Caught Inside: Confusion Hill

Yesterday I traveled to Confusion Hill for work. It was nice to see that Southern Humboldt has finally begun awaking from it's winter slumber. The roadside was alive with blossoms from pepperwoods, cherries and plum trees that grow all over our county. The morning fog hung low over the evergreen hills. Later, when the fog lifted, the sunlight illuminated the new growth at the tips of the fir trees which made them seem to glow. I love southern Humboldt County. It's difficult to capture the color contrast of the oily brown leaves and red bark of the manzanitas against evergreen hills. I tried my best to get the magnificance of beauty, and the massavness of the new bridge at Confusion Hill, all with my Chinon CM-7 35mm camera that I found in my desk when I was hired at SHN. That's right... Remember 35mm film?? Developing?? I hope that this camera is good for me. The price was right and features include.. Automated nothing! No autofocus, no aperture adjusting. It won't even advance the film, gotta pull the crank. But it is teaching me alot, at $5 a roll for film. Anyway... This is what I get payed to do.

A comforting sight

Eel River bridge at Cooks Valley on the old highway, just into Mendocino

What will be the south bridge, south tower, where we were working yesterday. Does this not look like some sort of George Lucas thing? Building the Death Star on Tatuine/Battle for Endor?

Guys working harder than me, finishing concrete.

South bridge, south tower looking to the north tower inside of the bridge span.

Looking at the tower on a landing 50 feet up from the river bottom. A concete pump to the left and crane booming up materials to the crew. It is a 10 minute walk up the scaffolding to the deck. The horizontal spans are hollow, picture above is taken from inside.

South tower looking south to the south abutment. Crew working drilling into the bedrock for the footings.

Looking to the north tower from just below the south tower span. The towers are built, then the bridge is built, one section at a time, to connect the towers together. The horizontal spans from each tower will reach out then meet in the middle.