When a faded picture from a by-gone era sets in motion a perilous quest, five young men not only encounter harrowing danger in the forbidden, history-laden Niagara Gorge, but confront the swirling illusions of the world they knew – changing their
lives forever.
The day we decided to go down into the gorge of Niagara Falls—to walk on the ice bridge—had started out normal enough but quickly showed itself as anything but normal …
Living in the city of Niagara Falls in the early 1960s, winters were simple for teenagers – full of snowball fights and warm-ups at “Ol’ Gordy’s” general store, looking at his “wall of pictures.” It was a ritual—sipping Cokes while studying the old photographs …
listening to Ol’ Gordy’s tales.
An ice ball to Kevin’s face, coupled with one picture in particular, sets them off to walk on the “ice bridge” of Niagara Falls, despite—or perhaps because of—Ol’ Gordy warnings that it’s not only extremely dangerous but against the law.
The ice bridge of Niagara Falls – steeped in history, fraught with tragedy, challenged by daredevils, bootleggers and tourists alike, lures them from a world they know into the mysterious Niagara Gorge. As in a time machine, they enter an exhilarating world of massive ice sculptures, impassable rapids and unassailable walls of ice. After a face-to-face encounter with the mighty Falls itself, they emerge in a struggle of life and death with a Niagara they never knew existed.
Peeling back time, readers will meet the hermit living on the Falls, achieving his quest to become one with it; experience the day the Falls stopped, exploring a riverbed never before exposed – until the water returns in a frenzy; witness slavery through the eyes of a runaway girl riding the “Underground Railroad” – paying the fare to ride that train; feel the clash between cultures when the path of a drummer boy converges with an Iroquois brave at the “Devil’s Hole” massacre.
Bridges is much more than a simple tale of camaraderie and teenage exploits. Author d k LeVick creates a fascinating and engaging tale that is rich in both historical fact and ingenious fiction, as he weaves stories of long-ago. LeVick brings together a series of unique historical events, a twist of mystery and revelation and a group of 1962 teenagers caught up in the complexities of a changing world around them. LeVick’s narrative is so evocative that you will feel you’re along on the various expeditions; his attention to detail is so precise that you might just hear the ice crack and feel a tremor beneath your feet. Bridges is a kaleidoscope journey of adventure and history exploring the questions confronting people of all ages.
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