Lee and Karen Duquette,
Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
on America's highest suspension bridge
at Royal Gorge Park in Canon, Colorado
where they learned some history about David Kirke
- Page 2 of 4 - The Suspension Bridge

Hanging above Colorado's wild Arkansas River, the Royal Gorge Bridge is America's highest suspension bridge and a legendary feat of engineering renowned the world over. Built in 1929 (June - November) for $350,000, the cost today would easily exceed $15 million.

Below: A state flag from each of the USA's 50 states was attached to the lower part of the railing of the suspension bridge.

Below: The Two RV Gypsies looked down from the bridge at the Arkansas River.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette looked down from the bridge to the area where the Incline Railway will soon take them after they walk across the bridge.

Below: Using a zoom lens, Karen Duquette photographed part of the Incline Railway tracks, and the railroad tracks at the bottom of the gorge.

Below: Several views of the aerial tram as seen from the suspension bridge.

Below: Lee Duquette on the suspension bridge by the New Hampshire state flag.

Below: More views from the suspension bridge.

David Kirke (born 1945), an Oxford-educated, colorful prankster and a founding member of the Dangerous Sports Club and was the first man to perform the modern bungee jump on April 1, 1979. By doing so, he helped invent a new extreme sport. David Kirke bungee jumped from the Royal Gorge bridge while performing for ABC's old television series "That's Incredible." (Below: see Lee and Karen Duquette by the sign on the bridge).

(Note: David Kirk, died in his home on Oxford on October 21, 2023.)

quote from Outside magazine, June 1995

Ken Fuller is hoping to avoid sweaty palms this June 18, 1995. At about noon, a crowd that locals predict will be as large as 15,000 will begin to gather on the rim of Colorado's 1,053-foot-deep Royal Gorge. "At one o'clock, I'll rig in to my harness and try to stay relaxed," says the 38-year-old army recruiter from Greeley, Colorado. "Then I'll let the rope slide until my boots are in the Arkansas River." The coup de grace: He'll ride a sightseeing train up the canyon and, he says, "wave triumphantly."

The point of all this, for those of us scratching our heads, is to set a new record for free repelling off a bridge. (Free rappel ling is descending a rope without touching a cliff or some other vertical plane.) But clearly there's more going on in Fuller's mind. "There just isn't any good documentation in this field," he complains, as if he were on a mission to set the record books straight. "Longer free repels may have been done, but this is definitely the longest off a bridge."

Of course, Fuller's big day won't be without hazards. "Meltdown," states Fuller. "If I move too fast, my rappel ling rings could singe the rope. But I can't talk about that. It's bad karma to discuss equipment failure."

Below: Two photos of people on the zipline, as seen from the bridge- Yes, Lee and Karen Duquette rode this zipline on this date. (It was not the only zipline they have been on. They are all posted under TOC-Z)

Below: INSPIRATION POINT AND VIEWS FROM INSPIRATION POINT

Below: Views of the bridge, the Cliff Walk and the pavilion from Inspiration Point.

Below: Lee Duquette on the Cliff Walk

Below: A few different view of the cables on the suspension bridge. Lee Duquette looks very tiny in the first photo.

Please continue on to learn about the the Incline Railway, the skycoaster, and the zipline.