Local bridges

Cool swing bridge! thanks for going back for that shot,
Your bikes look great

After seeing kevski's great pic of his bike and the Sutton Bridge I was trying to remember if I had even seen a swing bridge.
Well last weekend we were finally able to get access onto the Rock Island Armory , they don't make it easy.
militarybases.com/illinois/rock-island-arsenal/
We visited the museum,Rock Island National Cemetery, Memorial Park and Lock 15 on the Mississippi River.
Down river from the lock is an operating swing bridge ( Government Bridge) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Bridge
The attendant said that it is rotated on an average of 6 times a day .
We told him about the American Queen ending up in Ottawa and he knew her well.
Unfortunately it got too late in the day for us to cross it but we'll be back.

Government Bridge 1896


The Atomic Cannon

From the museum
My wife is going to be pissed :kiss:

This was back in 2012. Both are a 1985 GPz550 and The Golden Gate Bridge in the background, then Alcatraz Island in the other. This is just after we returned from a 6 day road trip. Good times indeed.

Beautiful bridge, great looking bikes and San Fransisco is a cool place to visit!
What section of road did you like the best on your trip?

I do like that 44 Winchester.
www.kzrider.com/media/kunena/attachments...G0999_2018-09-26.JPG

Took a ride to the Rock today (very crowded) with premature Leafers :laugh:
This is the next bridge on the chopping block, It is in Utica IL over the Illinois River by Starved Rock
It is one of my first memory's of a steel bridge and I have crossed it since I was knee high to a Grass Hopper, coming down next year some time.


Staved Rock Lock and Dam
S. R. visible to the right of the red crane


Maple and pears trees just starting to turn

Got into the upper 50's today so we headed out to the parks, the leaves finally started to turn nicely but tomorrow it's supposed to rain and have 40 mph wind gusts so today may be the best we will see this year, I hope I'm wrong.
First shot is Matthiessen State Park the rest are from the Marseilles lock and dam and Illini State Park in Marseilles .
When we go over that bridge I usually put the hammer down climbing it but today when I hit the throttle my cable snapped :pinch: I was able to pull into a parking lot and grab the throttle cable that I have been carrying in my pack for the last 50,000 miles and replace the bad one in about a half hour.
The last two weekends I was riding by myself and the pack was off the bike, timing is everything :lol:

I noticed the Coast Guard vessel in your photo. I must ask since the park is at least 300 miles inside the US border what “coast” are they guarding? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: (Sorry, I’m an old US Navy sailor – so I had to ask.) Ed

I thought it odd too so I took the pics, we have the Guard patrolling the Great Lakes apparently guarding 1500 miles of coast we share with Canada long with search and rescue plus a bunch of other stuff, greatlakes.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2013/0...-coast-guard-unique/
It appears that they were doing something with the river buoys, they can get loose in high water and we have had a lot of that lately.

Fall colors peaked the middle of the week around here ,rain is moving in today and the projected weather and temps through New Years doesn't look promising
So this may be it for a while.


A couple weeks ago


Last Friday


Buffalo Rock State Park / Illinois River


Fox River near home