Day 4 - Finding (More Of) It Here at DennyGibson.com

Day 4: December 25, 2019
Merry Christmas
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I decided I would be a bridge hunter today. Here are a couple, plus a lighthouse, to start off with. All are in the town of Ashtabula.

Ashtabula County is the Covered Bridge Capital of Ohio and that is the sort of bridges I'm hunting. There's actually not much actual hunting involved since I have a printed guide. The guide divides the nineteen covered bridges into two tours of just under seventy miles each. The eastern tour includes thirteen bridges; The western includes six. Because of where I'm staying, I naturally picked the western tour. The tours are designed so that they can be done back-to-back with the eastern tour leading smoothly into the western one. That makes it easy for me to stop by three of the eastern tour bridges before beginning the western tour.

The first two are beside each other and overlooked by Indian Trails Park. Neither is historic. The Riverview Pedestrian Bridge was completed in 2016 and is the latest addition to the county's bridge inventory. At 613 feet, the Smolen-Gulf bridge is the longest covered bridge in the United States.

These are the first and last bridges on the western tour. Although I'd selected the western tour for its nearness, I had not studied its details. I now realized that, if I drove it as mapped, I would end up rather far from the lodge and would be doing a fair amount of backtracking. I decided that the better plan was to stop by the first listed bridge of the tour, then drive to the other five in reverse sequence. Each of the next two panels holds two pictures of three bridges.

First up is the 94-foot-long Doyle Bridge. It was build in 1868 and renovated in 1987. Next is the 1867 Windsor Mills Bridge. Its 120 foot length crosses picturesque Phelps Creek. The third bridge is the Riverdale Bridge. Built in 1874, the unusual laminated girders were added as part of a 1981 renovation. The end of one of the girders can be seen here and a picture of some added roof braces is here.

All bridges on the western tour are drivable although the 1867 Mechanicsville Bridge has a bypass so the people can hurry on by without bothering dawdlers like me. At 156-feet, this is the longest single span covered bridge in the county and believed to be the oldest. Construction around the the Harpersfield Bridge makes getting to it a little trickier than normal. An adjacent park allows river level viewing. At 228 feet, it is the second longest covered bridge in Ohio and with an 1868 build date is a lot cooler (IMHO) than the one that surpassed it in 2008. Having started with the longest, I suppose it is somehow fitting that I end with the shortest. The West Liberty Bridge, however, seems quite contrived. Its 18-foot span length is embedded in the approaches on both sides. Its saving grace is the fact that it was built, in 2008-2011, by Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School students.

Flashbacks are coming. I came across a couple of really cool places during my bridge hunting. The first was on the way to the Windsor Mills Bridge. After passing the pillar in the first picture, I saw a similar one on the other side of the house and could see even more interesting items beyond. Noting that they would be more easily seen from the cross road, I planned to return. The pictures were taken on that return and actually make the place seem more rather than less mysterious. The first gate was open but the "PRIVATE DRIVE" kept me from pulling in for a closer look. The flag on the left says "LIBERTY 1886-1986" which I'm guessing is a reference to the Statue of Liberty Centennial. The flag on the right was never unfurled enough for me to read it. The locked gate carries the names Don and Henri. If only those giraffes and elephants could talk.

This was undoubtedly the best find of the day. While walking around the Mechanicsville Bridge, I noticed quite a few cars in the lot across the street and even saw a couple of people enter. Since I'd seen nothing open besides gas stations, I thought it was probably a private party. I tried looking it up on my phone, but had no signal at the bridge. I got connected in that park beside the Harpersfield Bridge, learned that Grand River Manor was indeed open, then, when I emerged from the bridge pointed in that direction, kept on going. I met John having a smoke outside the door and several other friendly people inside. It's been in business since 1847, is open 365 days a year, and has great views. I want to go back already.

Back at the lodge, I walked around the lake facing side and snapped a few pictures. The octagon shaped build in the first photo is where I will be eating dinner before long.

I then returned to my room to relax a bit and made a couple of Merry Christmas phone calls. I eventually headed to the lounge for a pre-dinner beer. When the pink sky caught my eye, I stepped outside to take a picture as the sun set far out of view to the left. When the time came it was all there: dancing, dinner, and dessert. Dinner and dessert were great. The dancing is a lie but the music was quite nice.

Today's background is the tree and Mouse King at the Steubenville's Nutcracker Village. The music selection is a new Christmas tune from Cincinnati's own Ben Levin.

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