Friday, August 29th 2008
Being the first day of the Labor Day Weekend, most people have plans to leave work early today, scoop up the kids and travel somewhere and do something to celebrate the last long weekend of the summer. Do I? Hell no. I’ve opted for a staycation this year.
Around the DC area, the majority of folks head to the beaches. You have a few choices here. There’s Virginia Beach, VA, Ocean City, MD or Bethany & Rehoboth Beaches in Delaware. Sounds lovely but there’s a catch. You have to cross a bridge to get there.
photo cred: delgaudm
Bridges are both beautiful and necessary, but increasing more so over the years, they scare the ever-lovin’ crap out of me. As a result, I do not drive over them. I’ll be in the car breathing shallow breaths into a leftover fast food bag, but I do not do the driving. Problem solved, right? Not always.
Imagine my terror when my husband announced last year that due to a work conflict, he’d have to meet us at the beach the following evening. I was in a near panic especially since it had only been a week or so since the tragic Minnesota bridge collapse.
For the sake of my children and non-refundable hotel rooms, I was determined to face my fears. With windows rolled down and seat beats unbuckled (in order to escape in case we went over and the gallons of water began pouring in), I approached the toll booth with clammy hands. The girls knew I was fearful but I tried my best to make light of it - as if the possibility of going off a massive bridge because your mother loses her shit is at all funny.
As we got to the highest part of the bridge, my eyes started to play tricks on me. I began feeling like the car was sliding sideways. I knew I needed help.
I yelled to the girls, “Quick! Talk about something! Tell me a story!”. My youngest and bravest shouted out, “Rainbows! Ice Cream! Puppies!” and bless her heart, I giggled. She then initiated a discussion about how our dogs must be feeling in the kennel. That conversation lasted us the entire span of the bridge and aside from some very white knuckles and butterflied bellies, there were no lasting effects of the crossing.
As I said, that was last year.
Two weeks ago, this happened on that very same bridge.
Needless to say, I won’t be driving over it again any time soon. Really, that’s all it takes, folks.
Now, it’s all over the news how these poor (and in my opinion reckless and possibly having a death wish) drivers who just want to get away for the weekend will end up sitting for a majority of it. Traffic is going to be even worse than normal because crews are still trying to fix the damage to the bridge.
Yes, you heard me. They are in the process of fixing the bridge and yet people are lining up to drive over it.
It’s times like these when I wonder why I ever question my own sanity.
Besides the price of gas, what scares you into staycation?
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I’m fine with bridges, it’s tunnels and caves that make my skin crawl. I’m incredibly claustrophobic and start getting anxiety attacks when boxed in by 18-wheelers on the road.
Long bridges like that TERRIFY me. My grandfather lived in New Orleans and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was the scariest thing ever growing up.
My parents have a beautiful free beach house I could have gone to this weekend and I skipped it. Not b/c I’m afraid of the bridge (only a truck could have broken those barriers) it’s b/c of traffic. It will take people forever will of the work on the bridge.
Sheesh, that is like five bridges in one! Or is it two, actually? Why do they have two different designs on each bridge? That’s ugly.
I’m deathly afraid of bridges, too, especially the ones that curve up in a high arch, it’s like, you’re going up and you CAN’T SEE the other side!
And I hate ones without big barriers of steelwork all along them.
I used to live in Portland, so there was like TWELVE bridges. For quite a while I had to go over the Marquam every day - the part across the river is very straight and HIGH up, then immediately at either end (still HIGH up) there’s a huge sweeping L curve. It feels like, one slip and you would shoot straight off into the air! Well, and then the GROUND.
Oh my gosh. Here is a revelation that I have never shared with anyone. (Consider your blog to be the site of some serious breaking news today): For the past several years, I have had a recurring nightmare about driving over a drawbridge (you know the kind that open in the middle to let boats pass through — I don’t know if that’s the correct term, but, whatever) and it opening up right when I was about to drive over the part that opens. It is terrifying. I am absolutely and positively phobic about driving over bridges. I thought it was just me. This is why I love the Internet.
Hmm…seems to me that not going over that bridge again is the only sensible option!
Hope you have a lovely weekend at home instead. By the way, forgive a foreigner’s ignorance but what exactly is Labor day? I’ve always wondered.
If this phobia is hereditary you will get past it eventually as I did. But then again, I WAS past it by the time I was your age. Hmmmmm Guess you have a worse case of bridge phobia! But so far it doesn’t seem like your daughters have inherited it. That’s good!
I’m OK with bridges - although suspension bridges creep me out, as well as draw bridges. I’m afraid I’ll have missed the signal that they are opening or something.
What makes me stay home? The threat of bad weathers - tornadoes and hurricanes.
I used to drive over that bridge all the time - no problems. Now, I am petrified for some reason. I have done it a couple times in the past few summers, but only by telling myself over and over again “Nobody has ever driven off the side of this bridge.” But not true anymore… I don’t think I could make it. (They used to have people who would drive your car over for you… I wonder if they still do?)
I love you so much. I have an insane fear of bridges, too. When the bridge in MN collapsed, I declared that whenever we must drive over a bridge, all windows in the vehicle will be down. Period.
Talk about sweaty palms. I consider taking xanax before crossing the river. And I live a mile away from the Mississippi. A lot of fun crap happens on the other side of that bridge, but I’m not afraid to miss it.
:P
Oh crap… Now surely your fears are a tad much, but knowing this, is there a way we can help you steer clear of news that involves cars careening off bridges? Geepers.
My husband used to be in on a beach house in Dewey. He also had the biggest car, so the gang would load up into his wood-paneled wagon and head east. He would stop before the toll gates, let his friend drive the car across, then they’d switch on the eastern shore and continue on. It was only after we got together and had friends who lived in Chestertown that he decided it was ridiculous and stared down his fear, conquered the clammy hands and shallow breaths, stared unflinchingly at the license plate on the car in front of us, and drove the whole way across.
Beautiful views - but I’m with you. Plenty of enjoyable water over here on the western shore.
I like small bridges. The ones you have in the States scare me - they don’t seem like they should exist - like they are defying the laws of science and nature just by being there.
I actually kind of like bridges, especially ones over water. I love the views and am usually excited for wherever we’re going! What makes me sweat a little are tunnels, especially ones that go under water. Those terrify me, and I have to force myself to breathe until we come out the other side. The thought of “all it would take is a little crack” … gasp!
We were sitting in that traffic the day they brought the truck up out of the water with a huge crane. I was questioning my own sanity at that time as well. While not really phobic of bridges I do always have a plan of action and my husband and I continually argue about rolling down the windows.
Bridges? Nuh uh. Unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary I do my best to avoid.
We did our “staycation” last weekend and it was really fun. We went from the ‘burbs to Manhattan.
And took the train so that I didn’t have to drive over the Whitestone Bridge.
I’m much better as a driver than a passenger when we drive over bridges. If I’m driving, I know that we won’t go over the side. If Josh is driving, he is busy gazing at the scenery and pointing out boats in the water while I am gripping my seat and moaning in fear and yelling STOP LOOKING AT THE WATER! LOOK AT THE ROAD!
Just moved to the Richmond area and am wanting to start a blog. I happened upon your blog as I am reading different ones to get ideas. I enjoy it very much. And I JUST had to comment! I used to live CT. and IL. and my family has always lived in VA Beach. I have been going over that bridge for many years and suddenly 2 years ago I developed an acute phobia of bridges and tunnels. How did I discover this? By having a panic attack while driving across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge with my children and husband in the car. It was so bad that I had to pull over and throw-up on the shoulder! My husband had to take over the driving. I eventually sought help from a phobia clinic since I had to go over this bridge so my children could continue their relationship with their grandparents! It is better but I still have problems!! Can soooo relate!!
I hate bridges. Luckily, I live in a desert so I don’t often deal with them, but the drive to the east shore of the Chesapeake was HORRIFYING for me.
:S
I can’t drive over a suspension bridge. I just can’t. My eyes are drawn upward and I feel like I’m about to drive over the side. My feeling about bridges is, if there is no way else to get to where you want to do but a bridge, it’s not that great of a place to visit. I’ve even found a way to get into Manhattan without a bridge or tunnel. And I lived in the bay area for years without once going over the bay bridge or the GG bridge. Life didn’t stop for me. :-)
I wouldn’t say I am afraid enough to make me stay home from the beach, I can’t imagine much that I am afraid of that would keep me off of the beach, because we are in Panama City Beach, Florida right now as I speak and the waves from Gustav made it up to the condo pool last night. Yea, that might have spooked me just a little.
And, going off of a bridge never entered my mind until I had kids. And, when I had one, I knew I could unbuckle myself, get my kid unbuckled and get out. But, when I had that second kid, I became a little more nervous. I even asked Wayne would time how would I get me and the kids out if I drove off of a bridge. His answer to me was, there aren’t any bridges around here so why worry about it.
I proceeded to show him this rickety old bridge that has swamp water under that is nasty as nasty gets. He said, but it isn’t deep enough for you to get upset about it. Then, we had so much rain that the water rose almost to the bottom of the bridge. And, I reminded him again how scared I was that if I drove off of that bridge I wouldn’t be able to unbuckle everyone. He shook his head like I was crazy.
Then, I pulled a news article where these 3 teenage kids ran off into that very water right before they got to the bridge and one of them almost drowned, they pulled him out way late and he had to be carried to the hospital. That’s close enough for me. He had the nerve at that point to say, but the bridge didn’t cause them to run off, they were speeding and ran off before they even got there.
You know what I said then, “well just excuse me Mr. $#^@$^^@, when I get close to this bridge with my kids in the car, I”m slowing down to a crawl to make sure I don’t go off.”
And, the truth of the matter is, if I am alone, I speed over it just like everyone else does. But, if one of my kids is with me, I slow down and putt putt across it like a granny.
Fear…it is real stuff. Of course you know we had to cross a huge bridge to get here but it is a brand spankin’ new bridge. The old one that we crossed when I was a kid and even as a teenager, it used to freak me out but I didn’t have kids so I wasn’t near as petrified.
Argh. As someone who was on that bridge in Minneapolis the day it went down, I have to say that I am…somewhat nervous about bridges. You can’t really avoid them around here, but if I think there’s anything even slightly wonky about a bridge, I will do my absolute best to avoid it.
I hate to fly. The last time I flew I was alone and I ended up gripping the guy’s arm next to me every time we hit turbulence. He was pretty nice about it (and my profuse sweating). When we finally landed he offered to buy me a drink AND a shot to calm my nerves (he wasn’t very cute and I was married so it was pretty much a drink and a shot and then see ya). I haven’t flown since but I refuse to let it stop me from seeing the world. So the next time I’m just going to ask to be sedated.
I’ve just done the perfect post thingy [yes I know it's early - a bit] but I’m not sure what to do next in the linking department?
Cheers
p.s. I think I’ve managed to do the google reader too which should mean that when I update my blogroll tonight you’ll be there too. [ I hope]
Yours the technically challenged one.
Cheers
I’m not a huge fan. Growing up in the Midwest, we don’t have a lot. Just getting us over small rivers. But then I moved to San Francisco and you can’t avoid them there. I almost always avoided the Bay Bridge because of the collapse after the earthquake in 1989 and I didn’t want to get crushed on the lower part. Plus, the other bridges were closer to the water and thus deemed (by me) safer.
Ok, I don’t think I could stand up if I had to right now.
Bridges - I can handle some, like the LPC (sorry slynnro). Going over the Mississippi River doesn’t bother me because there’s so much metal on either side. Going to Galveston, ditto … OK, I guess I haven’t come across a bridge that has scared me yet but I know they’re out there because …
Mountain roads put me in a full sweat. Our family drove up Pikes Peak last summer (we live about an hour away, I can see it from my neighborhood) and I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. Seriously. My sons were so sweet, they just sat in the back and asked if I was OK every so often. There’s a road outside of Telluride that kills me too - if I’m on the passenger side and look out the window, THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE.
That ain’t right.
Tunnels are fine. I don’t know why. Eisenhower Tunnel is almost two miles long and it’s sometimes a nice relief from the weather outside. Not sure I’d dig the Chunnel much though.
Ha … “dig” a tunnel. Hee…
Anyway, thanks for getting my heart racing a lil bit there.
I am so ready to get back there.. it seems like this is taking forever.
Bridges - freak me out. My brakes are out light went on the other day when I was going over this freaky bridge that may or may not have been repaired. It literally made my heart stop. On that note, I better take my car in.
miss you.. hoping eventually we can get together in person again without me building a bridge.
My mother has a crippling fear of heights. Every summer we’d cross to Ocean City. If my Dad wasn’t with us, one of my sisters or I would drive just the bridge part. I got my first real on road driving experience at the the tender age of 9 on one of those bridges. My 14 year old sister had a cast that year.