Fortunately, my neighbors decided to go to the Yavapai County Fair last night. Took me along for the ride, which was great, since I haven't been to a county fair since the 19-aught-80s. Today must have been miserable for the fair participants -- kids with their carefully groomed animals, visitors looking for a good time, entertainers, farmers with their cattle. Our weather blustered, then delivered a series of veritable cloudbursts in front of that hurricane down off Baja. All day. Wet.
But last evening the weather was cool and fair. Perfect for the occasion. First stop, several long looks at the Midway, starting with semis that declared "circus load" on the cabs.
On one end of the fair grounds, the animals; at the other, the arts, crafts and commercial booths. In between, the best part of all -- the rides.
A machine called the Kamikaze...
...the Tornado, which looks sort of like the old Tilt-a-Whirl that I fondly remember...
...a ride whose name I didn't get, though it looks like great fun...
...and, of course, the Ferris Wheel. Didn't take any of the rides. A pity -- I recall motion pictures my LH took from the Ferris Wheel. Very unnerving point of view. Another memory -- the remarkable wheel with closed cars in Vienna that Orson Welles featured in
The Third Man.
OK, OK. After dark, I couldn't resist the opportunity to check out the Night setting on my Cannon. Cheap shots, of course, but why not?
The one problem: the Ferris wheel was the only ride visible from my shooting position -- we were waiting to be picked up and couldn't go for a long walk.
But the County Fair is certainly about a lot more than rides and junk foods. More later.
It's been ever so long since the LH and I explored the countryside surrounding the Hassayampa River way south of town. So when friend Georgene asked if I wanted to drive down to see the maintenance work being done on the Wagoner Road bridge, I was already putting my boots on and checking out the cameras.
We had to ford the river on the road reserved for trucks carrying large loads. The bridge can be seen in the distance.
This is one of three steel truss bridges in Yavapai County; all are on the National Register of Historic Places. The other two are the Walnut Creek bridge in the western half of the forest and the Verde River bridge at Perkinsville.
Here's the one-lane bridge in all its glory -- minus the decking. The fresh paint job glows in today's warm sun.
According to an article at the Sharlot Hall website, this bridge differs from the other [steel bridges] in the county, having a different profile (called "riveted Camelback through truss") and was built on the spot in 1924, designed by the El Paso Bridge and Iron Company and contracted by Carnegie Steel. 
Getting the job done, of course, requires all sorts of road fix-it gear...
Sitting beside the road: one of my most-hated objects -- an ugly precast barrier used by the highway folk on modern bridges. Contrast it, if you will, with that lovely, open trusswork below. Which would you rather see? (Not to mention the fact that one can view the river through the truss but not through the precast.) I don't know why these barriers are on the scene, since registered historic sites can't be mucked about with. Thank goodness.
The river crossing as we headed for home displayed the bare cottonwoods at their most beautiful. Thanks, G., for the ride!
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