Copyright ©2011-2015 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
It’s “THEME” week over on Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness 2. The Theme is Bridges.
I pulled this image out of my archives because I didn’t think I’d have enough time to shoot a bridge over the week-end and get it to Leanne on time for today’s posting. I’m glad I thought ahead!
I made this image back in 2011 when He-Man was competing in a 100 mile Bicycle Road Race (a Century). Myself and 3 friends went up with him to Turtle Bay, Redding, CA. USA to photograph the area, and waterfalls. At the end of the day we found ourselves back at Turtle Bay for sunset. This image was taken just before the sun went down.
Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| Tripod| Cable Release
For the Historians:
The Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay crosses the Sacramento River in the heart of Redding, California. Opened July 4, 2004, the bridge links the north and south campuses of Turtle Bay Exploration Park and serves as a new downtown entrance for Redding’s extensive Sacramento River Trail system.
The bridge celebrates human creativity and ingenuity, important themes of the 300 acre Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The steel, glass, and granite span evokes a sense of weightlessness and the translucent, non-skid decking provides for spectacular viewing at night. The bridge is also environmentally sensitive to its river setting. The tall pylon and cable stays allow the bridge to avoid the nearby salmon-spawning habitat there are no supports in the water while encouraging public appreciation for the river. Plazas are situated at both ends of the bridge for public use; the north-side plaza stretches to the water allowing patrons to sit at the river’s edge.
In addition to being a functional work of art, the Sundial Bridge is a technical marvel as well. The cable-stayed structure has an inclined, 217 foot pylon constructed of 580 tons of steel. The deck is made up of 200 tons of glass and granite and is supported by more than 4,300 feet of cable. The structure is stabilized by a steel truss, and rests on a foundation of more than 115 tons of steel and 1,900 cubic yards of concrete. The McConnell Foundation, a private, independent foundation established in Redding in 1964, funded the majority of the bridge’s $23 million cost.
World renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava conceived the Sundial Bridge’s unusual design, his first free-standing bridge in the United States. Calatrava has built bridges, airports, rail terminals, stadiums, and other structures around the world. His notable designs include the new PATH transportation terminal at the World Trade Center site in New York City and several projects at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, including the main stadium where opening and closing ceremonies were held.
~Turtle Bay Exploration Park
FWIW- He-Man finished the ride earlier than we expected, so he had a yummy BBQ lunch the race organizers put on for the riders and gabbed with other riders while we finished up. We met up with him for sunset. He-Man and I stayed for hours. There was an astronomy night sky group there that night with telescopes to view the stars, and planets that He-Man enjoyed while I was down on the beach photographing “Blue Period”. That image is here.
There are bridges from all over the world being posted this week on MM2. If you have time click over to Leanne’s MM2 page to view them.
More to come…
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