When I was younger, my mother was pretty protective. Not extremely overprotective, but certainly enough. So, as a consequence, I didn’t have many adventures. I’ve never broken a bone or had to go to the hospital for a childhood related injury, save the time I jammed a tooth pick into my right foot when I was sliding them across the floor. I can hear her now: “I told you to pick up your feet!”. 
My only adventures, which my mother didn’t know about were riding a grocery cart down a fairly steep hill. I was on the inside. No steering. No brakes. No hope for a safe landing. LOL! We crashed many times out of the old shopping cart, but what fun that was! My second most memorable adventure was attempting to ride my bicycle through the water stream from an open fire hydrant. Note: Do NOT attempt!!! It doesn’t work. You could get slammed across the street by the force of the water! I know!
Those hard to reach vistas
Certainly, you’ll probably never see photos from me taken where I scaled the side of a mountain with only a rope and rosin bag! Too much adventure for me. It has been my experience that some of the most impressive vistas that I have seen, without the use of a rope, have been as I was speeding along a highway going over some bridge or another. As I am of a very practical and cautious nature (usually), there’s no way that I stop on the highway, set up my tripod, and commence to clicking.
Throwing caution to the wind … sort of
There is a bridge that crosses the Intra-Coastal Waterway, the Isle of Palms Connector, highway SC-517. It connects Mount Pleasant, SC with Isle of Palms, SC. The bridge is about 2 miles long, 2 lanes on each side, and has a speed limit of 55 MPH.
When driving over the bridge I see lots of people walking, jogging, or riding bicycles. Often, I’ll see someone stop to take a snapshot and then keep walking. I’ve been to Isle of Palms about 6 times, now, which means that I’ve crossed that particular bridge 12 times. Each time that I cross, it is just after sunset and a nice golden or intense orange light illuminates the various waterways that are present throughout the marshes.
Finally, yesterday, I screwed up my courage and made a small hike up the bridge, about a quarter of a mile, along the bicycle lane, which is actually about as wide as a car lane. As the sun had already set and there only remained about 15 minutes of light, I hustled on up the bridge, set up my tripod, and took quite a few pictures, enjoying it, but also keeping my eyes on those cars that were whizzing by! So, I couldn’t give my complete concentration.
When I left, it was nearly dark. I was thinking on the way back down that it would be a good idea to purchase some reflector tape and put it on my backpack and my tripod and to get a couple of reflective armbands! I want to be seen!!!
I think that I’ll visit the bridge a few more times … after all, I have to shoot both sides, east and west, and both ends, north and south!!!
I’m glad that I went. BTW, I walked back down. No shopping cart!!!
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2 Responses to “Taking a chance”
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Beautiful – and I can just imagine doing this. Maybe it is my age but whenever that thought (I have wanted to do this many times – why not now – don’t miss the chance) crosses my mind, I take it as a red flag to DO IT NOW. Of course, you can’t always but one seldom regrets something like this.
I’m glad you took the chance, and are safe
Gorgeous light, wonderfully saturated and expressive in the cold warm contrast you have captured there. Being cautious by nature as well, I repetitously advice myself to get out of habits, stop, see and take advantage of everyday situations. Probably the best thing to do – also with a high success rate because you do not have to adapt to something completely new but can work along your experience.