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Building the "Bridge"
Building a bridge isn’t rocket science but there’s some things you need to watch out for. My bridge was actually built during two seasons. The actual “Bridge” part was built in 2003 and the steps leading down to it were built in 2004. My original plan didn’t include any steps. You merely watched your step as you walked down a steep hill and then passed over the bridge. However, if I had been drinking when I did the design work I’d have known that it’s nearly impossible to get down the slope while drunk. So after a few parties on the reserve and almost BITING IT I decided to build some steps.
The bridge part is 16 feet long and 3 feet wide. It’s made of three 16 foot 2X10’s that span the pass. The slats are 2X6’s. The entire bridge sits on cinder blocks to keep it off the ground. All the wood is pressure treated.
Building steps up a pre-existing slope ranks right up there with drinking gas. If you are building steps to a deck or house you already know your angles. You can even buy precut risers (the sides of the steps). When you build steps up a slope you have to match your angles to the slope. After about 5 minutes you realize how INSANE it’s going to be to judge your angles. Stupid stuff you need to know is that most people feel comfortable with steps that are 10” deep and spaced every 7 inches. For example, have you ever walked up some people's steps to their house from their driveway and the steps are like 4" high and 2 feet deep? You feel like a retard walking up them. So
remember these two numbers: 10 and 7 - come on, say it with me: 10 and 7.
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