One hot July weekend, in a marathon 700-mile drive that took us over back roads in the south-central and western reaches of the state, we visited them all.įor back roads lovers, there is no better itinerary than a route with covered bridges as destinations. Last summer, we were delighted to learn that Virginia has nine covered bridges remaining, six of them accessible to the public. We are covered bridge fanciers, and during the past year we've pursued our obsession in California, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Oregon. By the mid-19th century, iron bridges began to replace the covered wooden structures. Contrary to popular belief, they were not covered to prevent horses from being spooked or to provide spots for romantic interludes, but to keep the wooden trusses of the bridges from deteriorating. Iowa, by the way, has 12.Ībout 830 covered bridges remain across the United States, many of them built during the 19th century. ![]() ![]() In fact, the states with the greatest number of surviving spans are Pennsylvania (221), Ohio (140), Vermont (of course, with 99) and Indiana (93). You don't have to go to New England either. Covered bridges, also called "kissing bridges," conjure up images of our grandparents as young people, trysting on summer nights.īut you don't have to go to Iowa to soak up covered bridge atmosphere. After you turn the last page of "The Bridges of Madison County" and your tears finally dry, where do you look for romance? If the Key Bridge won't do, a trip to a covered bridge is the perfect choice to recapture the sentimental mood of Robert James Waller's bestselling novel, soon to be a music video, CD and movie with - rumor has it - Robert Redford in the heroic role of Robert Kincaid, travel photographer and self-styled "last cowboy." Robert and Francesca's bittersweet four-day love affair amid the covered bridges of Iowa would not have been as moving if they had arranged to meet under a tree or at a rest area along some interstate - and for good reason.
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