Different angle of plaque 

Close up of plaqe on side of tower 

Here you can see the plaque that is dedicating the bridge. I will have a close up in a moment.  

My final resting point before decending back towards Mt Pleasant and my car. This is one of the decks where you can sit and relax and enjoy the view.  

Coming up on the second tower  

driving over the bridge from Charleston SC. This is the second tower I am coming up to.  

starting up the bridge walk from the Mt Pleasant side of the bridge.  

bottom portion of cable anchor. I look tiny next to this baby.  

Close up shot of cable anchor 

view of first of the huge cable anchors on first tower of new Arthur Ravenel Bridge 

First walk up the Arthur Ravenl Bridge

This is the second week in a row that I have had two days off in a row and I have to say that I really have enjoyed having some time to myself so I can do what I like to do. I like to be with my family, go to church, hang out with friends, read books, surf the web and last but not least take pictures of interesting things. As you can see, today was my initial trip up the new Arthur Ravenel bridge that just recently opened. I went over the bridge several times last Saturday night however I was not able to walk nor was I able to get any good pictures. I did however enjoy the initial ride up the new bridge several times with a dear friend.
Here are a few thoughts about walking the bridge. When you drive over the bridge do not let the fact that you are driving at 55 mph fool you because the bridge is approximately 3 miles long. I found that out today after I walked it and found that I actually walked 1 mile one way. That is from the base of the bridge on the MT Pleasant side up between both towers. So there and back I accumulated 2 miles on my feet, shins, ankles and back. LOL... Oh yes, the thoughts. When walking on the bridge and it is 105 with the heat index do not wear all black. Try to wear light clothes. Do NOT wear deck shoes that will rub your feet the wrong way and cause blisters. Do wear comfortable tennis shoes. Do carry some water with you. If at all possible see if the men who are driving the John Deere tractor back and forth over the bridge will let you hitch a ride when you get tired. LOL....
Yes, I actually understood all of those little factoids before I went on this walk. I was unprepared for the wild hair that hit me after we went to watch a movie this afternoon and I said, lets go walk up the bridge so I can take some pictures. Next time I think about doing that I will have some things in the trunk that I can change into BEFORE I ascend the bridge. LOL...
What an awesome bridge this is. Oh my goodness, this bridge is very very impressive to say the least. I could not believe the view I had of the Cooper River Bridge and Patriots Point. I was able to see most of Charleston and Sullivan's Island. I was able to watch several container ships come in off the ocean and see the tugs maneuver them up against the docks.
The trip up the bridge did not seem as daunting as the trip down. There IS a slight grade so you will have to set a pace and not wear yourself out. I have no clue HOW the people on bikes were able to slowly chug up that gradual incline though. However, I did notice that on the way down the incline that there were several folks racing their bikes to the bottom and of course they were not staying in their designated lanes. I also noticed that several folks zoom through the deck at the towers without dismounting their bikes and could have run over someone if someone had been there. So, if you are on a bike, please be courteous and watch out for slow moving FAT white men such as myself that might not be as nimble on my feet as you would like. LOL... Dismount the bike and WALK it around the sharp 90 degree corners like the signs instruct you to. Thanks.
I hope you enjoy the photos. I took them all with my Nokia cell phone camera. I can not wait to go back to the bridge with my other cameras and take some shots. It was hard to really see what I was looking at with the digital display in the direct sun.

Sunset view of new bridge to be opened soon between Mt Pleasant and Charleston SC 

The new Arthur Ravenel Bridge that will be open soon... 

My best friend gave me a new M&M dude for the antenna on my car. He made the maiden voyage to Rock Hill SC and here you see him waving at you...  

Flat tire anyone? You could put my car in that tire.... 

On our way back from Rock Hill SC we drove through some thunderstorms and I saw this cloud formation that looked unique... 

back end shot of truck 

On our trip to Rock Hill NC for one of Katy's many interviews this month we saw this rolling advertisement for Independence air.  

Back end shot of Stingray 

1967 Corvette Stingray. During my evening shift at Piggly Wiggly on James Island the owner of this car drove up and I thought it was worth a couple of pictures.