Miraflores is the name of one of the three locks that form part of the Panama Canal and the name of the small lake that separates these locks from the Pedro Miguel Locks upstream. In the Miraflores locks, vessels are lifted (or lowered) fifty four feet in two stages, allowing them to transit to or from the Pacific Ocean port of Balboa (near Panama City).

Once again we see the accuracy of the line throwers

We watch our line be secured and see the target the boys use to practice.

In we settled – down we went

Our next door neighbour – Andes goes down

Lock building on one side and the Visitors Centre on the other

The final lock sees the linemen have to trot the lines down the steep steps. The mules have a steep journey too

A fly pass of Pecalins.

The massive gates open and out we go

One final look back.

The Bridge of the Americas crosses the Pacific approach to the Panama Canal at Balboa, near Panama City. It was built between 1959 and 1962 by the United States at a cost of twenty million dollars. From its completion in 1962 until the opening of the Centennial Bridge in 2004, the Bridge of the Americas was a key part of the Pan-American Highway. The Bridge of the Americas greatly increased road traffic capacity across the canal. There are two earlier bridges which cross the canal, but they use moveable designs and have limited traffic capacity. The earlier spans include a small swinging road bridge (built into the lock structure at Gatún) and a swinging road/rail bridge (constructed in 1942 at Miraflores.) The Centennial Bridge was constructed to eliminate this bottleneck and reduce traffic congestion on the Bridge of the Americas.

The bridge is a cantilever design where the suspended span is a tied arch. The bridge has a total length of 5,425 feet in fourteen spans, abutment to abutment. The main span measures 1,128 feet and the tied arch (the center part of the main span) is 850 feet. The highest point of the bridge is 384 feet above mean sea level; the clearance under the main span is 201 feet at high tide, quite OK when you consider Beez mast is fifty six feet. Ships must cross under this bridge when traversing the canal, and are subject to this height restriction. (The Centennial Bridge is also a fixed obstacle, but its clearance is much higher: 262 feet).

Throughout the day and night numerous vessels pass under the bridge, either entering or departing from the Panama Canal. There are wide access ramps at each end, and pedestrian walkways on each side.

When opened, the bridge was an important part of the Pan-American Highway, and carried around 9,500 vehicles per day; however, this expanded over time, and by 2004 the bridge was carrying 35,000 vehicles per day. The bridge therefore became a significant bottleneck on the highway, which led to the construction of the Centennial Bridge, which now carries the Pan-American Highway too. On the 18th of May 2010, the bulk cargo ship Atlantic Hero struck one of the protective bases of the bridge after losing engine power, partially blocking that section of the canal to shipping traffic. The bridge did not receive damage and there were no fatalities.

We see a service ship called Gary – appropriate but hardly a ladies name..........