooney

Yes. Basically it's a time thing. Bridges last. For weeks, years, decades, sometimes centuries. Arcs last for milliseconds to minutes. (Lightning, welding torches.)

Ben

jackbombay

D'oh!

Spelling error FTL!

conspiratemus1

In that case I'm not surprised that I can come up with only one bridge, Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park.
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEB_enCA842CA842&q=natural+bridge+yoho&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjRxIKIwPT jAhWFbs0KHXqaCEwQsAR6BAgHEAE&cshid=1565309582480827&biw=1746&bih=844

Percé Rock, at the other end of the country, is described as a natural arch in water.

The Utah landscape is stunning and unlike any I've ever seen. Hope to visit some day.

Cycling content: you can ride your bike right up to the Natural Bridge in Yoho. You can walk to Percé at low tide but you have to be quick and there is always a risk of limestone chunks falling on you from a substantial height.

thinktubes 

iab

Bridge to nowhere. At least for us Milwaukee folks with a long memory.

Drillium Dude 

This town's got a lock on bridges/ramps that go nowhere: https://seattle.curbed.com/2017/4/11...ere-demolition

DD

cudak888 

Thanks for that, DD - enjoyed the read.

Also always good to hear about a highway boondoggle from the past, successfully shot down by the community.

-Kurt

markwesti

OK now , guys settle down . It's just a metaphor . Like the bridge to the center of our minds .OOOHHHMMM .

Drillium Dude 

Aw, I was just trying to do my part to derail the thread further

Kurt: you're welcome!

DD

jackbombay

It is a cool assembly of bicycles!


I hope they are all Huffys!

texaspandj

I'd pull that Colnago out from the bottom like I was playing Jinga.

conspiratemus1

I'd like to know if the arc [sic] of bikes is a self-supporting arch. Does the large pile of bikes at each base act to prevent the arch from spreading out and collapsing. It's actually pretty neat. Burning Man?

lonesomesteve

@markwesti, that sure looks like Black Rock City. Is it?

RobbieTunes

The ad read: "Bring your fixed gear in, trade for a free cup of authentic cat poop coffee. Only real hipsters preferred."

And they threw them into a pile, and bike magic took over. A lot of "real hipsters" took Uber home.

markwesti

@lonesomesteve , I have no idea . I was surfing CL for bike parts and ran across .
Mark

Salamandrine 

Definitely Burning Man.

I used to go. Haven't done it since the 90s. Less bigger then.

KraneXL

I thought you meant a real bridge that ends with you in the middle of nowhere. Like those sidewalks just end and its nothing but grassland and fields with no businesses or building or anything. That's more like an arch.

Riveting

Iowa10Speed

Beaver Creek in Des Moines? Very sad. Cut me off from 90% of my favorite trail rides. Short ones to around North High School, longer to downtown and north towards Saylorville when I had more time.