So yeah... I have some problems on day one of getting the course ready to go. There's a creek that flows through the golf course and comes in play on 3 different holes. This creek appears tame at first look. Actually in the summer it gets pretty dry. But it is a bigtime flash flood creek. The thing turns into the Mississippi. Anyway I have 4 diffferent bridges that cross the creek. I pull 3 of them in the winter and put them back in the spring. Just because we usually get a flood and the water can take them for a ride. So I pull them straight up on land and push them back. These bridges are roughly 20 to 25 feet long. They are also constructed of I beams on the sides with cross supports and steel grating on top. Not sure off hand how thick the I beams are, somewhere in the 12 to 14 inch range. When the water gets flowing it takes them like a toothpick and moves them around. So this bridge I don't move is because I really can't. It is a heavy son biotch. I don' t want a bigger piece of equipment going where it would have to go to get to it. And it's actually at a sharp bend in the creek where the water slows and just rolls over it. It's moved very little before and I can always budge it back in place with my tractor. Well.....I looked out the window yesterday and something did not look right. walk down there and there is a HUGE chunk of ice resting right in the middle of the thing. The two ends were sticking up and the middle looked like it was on the creek bed. Assuming it's bent right in half. Couldn't really see too much due to the ice chunks covering it still, but it don't look good. I'm going to wait til the ice melts and assess it then. Honestly I have no clue what I'm going to do. Aside from that there are places along the creek bank where these ice chunks were flowing down and gouged giant chunks of banks and took them with them. I lost about 20 feet in one section. Just ripped everything in it's path. I've never seen anything like this before (as far as the ice goes). I've seen and dealt with a zillion floods, no biggie anymore really. Just pick up the pieces and move on. This is bad. Really bad. Right now there are enormous chunks of ice laying all over the golf course. Just a perfect formula the way it melted and started flowing I guess. Can't wait for day 2
I'll take some today (if most of it didnt' melt). Got up to a balmy 45 yesterday. Either way I'll take some pics of the bridge
I'd like to (out of curiosity) see the ones you're moving, too. That's a big span. I'd just like to see what you're working with. I know from experience.....bridges are NOT cheap. My old co. spent $30K in a snap on a footbridge a few years ago.
These are nothing elaborate (at all). Just a bunch of metal to get carts across. I imagine it's not going to be cheap fixing or building this one. I can assure you I'm not spending 30k on it though lol. I'll put a speed ramp and a pole vault for the golfers before I do that.
