I've hiked four days so far and just passed the 4000 mile mark on the trail! I can hardly believe it. But today was a day of bridges, and I want to show them to you before I fall asleep (in a warm bed after a shower and nice dinner- I gave my program to a group tonight.)
The first covered bridge is called Brown Bridge. It is just east of Mt. Orab, Ohio. Its design is Smith Truss. It's really fascinating how many different engineering designs there are for covered bridges. See the pattern of the bracing in the picture above.
The second covered bridge is the New Hope Bridge, at New Hope. The closeup of its supports is below. It is a bow truss, much more rare. The support is laminated strips of wood.
This bridge is also at New Hope. The town is all but defunct, yet it has two really awesome old bridges. This one is sad- the decking is falling out so it's not even safe for walkers any more, but the trail used to go across it. I went out on it a little way and sat to eat my lunch. These steel truss bridges come in a large variety of styles. I need to do some research on which style this one is. The picture below is the plaque from the top.
I'm too sleepy to say much more tonight, but I'm happy to have had time to show you a couple of interesting sights.
6 comments:
These bridges are great! I love bridges, and I walk across a bridge every chance I get. I would love to be able to see a bridge like those first two up close one day. I've already walked across one similar to the third. Cool bridges like these turn me into a little kid.
Love to see your different bridges. They are beauties of other type.
I've never seen a bridge quite like these. Footbridges here tend to be a couple of feet wide with a handrail on each side. Some of the old stone road bridges are fascinating though.
I just had a picnic in a covered bridge with my Grandchildren. Thanks for the post
Hi Ratty- I'll bet there are covered bridges not far from you. Ohio has a lot and Michigan has a few.
Rainfield- I love to see how many different styles there were!
John- I never thought about the fact that global readers might not know about American covered bridges. These were road bridges, most built in the 1800's. Most are now closed to vehicles because of the weight, although there are some here and there that were built solidly enough, or have been structurally enhanced, or even restored. The covering was actually to protect the wood of the bridge from weathering, but they became popular for courting because of the privacy they afforded a young couple in a buggy.
HI Joe! Ohio has more covered bridges than any other state. I think one could spend a lot of time taking an Ohio covered bridge tour!
Those bridges each have their own personality and history. How cool to see each one in person. That trip sounds like fun. Fun for everybody. My kids would have liked those bridges too.
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