Low Water Bridges

Recently my cousin posted a picture of a low water bridge.  That pic brought back all kinds of memories.  Now I don’t know if you have ever seen a low water bridge or driven over one but I’m here to tell you it was either a thrill or a holy terror.  Daisy Duke I was not.

The only low water bridge that I have ever had contact with, was on the road my grandparents lived on. It required a lot of praying before driving over it.  It was a one-lane, nerve wracking, ride of terror, going over the New River in Alleghany County, NC. It’s important to know that there are only three places to cross over The New River in three different counties.  There ma be more now and the low water bridge has been replaced. This bridge was the only way I knew to get across the river.  The bridge only sat a few inches above the water and the railing was a 4”x4” timber running down each side.  Four inches was all that saved you from driving into the water. 

Why is this bridge such a strong memory for me? It was in one of the places I learned to drive. And yes, the faster you went across the less scary it was.  Sorta.  But the bridge is tied to the only time I ever got lost in the mountains.  My grandmother was in the hospital on one side of the river and my family and I was visiting with my grandpa on the other side.  When I left in the morning to drive over the river, to see grandma in the hospital, the river was basically frozen over.  I stayed most of the day and when I came back, the river had thawed and broken up.  There were tens of feet of ice chunks piled up on the river.  My grandparents lived a mere mile on the other side of that ice jam.  I’ve always had a decent sense of direction and I knew how the river ran.  Well I started praying and drove to the closest convenience store to ask directions.  Cell phones hadn’t been invented yet, so, I stopped to ask directions.  Yea go ahead and laugh. Those hillbillies sure did laugh when I asked, didn't matter that I was one too.  None the less, they did get me pointed in the right direction or so I thought.  I headed back the way I had come and instead of turning toward the bridge, I continued up river as I was told.  All of a sudden, the asphalt runs out and turns into gravel.  I go into panic mode. I look down and my gas gauge is on empty and I have no idea where I am.  I round a curve in the woods and glory be, there was a single gas pump sitting on the very edge of the road. A small general store sitting behind it, tucked into the woods.  Thank you, Jesus.  All I had was a 10-dollar bill. Did I forget to mention that I could see the high-water bridge off in the distance.  Got my gas and back on the road.  I crossed back over the New River so now I was at least on the right side. But I recognized nothing.  I drove on hoping something would be recognizable. eventually drove up on another General store out in the middle of nowhere.  Boy, did they laugh their heads off at me when I asked for directions, again. They eventually got me headed in the right direction.  I eventually landed in the town 20 miles from where I needed to be. But I knew the way home from there.  I was tired.  My nerves were shot.  And, I had white-knuckled it all the way back.  I cried from the relief of not being lost and finally being back at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. 

The only way I made it back was by the grace of God.  He put who I needed and what I needed right where I needed it!  Moral of the story, don’t leave home without water, prayer, God and a map.