Bridges between... repairs

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post for Odd Shots.

Click to visit RuneE's explanation of the monthly Bridges between... meme and the accurate blogroll. The English follows the Norwegian version there, so scroll down if you need to. The idea is not just to have a bridge picture, but the concept of what it means to bridge something--with or without a bridge. A blogroll of past participants is in my sidebar--but it needs updating.

The Biggs Junction bridge over the Columbia River has been closed since January for maintenance and repairs. This is significant enough that there are signs announcing this fact at junctions here in the Valley--nearly 100 miles away--so that travelers will make informed decisions about their route. This bridge is part of the principal route from central Washington to central Oregon. On the Oregon side it meets Interstate 84, which starts at Portland, Oregon and continues all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah. State Highway 14 on the Washington side is a narrower scenic road which connects Vancouver, Washington and the Tri-Cities. The shortest detour is about 45 miles.
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The bridge photo was taken from Stonehenge.

What? you might ask. Stonehenge is on the Salisbury Plain in England. But no, we have our own Stonehenge, a replica of the original, built by Sam Hill to memorialize World War I casualties from Klickitat County where the monument is located. Sam Hill was a wealthy eccentric who thought that this part of the Washington landscape high on a bluff overlooking the river would some day be thriving commercially.
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Instead, Klickitat County, with about 3% of Washington's land area, has lest that 0.3% of its population.

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And Stonehenge and a first class art museum...

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...because Sam Hill's other noteworthy monument in the area is the Maryhill Museum. Built as a mansion for his beloved wife Mary, he created the museum after her death.

That's a view of Mt. Hood, in the distance in Oregon (that you can't get to by way of the Biggs Bridge right now.)

Sam Hill amassed a wonderful collection of artwork, including numerous works of the sculptor Rodin, as well as preserving many belongings of his good friend Queen Marie of Romania, and artifacts of the theatre. The museum displays local Native American artifacts and history of the area, a magnificent collection of chess sets, and much more.

When we visited last spring we saw the outdoor sculpture garden for the first time. This is a sculpture, not a tree.

Another view of Mt. Hood.

The bridge work will go on hiatus for the summer season, and resume after Labor Day. So the crossing will be available for the summer holidays. But, though we cannot cross into Oregon from here right now, there is much to see on the Washington side of the River in this remote place.

In the meantime, there are also a lot of bridges in this post other than the Biggs bridge. There is the bridge between two state governments who have managed to cooperate in recognizing the importance of, and scheduling and funding the maintenance and major upgrading of the Biggs Bridge.

There is a bridge of culture created by Sam Hill on this bluff overlooking the beautiful Columbia. He reached across the bridge of time to connect with the ancient creators of Stonehenge, and across the bridges of culture to befriend Queen Marie, to appreciate and bring us appreciation of the art that is exhibited, and to understand the people whose origins were here in this area. The museum curators continue this bridge-building into the future.