A Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge

   Although I have driven across the Golden gate bridge quite a few times, on a recent trip to San Francisco I decided to walk across it. The historic bridge crossing over the entrance to San Francisco Bay is indeed an engineering marvel and a very popular tourist destination. The bridge is about a mile across and is a great way to get some exercise while looking at some of the nicest scenery you'll ever see.

In 1934, the beginnings of the huge towers supporting the bridge were still being constructed.

Like most suspension bridges, the road deck is suspended from massive cables stretching from tower to tower.

This cross section of one of the main cables illustrates how it is constructed.

The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California. Here we see traffic crossing it in 1940.

The closer you get to the bridge, the more impressive it seems.

There are several points with overhangs where you can actually see the underpinnings of the bridge.

Two tourist cruise boats head for San Francisco in the distance.

Bad Hair Day (It was pretty windy!)

Few people get to see the underside of the bridge but I found it pretty interesting.

This shot is pretty much in the center of the bridge.

At the north anchorage there is some type of lighthouse/harbormaster's cottage sticking out into the bay.

Closer view

At first, this seemed like an odd place to find a crisis counseling hotline until I remembered that the Golden Gate Bridge is not only the most popular place to commit suicide in the United States but the most popular in the entire world. According to records over 1,200 have jumped to their death from the span.

The suicide hotline phone is close to the middle of the bridge. A few years ago they did hang a mesh net below the sides to catch anyone going over the side and bridge workers are always on the lookout for potential jumpers. 

My friends Bob and Mary Blain asked me to spread some ashes from their two teenage sons who died in auto accidents. I learned later this is illegal.

Another shipload of Chinese crap for Wal-Mart

Bikers look out into the bay.

Often when I have crossed the bridge the upper towers are shrouded in mist.