Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
on the 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.

sign about the Royal Gorge
  • Length: 1,270 feet

  • Width: 18 feet

  • Main Span: 880 feet

  • Towers: 150 feet high

  • 2,100 strands of No. 9 galvanized wire

  • Weight of cables: 300 tons

  • 1,000 tons of steel in the floor of Bridge

  • Walkway: made of 1,270 planks of deck; about 250 are replaced annually

  • Bridge will support in excess of two million pounds

  • Listed on the National Historic Register

the two RV Gypsies on the Royal Gorge suspension bridge
Karen Duquette on the Royal Gorge suspension bridge

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.

the Royal Gorge suspension bridge
Karen Duquette on the Royal Gorge suspension bridge

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

Looking down from the bridge at the Arkansas River
Looking down from the bridge at the Arkansas River
Looking down from the bridge at the Arkansas River
sign: no fishing from bridge

Below: The Two RV Gypsies looked down from the bridge to the area where the Incline Railway will soon take the two RV Gypsies after they walk across the bridge.

Arkansas River

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

Incline Railway tracks
Incline Railway tracks

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

the aerial tram
the aerial tram
the aerial tram
aerial tram and zipline
panorama of scenery at the gorge

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

Lee Duquette on the suspension bridge

Below: More views from the suspension bridge.

Arkansas River
Arkansas River
the gorge
Arkansas River and gorge

check it outDavid 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 the two RV Gypsies by the sign on the bridge).

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

Karen Duquette by the David Kirke Bungee sign
Lee Duquette by the David Kirke Bungee sign
check it outquote from Outside magazine, June 1995

quote - 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."

Lee Duquette by the Ken Fuller sign

Below: Two photos of people on the zipline, as seen from the bridge- Yes, the two RV Gypsies did ride this zipline on this date/

zipline
zipline

Below: INSPIRATION POINT AND VIEWS FROM INSPIRATION POINT

INSPIRATION POINT
INSPIRATION POINT
Karen Duquette at Inspiration Point

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

panorama of the suspension bridge

Below: Lee Duquette on the Cliff Walk

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.

cables on the suspension bridge
cables on the suspension bridge
cables on the suspension bridge
cables on the suspension bridge
cables on the suspension bridge
cables on the suspension bridge
look below

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