Day Two Hundred and Sixty

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Bridge-Tunnel. Surely, that can't mean...a tunnel? On a bridge? What? How...? 

All this East Coast driving has opened my eyes to a world of expensive tolls, road-ragers, impossible traffic, and lengthy bridges. I can't say that I'm a fan of any of it. Surely the TWELVE DOLLAR toll Addi and I paid to complete our journey home today solidified my disgust for Northeast travels. Are you kidding me? TWELVE DOLLARS? To drive on a bridge? Ugh. I snuck a photo of me as I handed away my life savings to the toll lady. Unbelievable.

Actually, after further contemplation, the twelve dollars might have been worth it. And only due to the fact that I've never, in my entire life, experienced a more interesting piece of architecture. Or whatever it is that you would call this. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connects the Delmarva Peninsula (where we stayed for a 4-day series) with Virginia Beach. This is what it looked like at the very beginning of our journey across it. Our very long journey. Turns out, this bridge is massively long. Actually, it's the second longest bridge in the United States. TWENTY-THREE miles. 23?! Yep. I've never seen anything like it. I was astonished. Breath-taken. Appalled. Awestruck. Unbelievable! 

And then this happened. I almost peed my pants. 5 seconds before this, we were traveling atop the bay. And 5 seconds after this, we were traveling under it. UNDER THE WATER. How about no?! I was 100%, completely and utterly baffled. And freaked out. There are two of these tunnels on the "bridge." Unbelievable.

In this photo, I am submerged - I don't know how many feet - under water. Sick. That twelve dollars better help maintain this impossible structure. It does make me wonder, though, how they went about:

1) Deciding to make the tunnel.

2) And then actually making it. 

I mean, wouldn't a drawbridge suffice? And how do you even begin to make a tunnel that goes underwater? There are only eight bridge-tunnels like this in the entire world. Crazy. I think I might just do some late-night research. This really intrigues me.

And just a minor-league fun-fact of the day:

The boys started the last game of their 4-day series against Delmarva tonight. At 7 PM. It's a seven hour bus ride from Delmarva, MD to Greensboro, NC. I know that because I just drove it. And they didn't get done with the game until 10:30 PM. The bus left at 11:30. My husband will likely be walking through our front door around 7 AM. Unbelievable.