(Muddy) Water Under the Bridge

Heading home yesterday, my route took me down a road where a bridge was being replaced. It wasn't complete to the point that I could ride across (do you suppose that's what the 'Bridge Closed Do Not Enter' signs meant?).

Of course, there was no way I could turn back and retrace my path. So the only choice left was to ride down and across the creek. (That red thing is a porta-potty on its side.) The creek was flowing nicely at the narrow part just under the bridge, so I reasoned "the current looks fast enough to scour the dirt away, so it should be a rocky bottom... right?"

Just as I made it to the far edge of the creek, my front wheel went down into the mud, about halfway to the axle. So much for the rocky bottom. After a little struggle, the bike and I got up onto solid dirt again, and up the bank on the far side. It was steeper than I reckoned.

They had stored the old bridge next to the road.

Just in case the new one didn't work right, I suppose.

It reminded me of the old bridge at Camp El Har.