Thursday, November 22, 2018 – American Thanksgiving
It was a few degrees below freezing when we left to go to the job site, but we were determined to get as much done as we could.
To support the sides of the ramps, the Gabion baskets were placed at the sides of the ramp on each end of the bridge and Kurt filled them with rocks and Terry, Don and Bernie sealed the tops.
During the day the volunteers took turns doing the different jobs. Although Don is the site director, he doesn’t shy away from work.
There was a lot of tamping to be done on the ramps because the ground was soft and wet, so Bernie and Spencer assisted Don.
Roger installed the final bolts on the railing supports and in few situations he had to burn out some of the holes for the bolts. For a few of the bolts, he placed a step ladder in the creek in order to reach them.
Spencer, Bernie, Roger and I worked on nailing the deck boards on the bridge.
It was Thanksgiving and most of the restaurants were, closed but the “ Huddle House “ was open so we went there for lunch. One of their specialties was the deep fried Oreo cookies that the young folks liked.
By the end of the day we had almost finished the bridge and the ramps. The decking on the bridge still needs to be completed, more gravel needs to be added and tamped down on the ramps and some wooden caps have to be built for the railings on each end of the bridge.
We are hoping to be finish the bridge by noon on Friday. After that we will clean up the job site and the trucks before heading back to the hotel to shower and pack for the ride back home.
Ralf Hamm 
Amazing work Ralf! Thanksgiving indeed!!