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Showing posts from November, 2021

Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge - Colrain, Massachusetts

  The Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge is located in the small Western Massachusetts town of Colrain and is named for a resident Civil War Army captain by the name of Arthur A. Smith. The area around the covered bridge at that time was known as the Arthur A. Smith Flats, which gave the bridge its namesake. Built in 1869 to span the North River, the 99 foot long covered bridge is the only Burr arch truss designed covered bridge currently found in Massachusetts. The bridge is covered by a gabled roof, and its exterior is clad in vertical board siding, mostly painted red, but with some white trim found along the bridge's portals. It is supported by multiple king post trusses augmented by laminated Burr arches. Colrain was once home to at least twelve covered bridges, and is home to one of a handful of remaining covered bridges that still has a home in Massachusetts. Most of the covered bridges were destroyed in the floods of 1936 and the flooding caused by the 1938 hurricane. ...

Baumgardner Mill Covered Bridge - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

   Also known as Pequea Bridge #10, the Baumgardner Mill Covered Bridge spans over Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's Pequea Creek on Covered Bridge Road near the town of Marticville. Built in 1860, the 105 foot long covered Burr truss arch designed covered bridge was constructed by Davis Kitch at a cost of $1,284. In 1987, the bridge was restored after it was damaged in a flood from the previous year. During the restoration, which cost $200,000, the covered bridge was raised four feet and lengthened by nine feet to protect it from damage in future floods. As with many covered bridges in Lancaster County, the covered bridge is painted red, but has some white trim. As one might expect, the Baumgardner Mill Covered Bridge is located near a historic mill. The history of the mill is one that is longer than the United States itself. There was a mill that was first built at the location in 1775, then a larger mill was built in its place in 1806. Ownership of the mill changed hands cou...

Poland Covered Bridge (Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge) - Cambridge Junction, Vermont

  Also known as the Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge, the Poland Covered Bridge spans over the Lamoille River in Cambridge Junction, Vermont, just east of Jeffersonville. One of 14 historic covered bridges that remain within Lamoille County, the 153 foot long Kingpost with Burr arch truss designed covered bridge was built in 1887 by George Washington Holmes in order to improve access to a nearby railroad junction. The bridge is said to have one of the longest clear spans of its type within the United States. The bridge bears the name of Luke P. Poland, a prominent citizen and judge from Waterville, Vermont during the second half of the nineteenth century, who led a lawsuit against the Town of Cambridge that resulted in the construction of the covered bridge. The Poland Covered Bridge was restored starting in 2001, undergoing a two stage process to restore the it to working order, using funds that were secured from the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Act, which had be...

St. Johns Bridge - Portland, Oregon

  Portland, Oregon has many bridges gracing themselves across the various waterways in and around the city. One of the most iconic of the bridges is the St. Johns Bridge, built in 1931 to cross the Willamette River northwest of downtown Portland. The suspension bridge has a total length of 3,606 feet, with a main span of 1,207 feet. The St. Johns Bridge, with its 14 soaring concrete Gothic arch piers and two steel towers that reach 40 stories into the sky, forms a dramatic entrance and exit along the Willamette River to and from Portland. The bridge was the eighth bridge to have been constructed over the Willamette River in the Portland area, and replaced the last ferry crossing of the Willamette River within the Portland city limits. Today, Bypass US 30 is routed on the St. Johns Bridge as part of the bypass route across northern parts of Portland. The St. Johns Bridge was a bridge built by popular demand, pushed by the Peninsula Bridge Committee, led by the St. Johns an...

Wyoming Road Trip Days 1 & 2 - Charlotte to Lincoln, NE via Tennessee and St. Louis

In September, when my wife told me that I could use my extra week of vacation to go on a road trip, I at first was surprised.  But then, I started trying to figure out where to go and what to see.  It was too late to plan something for October, and I really wanted to go west.  I decided on Wyoming - specifically Cheyenne.  From Cheyenne, I would visit Rocky Mountain National Park, Wind Cave National Park and Mount Rushmore, and also Devils Tower.  I invited my friend Joe to go along with me. Day 1: Charlotte, NC to Mt. Juliet, Tennessee: Route: I-485, NC 16, I-40 Photo Set on Flickr - Wyoming Road Trip Day 1 We traveled just over six hours on this day - this allowed us to break up the trip out over three days but also to see more on the way out.  While Day One was not big on sightseeing - there was some great fall scenery in Eastern Tennessee and the North Carolina mountains. The color was great!  And it was an easy drive to the hotel for the night jus...

Diamond Head State Monument

Diamond Head Crater is a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian Island of O'hau located in the City of Honolulu.  The Diamond Head Crater is surrounded by several neighborhoods of Honolulu and offers a vista of the City from the top of the Summit Trail.  Diamond Head Crater in the Hawaiian language is known as  LÄ“Ê»ahi. This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page.  All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html Part 1; the history of Diamond Head State Monument  The formation of O'ahu began between 2.5-4 million years ago with volcanic eruptions from two shield volcanos emerging into a land mass from the Pacific Ocean.  Over time the erosion of the two shield volcanos formed the basis of the modern Ko'olau and Wai'anae Mountain Ranges.  Approximately 1.3 million years ago volcanic activity began in the Pacific O...