WE BUILT A BRIDGE (TWICE!)

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The impact washed away one of our "silo" hangers ... and four other board-holders were already missing.

In an effort to salvage what I could, I crawled out onto the lines and—dodging sailing limbs—grabbed as many hangers as possible. But, even when most of the U-rods were secure, there wasn't a thing we could do to save the cables.

As night came on, the river inched over the lower bank, spread into the field, and—finally—reached our bridge lines. I knew the steel cords wouldn't break—even the heaviest tree couldn't snap those cables—but the ground over the low-side deadman was beginning to bulge upward. We went inside, feeling helpless, and listened the rest of the night as the river played our bridge like a cello.

In the morning, the cables (and our spirits) were down. The two-foot-diameter deadman had been pulled clear out of its trench, thrust downriver, and driven— cables and all—against the high bank. Of course the lines couldn't escape (they were still anchored by the other deadman) but they would have to lie in the water until the river went down enough for us to try pulling them out. So, for four months, we stared across the river at our cherished—but unreachable—building site ... and replanned our bridge.

When the river dropped we erected two new posts to string our cables on ... but this time they were 15 footers, with four feet firmly concreted in the ground and eleven feet above. The new poles would hold our bridge high oft the water. I built a 6' X 6' raised deck with steps in front of the posts, and replaced the washed-away log deadman with three yards of concrete poured in a new, deeper trench (setting the turnbuckled cable lengths in the mortar mix before it could harden).

I also put in new, tall posts on the far side of the river. Then—since I had no way to take sand and gravel over to mix concrete—I buried an extra backup deadman, which I clamped to the old one with short steel cables.

Sammie and I spent some frozen hours tugging those heavy lines back through the icy river, tightening them up, and re-erecting our hangers and planks. But it's all done now ... and this time it's well done, too.

So, learn from us. If you're planning to do some bridge building, read all you can find, talk to knowledgeable locals, and don't let high water bring you—and your project—down.

As for us, we're busy these days toting lumber over our fine new bridge ... and trying to figure out how to build a house...once!

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