Bay Bridge Day May 07, 2006

On a sunny and pleasant Sunday morning of May 07 2006, we set out towards the serene and scenic Annapolis (capital of Maryland) on the eastern shore. The bridge crossing Chesapeake Bay, adjacent to the pristine Sandy point beach has been the site of an annual Bay Bridge Walk since 1975 which is celebrated as the “Bay Bridge Day” typically on a Sunday in early May. The eastbound span is closed to traffic for use by the walkers, and the westbound three-lane span has two-way vehicular traffic that is controlled by overhead lane control signals. It is a 4.3 mile walk. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) organizing this event, had 3 parking spots from where shuttle buses would ply the visitors to the eastern end of the bridge. There were some makeshift eateries across the bus stop, from where we bought fries, lemonade and a bag of popcorn to supply us with energy! On the path leading to the bridge were posters placed to be sent to the US army in IRAQ, hence we signed, gave our wishes, thoughts and set off with our walk towards the bridge. It was unbelievable to walk on the bridge, felt like the king of the road with no vehicles to worry about. The atmosphere was so enthralling with water all around, the beautiful bridge and the fact that both people and motor vehicles were running on the bridge simultaneously. We could see the speed motor boats and couple of mid size ships moving past (privileged to get an aerial view) and a navy patrol controlling and restricting their movement under the bridge. There was enough vigil and medical support available across the length of the bridge and from air. We took loads of pictures and enjoyed the natural beauty. It was like a date with the bridge. There were thousands of people walking across, of all ages, an elderly couple (with walking stick) used to overtake us every time we stopped for a picture! That was interesting and inspiring as well. We explored the bridge, it had a story to share and we felt like a part of her. On the other end, elderly volunteers greeted us with a banner for having completed a walk one would cherish forever and gave us a certificate as a souvenir. That was sweet. Though bit tired we were immensely satisfied, we had a feeling of having to say good bye to a dear friend.