A bridge too far?

It's the time of year when we used to see lots of Canada geese along and about the road edge going through the Sunrise River pools in the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area. This year we've seen very few geese or their goslings. We're not sure why but we have a prime suspect. The water in the Sunrise pools has been unusually high all Summer, but we don't think that's the basic problem. The geese used to hang out along the shoulder and into the road near where the river flowed under the highway. We surmise that a few too many motorists had close, or too close, calls with a goose or geese.

Canada geese "roadside"

Photo by J. Harrington

Several years ago, the county replaced the bridge crossing the river and the conduits through which the river flowed. When they did that, they added very long stretches of guard rail, separating the roadway from most of the shoulder. The geese no longer hang out along that stretch of roadway and marsh. We can sort of understand that, but what leaves us scratching our head is why the geese didn't decide to congregate on the North side of the road, where there's still quite a bit of marsh and shoulder not separated by a guardrail.

bridge construction: bulleting board

Photo by J. Harrington

We admit that the new and improved road is probably safer for both motorists and geese, but we also admit we would have much preferred to see a lower speed limit and a "goose crossing" sign instead.

The Bridge Builder

By Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man going a lone highway,

Came, at the evening cold and gray,

To a chasm vast and deep and wide.

Through which was flowing a sullen tide

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,

The sullen stream had no fear for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting your strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day,

You never again will pass this way;

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,

Why build this bridge at evening tide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head;

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followed after me to-day

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been as naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”

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