Ships That Pass in the.....
By Morley Hunt
@Morleyhunt (21734)
Canada
April 26, 2017 7:58pm CST
The line officially says....ships that pass in the night.
It was ships passing in the morning that drew my attention.
Wednesday's are a little more challenging than most days to get a walk under my belt. This week we've made it a little more difficult as I am taking my granddaughter to school each morning and picking her up in the afternoon.
This morning, my plans were made.....drop Sandra off and head to the park near the marina to walk.....but.....as I crossed the canal, I noticed a ship in the lock......change of plans.....
Quickly I parked the car and walked up the observation platform. Now I walked along the lock and the canal towards the lake. I spotted another ship, tied up and waiting for this one to pass.
As I walked I used my smartphone to grab a couple of photos of the ships as they passed each other in the canal.
Now with two of the three bridges in the up position.....traffic was going to be a snarl.
This is what makes our community unique. Waiting for the bridges.
13 people like this
15 responses
@hostessman (11871)
• Tucson, Arizona
27 Apr 17
just be glad your walking and not driving waiting for the bridge
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
I rarely wait for the bridge. If I see that the ship has almost passed, I wait, otherwise I take one of the other bridges....only in extremely rare circumstances are all three bridges up t the same time.
@Morethanamom (1948)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
Those bridges cause many headaches. Especially if one or 2 are out of commission.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
Mostly if it's the north or middle bridge. They can never both be up at the same time....but when the. Roth bridge was stuck by a ship a couple of years ago.....that caused major headaches until the shipping season closed down.
@Juliaacv (48246)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
@Morleyhunt We got stuck waiting once, passing thru, and of course we were running late and didn't even attempt an alternate route. But, no worse then waiting for a train, right?
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
Before I moved to this town I would have sat and patiently(grumbling all the while) waited for the bridge. Once we moved here, I learned all of the alternate routes (they are well marked) so it usually only slows me down by about 5 minutes. The bridge is usually up for about 20 minutes.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79567)
• United States
27 Apr 17
Interesting way to get in your walk as well as seeing something different
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
The plan was to take a walk. The location changed. I don't mind watching the large ships pass through the lock. At one time I rarely crossed the canal, but living where we do I crossed the canal 7 times yesterday.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325255)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Apr 17
That would be a bit of an annoyance. Do the bridges go up at regular times? How much warning do you get that the bridge is going up?
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
The locals have learned to scan the horizon as we approach town...we watch for ships or the evidence that the bridge is up. We get about a minutes notice. The lights for alternate route start to flash, the barrier arms come down and the traffic lights are red. The bridge is up for about 20 minutes.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325255)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Apr 17
@Morleyhunt That would be really frustrating if you were in a hurry and just missed getting across.
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
27 Apr 17
The photo is very nice. Very interesting to know about this.
1 person likes this
@marsha32 (6631)
• United States
27 Apr 17
I've never seen one of those bridges in person....I could see being frustrated having to wait for them.
You got some nice shots of the ships.
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
It's not that big a deal. You learn to adjust. Only once a year us it a serious problem.
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
I have many options for trails I can walk. It's just a matter of finding a good place to park my car. The closest trail is a 2.5 km walk down the road.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
30 Apr 17
The traffic holdup a are probably more of a nuisance to non locals. The locals are checking to see which bridge is up and how to avoid it before they get to the bridge. Tourists don't know what to watch for.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48884)
• United States
29 Apr 17
I can remember a lady walking across a bridge in Tampa and it started going up. Very scary situation. She was elderly.
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
30 Apr 17
The only way a person could go up with one of the bridges is if they were trying.....the other two bridges are jack knife bridges and you could exactly stay on the bridge when the road surface extends straight up.
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Apr 17
A nice exciting walk for you I wish I was there to see it too!
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
These are the views that will keep me motivated and walking.
1 person likes this
@Gabugs (1895)
• United States
30 Apr 17
Wow! You've given us a vivid description @Morleyhunt
Which part of Canada do you live?
My dad's cousin lives in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. I haven't yet visited her. But she does mention about ships passing by and being closer to Alaska than we are.
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
27 Apr 17
That would be different for me, its trains down here.
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
The first few times, I waited for the bridge. It was a novelty. Now I just take the alternate route.
@chrissbergstrom (10767)
• Banks, Oregon
27 Apr 17
How unique to have to wait for bridges we don't have that problem around here
@Morleyhunt (21734)
• Canada
27 Apr 17
Unique. Sometimes inconvenient. I rarely actually wait for the bridges, but during shipping season (March to December) I allow some extra time to cross town.
