Monday, May 5, 2008

Bridges between... repairs

Scroll down to the next
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.

30 comments:

FANCY said...

I think bridge building is one thing who start yesterday and get us to remember today...

Rune Eide said...

Sam Hill must have been a special person indeed. I have always wanted to visit the British Stonehenge, but have not managed to do that so far and I know that you cannot get very close to the structures themselves, so thank you for showing us this replica! The photo had a real modern, artistic "feel" about it.

Marcos Santos said...

Beautiful place

I liked the "tree sculpture"

Great photos!

imac said...

Great photos and info, very interesting post.

My bridge and Odd shot are up now.

imac said...

Great bridge and info, very interesting.

my bridge also Odd shot is up now.

mrsnesbitt said...

Absolutely fascinating! I have just posted my bridge, together with a lovely poem I found.

EG CameraGirl said...

Yes. lots of bridges, indeed!

How inconvenient bridge repairs can be! But even worse if the repairs are NOT done and something dreadful happens.

Gerald (SK14) said...

An excellent post full of information. From visiting various blogs I'm slowly building up a picture of Oregon and how things fit around there.

I'm sure I'll never ever visit in person but the virtual bridge is already built.

Lilli & Nevada said...

Great shot i also posted about Maryhill sometime back.When we went i was really disappointed as i had no idea it was more of a art gallery, i was hoping for a real mansion that was furnished. Oh well.YRS of seeing it and finally being there was a bit different. I don't remember the tree sculpture.

Pernille said...

Wonderful bridge and beautiful place! I wish I could visite thar place;)
Have a nice day

FO - 2 said...

Great post. :)
You wove several bridges from one.

Anne said...

So interesting to read, and too watch of cours....

Tooday I have learnd a lot :-)

Very very nice nature there also.
Love from Norway

Dianne said...

the tree sculpture is beautiful and you captured it perfectly.

GundaM said...

Nice fotos and i realy like that tree;)

Paulie said...

Great minds think alike! lol I also have my post about the bridge across the Columbia River but mine is the I-5. I have never had the opportunity to visit Maryhill. . . maybe one day.

I enjoyed the tour of your featured bridge today.

Texas Travelers said...

A great job as usual. Great post and photos. I alway enjoy your blog.

My bridge is built.
Come visit,
Troy

Anne-Berit said...

Interresting post,and beautiful photos!

Daniel J Santos said...

Interesting, beautiful images, excellent post.

Cath said...

Wonderful shots. That tree sculpture is amazing. And I love your concept of the word "bridge" and how many gaps are bridged between cultures, time and cities.

the mother of this lot said...

When I saw Stonehenge I thought you'd been over here without telling us!

Barbara said...

So interesting, I like the sculpture tree.

Anonymous said...

fantastic picture series!

ANNA-LYS said...

Ohhh I love Stonehenge!
Very interesting post, Katney!

9na said...

Beautiful pictures!!! Love your bridge, I want to go there...

Marie said...

Great post :)

Unknown said...

What a great compilation of photos here Katney! Great bridge post.

Gin said...

Wonderful photos!!

Texas Travelers said...

I have a little more time to visit today. This is a terrific post.

It brings back fond memories. When we did what we call out big Alaska driving trip, we spent several days exploring up and down the Columbia River. It is one of our favorite places in the US.

When "R" Wednesday gets here I will post Roses from the Rose Festival which was occurring while we were there.

We really enjoyed the Museum and panoramic view of the river. Thanks for sharing your view.

Troy and Martha

Lew said...

Great post Katney! The building of bridges that cross rivers like the Columbia is fascinating. And your part of the US is beautiful. The bridges between cultures and eras are also interesting and even more important for our survival inthis world. Another interesting fact is I-84 has an eastern segment from near Scranton, PA to near Boston. (No I-84 bridges for the middle of the US.) I think I have driven the entire length of the eastern section on various trips.

Katney said...

I didn't realize that I-84 had another segment.

I-90, on the other hand, extends uninterrupted all the way from Seattle to Boston (or Boston to Seattle, depending on your point of view.) When daughter #2 was attending college in Boston she was asked where her home was. She told her inquirer that you just get on that highway out there and turn left at Ellensburg.