Dewey Bridge (1916-2008), at 502 feet was the longest suspension bridge in Utah, spanning the Colorado River slightly downstream of the Dolores River junction.
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By the time I arrived Dewey was gone and the bridge would be retired five years later. Before its demise - no longer used for motor vehicles, the bridge of lesser utility was turned into a destination for tourists and bikers.
In 2008 any dilemma that the old bridges reclassified role posed to aging locals was purged by fire, kindled along the dry riverside by a young pyromaniac of mediocre skills, and excused of error by a gathering crowd. In essence then, the old bridge was purged of any slow lingering materiality by a child of fire, and thus became a story in search of its myth.
To me though, following the curvy road of Hwy. 128 beside the Colorado River as it narrowed down to one lane and swung left to cross over the river, the bridge at mile 30 will always be a necessary relief, and quintessential Colorado River Bridge as its sign indicates. Heading East with Dewey long gone, there wasn't much about back then to set me straight about it.
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