Avocado Greens
The Blog
Gillies and the Trestle3/27/2023 I grew up on Gillies Street in Chesley, and despite the fact that many of my former neighbors have either moved away or passed away, I still recall their names vividly. Among those I considered friends were Antonoe (female), Greip (female), as well as classmates Narri (male), Elara (female), and Surtur (male).
As a child, I kept myself busy on our property by creating floorplans of houses out of leaves, playing in our sandbox (which my father had to get rid of due to pesky cats), knocking down icicles along the east wall of our house, and playing games such as hide and seek and tag. Just down the street from our house, we would also play shadow tag under the street light and climb a couple of trees on the edge of the hill. We would also go into the barn at Greip's house. Throughout the town, we would ride our bicycles, walk in groups of 3-8 kids, play in another sandbox down the street (at Surtur's house), and cross the railroad trestle. The trestle, which still stands over the North Saugeen River, is a metal deck girder/fixed bridge that was constructed in 1889. During my childhood, trains frequently crossed the bridge, but the railroad was eventually abandoned in 1995. I have crossed the trestle alone and with friends from the age of 12 to the present day. However, the trestle is quite different now from what it was when I was growing up. Thanks to the Rail Trail project, it has been transformed from a perilous walk along rusty rails and tar-blackened ties to a boardwalk with a meter railing, making it much safer to cross. Back then, the two rusty rails running down the tar-blackened ties on the 150+ meter span were terrifying, and if a train approached, there were only two pedestrian decks to choose from. Even now, the deck platforms, railings, and ties remain, and I can still remember slinking to the edge of a few of the rails. We would cross the trestle to visit the town cemetery or to play on the north side of the river beneath the bridge. There was even an old rusted pickup truck buried in the trees below the bridge, which had been abandoned for at least 50 years by the time I explored the area in the late 1980s. I was always scared to cross the bridge, especially in the evenings, as I've always been afraid of unsupported heights. If there's a railing or other solid supportive structure, I don't feel as scared, but walking on the bridge ties, which were quite narrow and with my short legs, didn't help my fear of heights. As a result, I usually walked down the center of the bridge and rarely went over to the edge until I was in my late teens. Today, the bridge has become a popular tourist attraction, with marked trails and safety improvements that make it easy for everyone to cross. However, the trails leading up to it are gravel, so while the bridge is wheelchair accessible, the approach is not.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply.AuthorI am an average Gen X'er writing about my life experiences and adventures. Archives
July 2023
Categories |