(metal gate creaking)
(footsteps crunching)
(water gurgling)
(footsteps crunching)
(ringing)
- [Gary Bullock] 144 to base one.
- [Female] Base one.
- Good morning, Buena Vista, ferry is open.
(ringing)
(clanging)
(ferry motor roaring)
I really appreciate where I live and work.
You know, I was born and raised not very far from here,
and I remember as a kid, riding these ferries.
It's a small community on both sides of the river.
Most of the people that you see out here,
they know us.
We know them.
15, 20 minutes before 8:00,
then the school car pools will show up.
Four or five cars pull in, all jump into one car.
(clanging)
(ringing)
Come across the ferry, head for school.
And parents turn around and go on about their day.
(motor roaring)
(water gurgling)
The ferry started in 1852.
You could imagine back in the day,
farmers probably farmed both sides of the river,
just like they do today.
If you look at some of the older pictures,
it's a river of agriculture.
And it's very similar today.
(tractor engine running)
- [Man In Car] How ya doing, bud?
- How you doing? - [Man In Car] Good, good.
- Here's a couple back for ya.
- [Man In Car] Thank you, sir. - Thank you.
Morning, thank you.
- [Gary] Being able to interact with people,
even though it's a retail setting,
it doesn't feel retail.
People, very seldom, are they upset because they're here.
Thank you.
Some people get here by accident.
It must be a surprise that there's not a bridge here.
They're like, "Well, I saw the river on my GPS,
but I just thought it would be a bridge."
Well, it is kind of a bridge.
You're still gonna get across the river.
I'll drive for you.
(ferry motor running)
It's really spectacular after a long summer
to really feel the chill in the air,
feel the bite on the ears.
As the foliage changes, it's like it's a pause.
It's like a deep breath.
Birds will be in the river fishing.
You know it won't last, so you just need,
you know, enjoy it while it's here.
Everything kind of battens down and gets ready for winter,
and you can just see it all right in front of your face.
(water gurgling)
This is a bridge that moves,
but it's like time stops when you do that.
Whereas on a bridge, you and few hundred
of your closest friends are out there all trying
for the same lane at the same time,
and it's stressful, and here it's not.
Here it's not.
(water gurgling)
It's just a pause for the slightly less than three minutes.
You get to take a deep breath, relax, turn your car off,
roll your window down and just look around you,
and exist, just be.
(geese honking)
And everybody goes on about their day,
and most all of them come back at the end of the work.
(laughs)
And they'll tell you again
how fortunate you are to have this job.
Yes, we know.
(laughs)
We are!
(ringing)
(clanging)