Galloping Gertie

My brother, Rob, is now living in Tacoma, Washington. True to form he's spent much of his spare time uncovering the folklore and finer points of his new turf. In the process he's reminded the family of the classic attempt by Tacoma to build its own suspession bridge. The bridge was the third largest in the nation behind the Golden Gate and the George Washington Bridge in NY.

Anyway, people loved the bridge because even in the lightest wind four to five foot waves would roll down the bridge causing cars in front of you to disappear and reappear as they drove accross. Not surpisingly the bridge failed only four months after its completion. The best part is Galloping Gertie was almost left open despite the fact that it was clearly unsafe.

Luckily ... except for Tubby the half-paralyzed dog, there were not casualties.

Thanks Rob for the fine trivia.