On Tuesday I did something I’d been thinking about for a while: walking over Lions’ Gate Bridge. I didn’t really plann it, I just got impatient waiting for the bus after work, then started walking along Marine Dr. The bus drove past as I was between stops, so I thought, fuck it. It was a nice evening, not too warm and not too cold, I had my camera with me and the light looked right for some good sunset shots. Why not?
Here are a few things you don’t notice when you’re driving over the bridge:
- Those factories, or whatever the hell they are, just west of the bridge between Capilano Indian Reserve and the sea… they stink. It’s a weird smell I couldn’t quite identify. Kind of seafoodish, I guess. What are they making or processing there?
- The bridge vibrates from the constant traffic. By itself not a big deal, but it was kicking up my fear of heights quite a bit.
Funny thing, though: until I actually set foot on the bridge, I didn’t think acrophobia would be a problem. I get nary a twinge from Burrard or Granville Bridges, but Lions’ Gate is a whole other beast. I kept angling away from the outer railing, even though that’d put me in the way of bicycles (unless there was a really good shot). To turn around I shifted my feet around carefully, as though I were walking on thin ice. In fact I didn’t trust my balance unless I was steadily walking straight ahead, preferably with one hand touching something solid.
Of course, even after I got back on terra firma my journey was far from over, because still had to cross Stanley Park, and then downtown. I was tired, starving and I needed to pee really badly, but it was totally worth it! Though next time, I’ll go on the east sidewalk, to get a better view of downtown…
