The Bridge

On Sunday I went to Lethbridge to kayak the Oldman River.  Each year a local kayak store hosts a customer appreciation paddle and barbeque.  This year they got together about 100 kayakers and rafters to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lethbridge Viaduct or more commonly known as the High Level Bridge.  The bridge was completed in August 1909.  The steel for the bridge came from Walkerville, Ontario.  It is apparently the largest railway structure in Canada.  It is the longest bridge of this type in Canada.

The start of the trip was no fun at all.  We no sooner got into the water and the storm rolled in with a vengeance.  It’s not my idea of a good time when I have to paddle going downstream.  The wind was really strong with a driving heavy rain.  It felt like the waves were 10 feet high.  i was glad that it only lasted about 20 minutes.  My hands were frozen stiff.  Then the sun returned and all was good again.

It was quite the sight to see all these paddlers.

I see the bridge all the time from the highway but this is a great perspective.

This tree is very large.  I wonder if has been there since the flood of 1995.

This is one very large bridge.  I clearly remember as a kid travelling across Canada in a train.  We went over this bridge and I was terrified the whole time thinking that the train would fall over the edge.  There are no railings and I could see straight down when I dared look over the side.  I feel way more comfortable looking up at it instead of looking down from it.  Of course back then I didn’t know how famous it was.

I love looking at the shoreline when I am kayaking.  There is so much to see and it is constantly changing.  The trip was very enjoyable (after the storm) and I hope to do it again next year.