On Saturday, I took my wife on a special cheap date: a walking tour of Appleton's new College Avenue Bridge. Ho hum, you say? No way! It was actually quite romantic. We walked along both sides of the bridge, enjoyed the different views each side offered of the beautiful Fox River, then continued with a walk below the bridge along the trail along the river, where we saw several deer, a variety of birds, a beautiful fish make a dramatic jump, and met some great people. Total cost: 12 cents in gas driving from our house to the bridge.

The bridge itself, with four lanes and wide walkways on both sides, is really a marvel. But the walk is more about the river than the bridge. Here my wife is standing by a very accurate sign: yes, there's a river and a fox. Bingo.


We actually began our walk below the bridge, ascending the pretty new stairway that takes us to the west side of the bridge. (Click on any photo to enlarge it slightly, by the way.)




One of the dams on the Fox River can be seen from the west side.




Here is one of the lovely mansions that flank the north end of the bridge.



From the east side, you can see one of the locks on the Fox River that played such an important role in the history of the town.



Three deer were running around between the trail and the backyard of several homes and the Alexander Gym of Lawrence University.




I like the ironwork along the bridge and the structures below it.


I even liked the rusty old drain covers on the bridge--probably rusted quickly from all the salt we use on our roads. The bridge was just completed a couple months ago.


And a bonus shot of some new buds on a tree over the river--with a tweak in coloration to make the bluish water look pink. Must be some subliminal political statement I'm making, but I can't make sense of it yet. Just seemed like the thing to do. Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to enjoy your own walk along our lovely College Avenue Bridge and Fox River. It's much prettier in the summer and fall, but I couldn't wait.