11:eleven Photography

I was out with my friend John yesterday, we had decided to get outside and explore just a little. We had decided to hit Purdon and do a little photography, and drone flying. While we were out there, we were marveling over the the ingenuity of humans, and the lengths they would go to for a yellow rock that holds zero value other than the value assigned to it by humans. Which of course holds true to anything of value. It’s a made up value that has been determined by humans.

In the middle of the wilderness, humans imagined and then built some amazing bridges as a means of getting over the rushing rivers to get supplies up the hill, and get the gold that was dug out of the mountains and streams down the hill. This particular bridge was originally constructed in 1849.

The Cotton Brothers of Oakland built this after several wooden bridges were washed away in floods. If you’ve ever seen the South Yuba at its mightiest, you know the power it possesses. Also, this fact shows that the Bay Area folks coming up to Nevada County is nothing new. Without the Bay Area folk, we may not have this bridge, so cut them some slack.

Since the invention of the highway, and the closing of the mines, the bridges of Nevada County have become local favorite swimming hole locations. Generations of Nevada City and Grass Valley have grown up on these rivers and feel rather protective of them. Outsiders are welcome to swim, but please keep it clean. Pack it in, pack it out. Don’t park like an asshat. Keep your music low, not everyone wants to hear your favorite artist. The river is majestic, and does not require your addition of pop ups, floaties, and loud mouths.

Oops, there I went again. Rambling. Anyways, as I was saying… People will do amazing and crazy things for something that has a perceived great value. It’s a part of the human condition, which my friend John says is the one thing that has not changed over all the years of history and evolution. What do you think? Here’s some more pics of Purdon while you mull that over.