Saturday, February 07, 2009

The Bridges Of Platte County

Normally when I tell people that Darrin is a Commercial Diver, they look extremely puzzled and ask, "where does he dive in IOWA?" Most people think we live in a field of corn or something, which I guess makes sense if you've never been here before. I then explain that he does work for the US Army Corps of Engineers along the Missouri River, bridge inspections for the state of Nebraska, casino boat inspections, power plants, dams, canals, etc.
This week I went along with D and the crew to do 6 bridge inspections in Columbus, Ne. It was very interesting! I learned a lot of new things, I even know how to spot an abutment now.

So here is my version of Underwater Bridge Inspection 101....

Did you know that these old cars are placed on the bank of the canal for erosion control?
Neither did I! I love it!



Isn't that SO COOL??!
Kind of like a canal version of The Cadillac Ranch!



Oops! Distracted by a shiny object.



Door handle fun........bear with me.



Ok, back to D and the bridge.



Close-up of his duds.



Shootin' the breeze before he gets in the water.



The dive trailer.



Securing the dive hat.



AQUAMAN is ready to roll.



Getting in.



Heading towards the piles.



The big picture. Now D will inspect the bridge underwater.


Me watching and oh so impressed with my hunky Aquaman.



Yes that is ice floating on the water. Brrrrrrr.



Another bridge good to go.



Trying to get a cute selfie of us. Nice shot of my nostrils.


Sorry, couldn't resist.



Next week is a penetration dive for the City of Cedar Rapids sewer treatment plant.
Can you say raw sewage?
Ummmmmmmm yeah no, I won't be tagging along for that one.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank heavens you're back with us! Fun to be taken along on that trip. Does D know you got that shot of his bum? The other shot was great of D, and I even like the one of D and your nostrils.

I had no idea old junker cars were so useful! Kind of like using old Christmas trees along the banks of the Chattahoochee in Atlanta.

run healthy thank you! Love you.

Unknown said...

I have seen the car erosion control along the river in the Smokey Mountains. Not your average everyday "day" job D has...very interesting...but not me in that frigid, dark, murky water!

Claire MW said...

Brrrrrr....that post made me happy to have a desk job for once. It looks like you had fun though, and he does get to wear cool duds.

I'm concerned about the environmental impact of car use as erosion control. Must have a committee with myself about that topic.

Glad you are back.

Anonymous said...

Dont worry Claire, I met with myself and all is as far as erosion control goes.

Anonymous said...

I mean all is ok, sorry that was me typing instead of myself.

diane said...

yes mom, d posed for the bum shot.
and i wondered about the car thing too- but that's what they told me the cars were for. and they have been there for 40 or 50 years. strange but fascinating to me!

Unknown said...

Old cars along a river bank to prevent erosion is much better than the abandoned heaps I discovered back in my hiking days - there are at least 3 very old cars dumped along one of the Chattahoochee trails off I-285 and Johnson Ferry in Atlanta/Marietta. They are off the side of a rutted trail on a hillside near the river.

Unknown said...

neato!
and D looks pretty good in that wetsuit there!!

Savannah Belle said...

Good photos and sure glad you are back!! Send more!! D does look good. Nice colors on his suit. Beats those dull black ones. Were they pumping warm water in his suit? I don't think Dave gets in the water often now but I know when he was in Buffalo he said it was better to be in the water than standing out there in the cold. With Tyler still in the military he goes to lots of fun places for his dives where it is much, much warmer and beutiful water. How in the world did G & I end up with two sons and one grandson that are so daring. Or nuts.

Are the dogs mad at you for being gone so long?

diane said...

no warm water in the suit that day- it was 56 degrees both days! it was like summer time!
the dogs forgave us because they only had to spend one night alone.

Anonymous said...

ummm yeah, 56 on the surface does not equate to 56 water temp.

the one who knows

Savannah Belle said...

Is Anonymous Dave by any chance?? He once told be if you pee in the suit it will warm it up a little. He said that's he does. That was about the time he was trying his best to get me to put his suit on and go in the gulf. Maybe he was really trying to discourage me----it worked.

clp said...

love the cars. LOVE. and nice gd full moons. there's your PWNP for you. :)

Anonymous said...

Darrin-

How do you inspect a bridge when you are in a dark murky river? What are you looking for? Interesting that you, Greg and Dave all ended up in the same line of work. Must be the Dodd gene, ha, ha! You look great in your suit. Do they have an age limit on diving?

Diane- I think your "full moon" picture shows us what an aBUTment really is! LOL!

bigheadedbob said...

Love the cars, we have them along our canals in Florida too. Although we don,t get close to them, usually stolen, and often dead people inside. I won,t comment on Darrins butt, don't want to get get that transvestite image

bigheadedbob said...

Love the cars, we have them along our canals in Florida too. Although we don,t get close to them, usually stolen, and often dead people inside. I won,t comment on Darrins butt, don't want to get get that transvestite image

diane said...

MIL- anonymous was d
Joyce- good one!

Tom- maybe bigheadedbob needs a custom wetsuit for your cruise.