Earlier this month, Ken took me on a birthday road trip through eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The trees were just beginning to turn, and our scenic backroads trip was delightful. Although we had several fun stops along the way, one of the highlights for me was the 40+ mile Covered Bridge Scenic Byway northeast from Marietta, OH along State Road 26.

Along SR26 outside of Marietta

We have enjoyed visiting covered bridges for 52 years – lots of water under that bridge! After our wedding in Indianapolis in 1972, we spent our honeymoon in Brown County, IN – as had my parents in the 1940s and my aunt & uncle in the 1930s. Not the exotic honeymoon spot chosen by most couples today, but it was picturesque, and we could afford it! One of our fondest memories from the trip was visiting the Bean Blossom Covered Bridge, then purchasing a painting of the bridge as we strolled through the town of Nashville. Our photos taken with an “old school” Instamatic camera weren’t the best quality, but if you squint, you might be able to see us! LOL

Sally at the Bean Blossom Covered Bridge
Painting by Indiana artist Joe Shell
Ken at the Bean Blossom Covered Bridge

Ohio’s State Route 26 is a designated Scenic Highway, and it is that. Car and Driver magazine rates it one of the “best driving roads in America” which translates as curvy and fun to drive if you enjoy driving challenging roads. It is 2 lanes the entire trip and most of the road does not allow for passing except for a few places. There are no towns along the route of any size, no gas stations or fast-food dining options. All along the route I pondered how far residents had to travel to go to a grocery! Luckily for me, Ken loves to drive.

We stopped at three different bridges along the route – the Hune Covered Bridge, the Rinard Covered Bridge, and the Knowlton Covered Bridge – just recently reopened following a devastating collapse in 2019.

It was fun to walk the length of each bridge. Not all had window openings, but the ones that did offered peaceful views of the river below. I imagine “rainy season” offers a different view entirely! If you’re interested in the history & construction particulars of the bridges, just click the links above.

HUNE COVERED BRIDGE

RINARD COVERED BRIDGE

View from inside Rinard Covered Bridge

KNOWLTON COVERED BRIDGE

Newly rebuilt Knowlton Covered Bridge

The following day as we meandered toward the Flight 93 National Memorial in western Pennsylvania, we happened upon the Glessner Covered Bridge near Shanksville, Somerset County. There are 10 covered bridges the area, and I’m sure I would have loved to see them all, but the Memorial was our main focus on this leg of our adventure. It was a sobering experience, but the interpretation of the site was so well done.

Glessner Covered Bridge near Shanksville
Flight 93 Memorial Field

The day after we returned home from our road trip, we enjoyed visits from our Fishers, IN grandchildren, Bridget, Shay and Erin. We decided to give them a small covered bridge excursion, too, and visited nearby Busching Covered Bridge connecting the town of Versailles with Versailles State Park.

If you’re not familiar with Indiana, there are 98 wooden covered bridges in the state, with 51 in Parke County alone! I guess it’s no wonder that this Hoosier Mama loves a covered bridge!

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sallymcw

One thing that makes my journey unique is that all of my interests are driven by a joyful and genuine curiosity. I delight in finding less expensive ways to make something or creative ways to enjoy something longer. Finding and creating joy - and sharing it - is core to who I am.