Mission Accomplished! - Mike Illich on Bridge #18
Kite flying from the deck of the N. Dearborn St. bridge (left - Jan 14, 2010) and the N. La Salle St. bridge (right - June 4, 2010 -- photos courtesy of Mike Illich).
Kite flying from the deck of the W. Lake St. Bridge (July 5, 2010) and the W. Washington Blvd. Bridge (August 8, 2010 - photos courtesy of Mike Illich)
Mike Illich on the deck of the- W. Madison St. Bridge (August 8, 2010). Mike's kite flying over W. Adams St. bridge (August 20, 2010 - photos courtesy of Mike Illich)
Kites flying from the W. Monroe St. bridge (left) and the W. Van Buren St. Bridge (right) (August 20,2010 - photos courtesy of Mike Illich)
Mike Illich set a goal to fly his kite from the deck of each of the eighteen downtown bridges. On Friday August 20th he added the last four to his list. His kite could be seen flying from the decks of the W. Monroe St., W. Adams St., W. Jackson St. and W. Van Buren St. bridges about the time people were heading home from work.
Prior to this year, Mike had already flown kites from the bridges at N. Michigan Ave., N. Columbus Dr., and N. Clark St. On January 14, 2010 he began his quest for the rest when he flew his kite from the N. Dearborn St. bridge. Throughout the spring and summer he methodically worked away at the goal, taking advantage of favorable wind conditions whenever he could.
Mike's downtown bridge count also includes the W. Harrison St. bridge (second bridge south of Van Buren St.). He has suggested changing the focus of this site to "Nineteen Bridges, 2.1 miles." As a result of this quest Mike says: "Personally, I have come to appreciate bridges more and admire them."
Thanks and keep flying Mike!
WGN aired a story on Mike on the first day of spring in 2008. The clip is shown at the bottom of this page.
Mike Illich at the controls on the deck of the the N. Dearborn St. Bridge (Jan. 14, 2010 -- photo courtesy of Mike Illich).