Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Bridges Can Be Scary!

We have bridges in North Texas, but only the small kind. The only bridge that I have to cross is the Trinity River Bridge that crosses, of course, the Trinity River heading into Dallas. This bridge is your normal, run-of-the-mill bridge.....nothing exciting about it at all. This past weekend, I had what seemed to me to be a bridge intervention by God. Now, I have had nightmares my entire life about steep incline bridges and similarly, high, narrow freeway overpasses. This past Thursday, while attending my niece's wedding, I had a bridge encounter that made me shake, rattle and roll.....literally!
This is the Dames Point Bridge that crosses the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.

I was totally taken by surprise at the sight of this steep bridge. My rental car was a tiny Fiat which made crossing this giant even more formidable to me. As I began the ascent I began to pray. Then, as I began to hyperventilate as I neared the apex, I began to chant, "Face your fears, face your fears". Once across, I was so relieved.....until I realized I would have to cross the bridge again on my return trip to the airport!!

Have you encountered any steep bridges in your life? I would love to hear about them!!
 Take a look at this bridge. ......Now this is a bridge that will visit your dreams!
It is the 1st Cooper Bridge in Charleston, S.C.


Or, if you are visiting the Tampa/ St. Petersburg, Florida area, you may have to cross the Skyway Bridge.


5 comments:

BillySue said...

Haha now I understand what you mean by "They looked like ants!"

Anonymous said...

I, too, have a fear of bridges. I've driven over the one in Jacksonville and in Charleston. No fun! But you and I both made it! Hooray for us!

Sarah said...

Wow...I think I just might have a melt down if I had to cross the bridge in Charleston!! Thank you for commenting!!

That person. said...

So I live in Jax and have to cross that bridge regularly. For the first few years I drove it I would stare straight ahead and try to ignore that I was on a bridge. (And this was after YEARS of riding across it) I went out of state and was stressed about the bridges I'd have to drive there. Holy shiz even the big bridge I crossed was nothing in comparison to the dames point. Also the alternative option is always to go the long way and take the Buckman. It's a longer bridge but half the height (Usually more traffic tho)

Anonymous said...

I had a panic attack crossing this bridge. By the time you see it and how steep it is its too late to do anything but cross it. My hands were so slippery I could barely hold the steering wheel. This is a scary bridge.