When I moved to Brighton in the mid-1970s, you could stand on Main Street’s sidewalk and look upstream and see nothing but water and trees for a half-mile. Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park in NYC and Belle Isle in Detroit, would have loved the vista. That’s gone now. Your view is obstructed by the opaque sidewall of the clunky Tridge, a 3-spoked bridge spanning the millpond. (Satellite image, Google Maps)
The Tridge is functional and very popular. It ties the downtown business district to the meandering wooded path that follows the millpond’s shoreline until it slams into heavy traffic and strip malls on Grand River Avenue at its northern entrance. The Tridge’s railing lights cast beautiful shadows on its walkways. I wish there were also lights under the spans so the nocturnal activities of the fish, turtles, muskrats and ducks were illuminated for visitors to enjoy.
I’ll have to go to Brighton some time. Looks beautiful.
- Denise
You’re the second person who’s told me my photos are inspiring them to visit Brighton. I need to bring some reality to my images so blog visitors aren’t disappointed when they arrive. Be aware I’m seeking beautiful and interesting things to photograph. This town is strip-malled / McMansioned suburbia like many others on the outskirts of Metropolitan Detroit. Think: Target, Home Depot and Olive Garden. That’s us. Brighton lacks charm and has little in the way of architectural detail or historical significance. Come visit, but lower your expectations, please.
Doug, It still has all of the old charm if you stay away from the strips. You are finding it. Those of us that knew it when are just distracted by the desecration of what was.
[...] piers of the millpond Tridge alter the wind patterns of the snowflakes as they slide along the glassy ice under the walkway. [...]
[...] lights on the Tridge illuminate the fresh snow on February 10th before dawn. The light is so bright, it burns out the [...]
[...] honking increases. Then, with no notice at all, family groups of them take flight and fly over the Tridge at low altitude to a more secluded part of the pond where they spend the night. On numerous [...]
[...] to get a fast-moving bird in the frame at all. They spin and swoop through the air around the Tridge and are currently nesting underneath it. I can hear young chicks below my feet. This shot was taken [...]
[...] loves to get soaked. If you want to see more details in the photo, download the larger version. The Tridge is in the [...]
[...] a couple of bluegills (sunfish, maybe) nibble on plants while standing on the millpond’s Tridge. I tried to time my shots so the flash would illuminate their scales when they turned on their [...]
[...] Snapping Turtle lumbers into the heavily visited part of the millpond, the visitors gather on the Tridge to watch it. Saturday evening was a good time to amuse the crowd for this veteran of many summers. [...]