“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” – unknown
I have a story to tell. I think Stephen is trying to kill me. Thankfully, so far, it hasn’t worked.
Last week he took me on a deep-sea fishing excursion and I got violently ill. This week he took me to climb the Story Bridge in Brisbane – over a major highway and 80 meters (262 feet) above sea level.
I wasn’t necessarily nervous about the climb but I haven’t exercised much since the Camino in May/June and I’ve eaten a ton of pasta so I didn’t know how tough this would be or if I was in shape enough to do it. Then Joyce reassured me I’d be fine. She climbed it on her 70th birthday. And you know, I was not about to be outdone by a 70-year-old…man or woman.
Stephen booked us a two-hour, daytime climb with the Story Bridge Adventure Climb. Our guide for the day was Jess, a full-throttle adrenaline junkie. She walked in wearing combat boots, Army camouflage pants, a black leather jacket, and a motorcycle helmet. I thought, “Holy shit, what are we doing here? This chick is going to kill us.” Then I noticed all her facial piercings and tattoos. Not that I’m judging in a bad way…more of an “I’m not that adventurous” sort of way. She is way cooler and braver than I could ever be.
Safety first. This company is all about safety. We had to remove everything from our pockets and wrists. We could not bring anything on the climb but ourselves. No phones, no cameras, no bags, no water, etc. Jess even had us blow into a breathalyzer machine to make sure we had no alcohol in our system. Next, we put on sunscreen, and jumpsuits and stepped into the harnesses we would be wearing on the climb. Another staff member came to double-check all of our gear to make sure we were good to go. Once we got the all-clear we walked a few blocks down to the 100+ stair climb to just get onto the bridge. They recently started construction on the bridge in anticipation of the 2032 Olympics that has been awarded to Brisbane, so their route to access the bridge is a little different at the moment.
Just our luck, we were the only two people scheduled for the 3 pm tour. Jess said they will take groups of up to 30 people at a time. Ewww, I don’t think I would like that very much. This way, we had a private tour, and it was fantastic. Plus, we had our own little mini photoshoot since she was the only person with a camera.
Once we were on the bridge, the tour officially started. Jess was a wealth of knowledge explaining not only the history of the bridge but the surrounding buildings and fun little legends that had been shared over the years about the city and its original settlers. According to Jess, John Oxley wasn’t the first settler in Brisbane as previously noted…three felons were. The discovery was made in 2018. So the locals changed the name of some of the companies in the area to honor them. Most recognizable is Felons Brewing Company, located right on the water’s edge and is clearly visible from the bridge.
Jess also shared a little bit about her personal life. She is a professional dancer and has danced all over the world including, China, LA, Las Vegas, and NYC on tours for Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, etc. AND, she is a professional stuntwoman. OMG. This chick is tiny but tough. I think she is only 5 feet tall, maybe 5’1”. She said she does this job to stay in shape and earn a little extra money. If you get outside of your comfort zone you meet the most fascinating people doing interesting things.
The climb was beautiful and unlike the random seasickness I felt on the boat, I didn’t have any issues with the heights. Thank God.
Once we got back to “base,” we took off our jumpsuits, grabbed a quick photo with Jess, and said goodbye. As we were about to leave, a couple sitting in the waiting room started talking to Stephen. Turns out they were on their honeymoon from St. Louis, Missouri, the next major city to my hometown of Kansas City. Can the world get any smaller?
All is well and I survived another “Stephen adventure.” I’m sure I’ll have a few more stories to share before I get out of here…hopefully alive.
Goodnight and much love from Australia. 🇦🇺
