Tuesday, February 1, 2011

It's Not Too Bad

On a bike, as long as it's not windy and the outside lanes are open.

7 comments:

Richard said...

That's some bridge. I'd love to cross that. I used to commute daily across the Humber Bridge in England, at the time the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world. The road deck was designed in an aerofoil section to make it stable in high winds, and on a windy day the airflow over the road was almost completely laminar, i.e. hardly any turbulence at all. It was a strange feeling: once you were beyond the bridge uprights, you could lean the bike on the wind and ride across at 45° with no drama at all. It's a fabulous structure: at night, when the bridge is lit with a string of lights, approaching from the South is an awesome experience. One of the few man-made structures which I believe to be truly beautiful.

Those were the days of my Moto Guzzi, which I must revisit at some stage.

Gymi said...

It spans the straits between lakes Michigan and Huron. The winds here can reach hurricane levels, they close the bridge to traffic if it gets that bad. Other times they send you across in groups as to cut down the effect on single vehicles. It is usually somewhat breezy, but not too bad. The grating that crosses the main span lets the wind pass through to ease the pressure on the bridge. This bridge is also a beautiful structure and is very photogenic at night. It is about two hundred eighty miles north of where I live, I cross it about every two years to visit the U.P. The Humber Bridge looks to be an impressive structure itself.

Grumpyunk said...

I've been over that bad boy 3-4 times on a bike and only once was it really scary. Of course, it was in the middle of a thunderstorm, we were drunk and had just been run out of town by the cops for being assholes. Not so fun that time.

You can see forever from up there.

Grumpyunk said...

Yep, it gets windy up there. From Wikipedia - "On September 22, 1989, Leslie Ann Pluhar died when her 1987 Yugo plunged over the 36 inches (91 cm) high railing. A combination of high winds and excessive speed was initially blamed.[16] Later investigation showed the driver had stopped her car over the open steel grating on the bridge's span. A gust of wind through the grating blew her vehicle off the bridge"

A Yugo, but damn! Blew it right off.
Moral of the story? Don't drive a damn Yugo.

Gymi said...

It usually isn’t too bad crossing the bridge. I've only done it a couple of times on a bike, and had to ride the grate one of those times. The way that grate makes your bike oscillate will make your hair stand on end. I made sure the outside lane was open for the trip back. I’ve been on it in some pretty windy conditions in a car, but being ensconced in the metal cocoon makes it pretty much a non event. I remember when that Yugo took the plunge, it was pretty big news here. I think that may have been the last road worthy Yugo left as they all rusted to nothing after a couple of years of use. That’s if they ran that long. I was crossing the bridge in ‘97 when a maintenance worker went in the drink. The first sign that something was up was the Coast Guard Dauphin was tearing toward the bridge and started paralleling just off the east side. We didn’t know what the deal was until we got back to the cabin and saw the news. Unfortunately, he succumbed to hypothermia.

red said...

I hope my bike+me+gear weighs more than a freaking Yugo!

Grumpyunk said...

Don't worry, Red. We'll send gymi across first!

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