Anyone traveling by road to Deer Isle from southern Maine knows about The Bridge in Bucksport. The old bridge was impressive enough, the new one (opened in 2006) towers over the old and is sleek, 21st century in design. The tower that is closer in the photo (an older photo from the bridge website, the old bridge on the left has now been removed) also hosts an observatory at the top. A friend suggested that we visit and add the adventure to this blog, as "well worth it."
Okay. Well, I am a little wary of heights. Just driving across this new bridge was eerie enough. Imagine being in the passenger side of an RV (about twice as high up as a passenger car) with just a fragile looking railing between you and the abyss, the water 135 feet below. The new bridge doesn't even have bridge supports on the outside of the travel lanes, so it feels much less "solid" than the older version. Going up in the tower? I was leery, but game. We did it.
Here's the tower from below -- you access it through the Fort Knox park. There's a fee, but it differs by all kinds of factors like age and whether you are a Maine resident. Check here for what YOU would pay.
So we got in the elevator, suitably warned by the attendant that the windows would be floor to ceiling and about three feet in front of the elevator doors. She wasn't kidding. You step out of the elevator and one more step could take you over the edge if the glass disappeared.
There are three floors of observation decks. The first two contain the elevator shaft and staircase, so there isn't much floor space left. The top floor has 360 degree windows and an open space, but the whole thing probably isn't much more than an 10 x 12 room, and with all that glass? Yikes.
Years ago when I was going to N. Y. U. grad school, the World Trade Center was a regular stop for out-of-town guests. The observation floor was MUCH higher, with the same floor to ceiling windows, plus the whole thing was so high (1310 feet vs. 410 feet of the Penobscot Observatory) that it had a noticable sway. Yet I don't remember being bothered much by the heights there, even standing right up to the glass, with my toes on the edge. Perhaps it was because the space was much larger, or just because I was much younger. One guest I took (interestingly, from Bucksport) was quite freaked and plastered himself to the wall behind. He did not enjoy the view at all.
While the views from the Penobscot Observatory were wonderful and the facility itself a sleek design like the bridge, I found it quite rattling and uncomfortable. It even took awhile after getting down to feel settled again.
When I was gingerly trying to enjoy the view, I remembered how the old bridge was pretty notorious for suicide jumpers.
I just Googled "Penobscot Narrows Bridge suicides" and got pages of links. Apparently, suicides have continued, with at least four from the new bridge. There was even an article about whether suicide prevention fences should be installed on Maine bridges that seem to attract desperate people. Even though a fence would impair the bridge's sleek design, it would seem to be a kindness.
Howsoever, if heights do not bother you or you are willing to test your stomach, the bridge observatory would be worth a trip. Choose a nice day, take a lunch to chow down in the Fort's picnic area, and do a tour of Fort Knox at the same time. According to one of the hosts in the tower, "Now, that is spooky!"
Okay. Well, I am a little wary of heights. Just driving across this new bridge was eerie enough. Imagine being in the passenger side of an RV (about twice as high up as a passenger car) with just a fragile looking railing between you and the abyss, the water 135 feet below. The new bridge doesn't even have bridge supports on the outside of the travel lanes, so it feels much less "solid" than the older version. Going up in the tower? I was leery, but game. We did it.
Here's the tower from below -- you access it through the Fort Knox park. There's a fee, but it differs by all kinds of factors like age and whether you are a Maine resident. Check here for what YOU would pay.
So we got in the elevator, suitably warned by the attendant that the windows would be floor to ceiling and about three feet in front of the elevator doors. She wasn't kidding. You step out of the elevator and one more step could take you over the edge if the glass disappeared.
There are three floors of observation decks. The first two contain the elevator shaft and staircase, so there isn't much floor space left. The top floor has 360 degree windows and an open space, but the whole thing probably isn't much more than an 10 x 12 room, and with all that glass? Yikes.
Years ago when I was going to N. Y. U. grad school, the World Trade Center was a regular stop for out-of-town guests. The observation floor was MUCH higher, with the same floor to ceiling windows, plus the whole thing was so high (1310 feet vs. 410 feet of the Penobscot Observatory) that it had a noticable sway. Yet I don't remember being bothered much by the heights there, even standing right up to the glass, with my toes on the edge. Perhaps it was because the space was much larger, or just because I was much younger. One guest I took (interestingly, from Bucksport) was quite freaked and plastered himself to the wall behind. He did not enjoy the view at all.
While the views from the Penobscot Observatory were wonderful and the facility itself a sleek design like the bridge, I found it quite rattling and uncomfortable. It even took awhile after getting down to feel settled again.
When I was gingerly trying to enjoy the view, I remembered how the old bridge was pretty notorious for suicide jumpers.
I just Googled "Penobscot Narrows Bridge suicides" and got pages of links. Apparently, suicides have continued, with at least four from the new bridge. There was even an article about whether suicide prevention fences should be installed on Maine bridges that seem to attract desperate people. Even though a fence would impair the bridge's sleek design, it would seem to be a kindness.
Howsoever, if heights do not bother you or you are willing to test your stomach, the bridge observatory would be worth a trip. Choose a nice day, take a lunch to chow down in the Fort's picnic area, and do a tour of Fort Knox at the same time. According to one of the hosts in the tower, "Now, that is spooky!"
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