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Phan Quoc Vinh
Located in Colorado in the United States, the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge is described as “impressive” and “scary”. This bridge made me feel lost and tiny in majestic nature.
The bridge’s history
The suspension bridge is located in Royal Gorge National Park near Cañon city, a two-hour drive from Denver, Colorado. The bridge spans a gorge of the same name.
“Built in 1929 within seven months, Royal Gorge was the highest suspension bridge until 2003. It rises 321m above the Arkansas River, similar to the height of the Eiffel Tower. Its length and width are 384m and 5m with the deck made of 1,292 wooden planks,” explained Peggy Gair, Public Relations Manager of Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, introducing this tourist attraction to me, a visitor from far-flung Vietnam.
Based on fossilized remains found by archaeologists 3km from the Royal Gorge Bridge, dinosaurs wandered this area over 100 million years ago.
Many centuries later, the Native Americans arrived, hunted and camped in the region. The Ute tribe, who lived in the mountains of Colorado, wintered in Royal Gorge, since it offered a milder climate and protection from the wind. In warmer months, the Sioux, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Blackfeet, and Comanche, who lived in the plains, drove wild buffalo herds to the gorge’s meadows.
“In the past, the Royal Gorge was not as peaceful as it is now. In 1877, there was a furious fight over the road along the Arkansas River between the Rio Grande Railroad and the Santa Fe Railway. A lot of blood was shed. In the end, after six months taking each other to court, the Rio Grande Railroad was the winner,” said Ms. Gair excitedly, explaining the history of the bridge. She pointed to where the Royal Gorge train still runs daily, operated by the Rio Grande Railroad. This route provides passengers with intriguing experiences as they pass through high and dangerous but majestic granite cliffs.
Where the land meets the sky
It’s an amazing experience to walk along the snow-covered bridge, your body freezing while your head is hot, beneath the glaring sun. Tourists have a lot of fun choices here, from admiring the bridge on the swinging skycoaster to zip-lining across the gorge. This takes just 45 seconds!
I chose the gondola ride, a less extreme means of transportation that took five minutes to reach the other side of the mountain. Below me were snow-covered pine trees, some antelopes searching for food in the wintry landscape, and a tour bus waiting to depart. From above, I felt so tiny and excited in this amazing nature.
On my way back, I walked over to touch the bridge’s unimaginably large cables with my hands, holding my breath while looking down at the bottom of the gorge through holes in the planks. I didn’t forget to lovingly write the word “Viet Nam” in the thin layer of snow on the bridge, leaving a Vietnamese visitor’s mark on this wonder.
Ms. Gair took me to a small wooden building called “Bighorn Inn” beside a cliff. It’s very hard to book a room here, since many visitors hope to stay overnight to watch the moon and relax where the land meets the sky.
“On the afternoon of June 11, 2013, a huge wildfire started to the west of the Royal Gorge Bridge. In a very short time, the fire spread to all the trees in the gorge. Although visitors and staff were safely evacuated, buildings, entertainment facilities, tourist attractions, and the surrounding landscape were damaged or completely destroyed by the fire. As a matter of fact, 90 percent of the 360-ha park was devastated. The historic bridge survived with 100 burned planks. The scorched abutment was renovated into a viewpoint,” said Ms. Gair, pointing at a big gap in the cliff. “It will take hundreds of years for this area to recover its former beauty.”
Ms. Gair sighed in regret. However, for me, the old historic bridge located next to the new one built after the fire in 2013 shows that while changes will occur, the Royal Gorge will always be a breathtaking and exciting destination on any journey to discover America’s West.
