On our way back from Shoshone Falls in Idaho, we had to pass over Perrine Bridge on Hwy 93 to get on I-84 and head to Wyoming. This span which arches over the Snake River Canyon, is near where Evel Knievel unsuccessfully attempted to jump the canyon, so of course we had to stop for a picture.
In the parking lot of the Buzz Langdon Visitor's Center were two guys who were unpacking helmets and parachutes from their car. We asked them if they were going to jump off the bridge, and they casually said "yeah" like it was no big deal. We're like "no way! Have you done it before"... "Three times yesterday"... Holy Smokes!!
My dad tried to brag/relate by telling them about my repelling adventure. But casually lowering yourself down a 320 ft hotel by rope, with another safety holding you up, isn't quite as impressive/extreme/insane as starting a free fall from a bridge 484 ft over a canyon before pulling a parachute.
They went down individually and made it look SO easy as they curved around the bend and landed safely on the trail path near the water.
Then, before we knew it, two more guys were jumping off the span in unison.
Turns out, Perrine Bridge is like the BASE Jumping Mecca for the "S" part of BASE Jumping at least (Buildings Atenas Structures Earth) as it's the largest man made structure in the United States that allows jumping year-round without a permit!
If I lived in Twin Falls, it might freak me out to constantly see people randomly jumping off the bridge, without an instructor, some kind of tour group or anything. I have some friends who BASE jump and though it seems crazy, I know, no one is jumping without expert knowledge and experience, and it's awesome to have a beautiful and unregulated place for them to do so!
The catch 22 of taking these pictures is being limited by only having my 70-200mm but even if I had my longer lens, the coolest part is capturing the massiveness of the jump, not just the tight shot of them... hmmm. I'd love to shoot this again from different angles with different gear and experiment with it a bit.
(To the guys in these photos, more photos here, if you want copies send me an email)
