Covered Bridge Geriatric Road Trip

So what if I am old and boring

It has been a year and half since Carol and I took this self guided, driving tour. However, I have been reluctant to post it on the blog. I just thought it would make me seem too old and boring. You know…some middle aged couple driving through the country looking for covered bridges. Be that as it may, I am posting this road trip anyway…damn it. It may seem boring to some, but we liked it. Taking road trips through the unknown and scenic country side is just something that we do. Give us a focus like tracking down covered bridges and we are fully on board. So, without any further excuses, I proudly present my covered bridge geriatric road trip.

Ashtabula County – Ohio’s Covered Bridge Mecca

In the northeast corner of Ohio, there is the county (and city) of Ashtabula. For reasons unknown to me, there seems to be a lot of covered bridges in the area. Furthermore, the community around Ashtabula embraces their covered bridges. In the fall, Ashtabula hosts a covered bridge festival. At any time of the year, you are welcome to take a driving tour to all of their bridges. Properly done, the road trip takes about 2 hours. During that time, you will be treated to some very scenic country side, as well as about a dozen old and new covered bridges.

Shut Up and Show Me the Bridges

So, let’s not bury the lead. Therefore, I will start with the flagship. The flagship is the Smolen-Gulf covered bridge. Built in 2008, this is one of the newest and completely functioning bridges. But, more importantly, at 613 feet, the Smolen-Gulf is the longest covered bridge in the USA, fourth in the whole world. It stands about 93 feet above the Ashtabula river.

Look closely at the second picture above. See the second bridge? Yes, they have so many covered bridges that some bridges are on top of other covered bridges. The small bridge is the Riverview bridge. It’s actually a pedestrian bridge on a very nice walking trail along the river.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that you probably do not want much bridge history. Fine, I will just offer up this photo series of the remaining bridges. Most of the bridges were fully functional bridges. But, a couple of them were for display only. Without further adieu, I give you most of the Ashtabula county covered bridge tour…

Didn’t you say NO Bridge History?

OK, allow me just one story on bridge history.

The next photo is the Harpersfield Covered Bridge. Prior to Smolen-Gulf bridge, the Harpersfield bridge was the longest covered bridge in Ohio. Furthermore, note the metal section on the left side of the photo. In 1913, a flood washed away the this section of the bridge. For reasons that I do not know, they decided to replace the missing piece with a metal bridge. Personally, while the mixed construction material ruins the aesthetics, it does make for an interesting bridge. Even more unusual, see the next picture featuring the beautiful Carol. This non-functioning partial bridge is the missing piece of the Harpersfield bridge. Following the 1913 flood, someone saved the washed away piece and rebuilt it. Subsequently, the rebuilt, missing piece is now the centerpiece at the Benson Family Park.

End this Geriatric Road Trip, please!

I would be remiss if I did not include these final two items. Not only does the area have the longest covered bridge, the town of Geneva also boasts the shortest. I give you the Liberty Bridge, the shortest drivable, covered bridge in the USA. Frankly, I think its a shameless gesture just to capture more tourist dollars. Anyway, when its time to pause the road trip for food, I have the place. Staying with the theme, you can eat the Covered Bridge Pizza. They do not serve beer, but it’s better than average pizza. The place looks just like a covered bridge. Furthermore, much of the wood is recovered from a defunct bridge, originally built in 1862. When in operation, the original 1862 bridge was the oldest known covered bridge in Ohio

Wrap It Up

Alright already! I will stop showing pictures of covered bridges and end this geriatric road trip. But, beware! I could do the same post with my lighthouse pictures from Maine. Be that as it may, geriatric or not, Carol and I enjoyed ourselves. Come to Ashtabula county on a nice day…enjoy the country side…and hunt down as many covered bridges as your interest allows. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed my “Covered Bridge Geriatric Road Trip” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here was another PT road trip https://travelingwithpt.com/an-enchanted-drive-through-north-dakota/

If you want to plan your own covered bridge road trip, here you go https://visitashtabulacounty.com/things-to-do/covered-bridges/