NH Covered Bridge Challenge............ Takes on New England!: The Northeast Kingdom

So following a concert at Gilette, we headed north on Saturday, midmorning to the Upper Kingdom of VT. Our first bridge of the two day journey was the Greenbank's Hollow Bridge.

Much to our surprise we had a greeter at this bridge.

This delightful greeter was very happy to show us the way to the first bridge of the day (after he showed us how to run through a pipe).

The Greenbank's Hollow Bridge!

Our new mascot also showed us the lovely country side.

Another view of the bridge.

The grates on the bridge.

Natalie poses with the mascot and the bridge.

A view from the bridge.

A view of the river below the bridge.

A view of the bridge, but also a view of the old mill.

We are 97% sure that our new mascot lived on Covered Bridge Rd.

So much history at Greenbank's Hollow.

There were MANY historic sites within walking distance of the bridge. How could anyone forget this village?

We have had very few bridges that have their own pamphlet.

Such a rich history, in this little town.

Site 2 of Greenbank.

This is where the house once was.

Such an eventful start to our journey! What else will happen?

Next it was on to Lyndon...

Presenting the Chamberlain Bridge!

The Chamberlain Bridge was built in 1873.

It has a combination modified queenpost truss and modified kingpost truss.

A view of the South Wheelock Branch.

Someone has left their trash on the Chamberlain.

And their hubcap!

The Lyndonville Chamber of Commerce takes their job seriously to get the word out.

This is also where a saw mill once stood. That's why some people still call this the Chamberlain Mill Covered Bridge.

We travelled down the road to our next bridge in Lyndonville.

What pair of teachers wouldn't appreciate a bridge called The Schoolhouse?

I was expecting to see a school overlooking the bridge...Nope, but there was a Kingdom Hall.

A view of the South Wheelock Branch.

The floor of this bridge.

Another well labelled bridge!

I'm getting a little artsy fartsy with this shot!

This bridge is closed to vehicles, but picnics are welcome!

I enjoy a good knot in a bridge.

More information about the bridges you can find in the area, thanks to the Lyndon Chamber of Commerce.

Next it was down the road again to the Miller's Run Bridge.

People who park at this Park & Ride look very excited because they get to see a covered bridge at the beginning and end of their journey!

The Miller's Run....complete with sidewalk. This was important because, it was a very busy bridge. Luckily no bloggers were harmed in the making of this blog, yet.

Natalie looks natural on this bridge.

This is the calm Miller Run. They might be running out of bridge names in Lyndon.

The next bridge was also in Lyndonville. It was located next to a motel. The book said we could park in their parking lot, but that looked iffy.

Then again, so did the Sanborn Covered Bridge.

Apparently, they don't want us to cross the bridge.

Do you think they mean it?

I think I missed this episode of Law and Order...

Ok, we get it! As we were taking this picture, I heard two people arguing under the bridge. Again, it is time for me to apologize to our mothers... I dragged us into what could have been a dangerous situation, but to my defense I am REALLY good at conflict resolution!

So we ventured under the bridge. There were no trolls. There was a bridge expert and a man who appeared to have seen several trolls in his life. We listened to their conversation from atop the hill and took a few pictures. Then the spotted us.

The bridge expert told us that we should not come under the bridge (although both of them were). We nodded and the troll man said, "Why not?!?!" The expert informed us the bridge was buckling and it could collapse. They they started arguing about whether or not we should be allowed under the bridge. We realized we wouldn't be of any help here and having a bridge collapse on us would ruin our summer. We returned to the car, safe and sound.

Lyndonville really likes their covered bridges!

Next on the list, The Randall!

Lyndonville is the covered bridge capital of the Northeast Kingdom! Oddly enough, I applied to go to college in Lyndonville. Would my love for bridges have been fostered as a college student?!?! The world will never know...Go Wildcats!

The Randall was built in 1865.

It also cannot be traveled on by vehicles. But the bridge still crosses the East Branch of the Passumpsic River.

We are not the first bridge enthusiasts to trod here.

We definitely would never brand a bridge to advertise our bridge book.

Such a pretty scene!

Ta da!

Next, it was way past time for lunch. We stopped for subs at what I hope will someday be our sponsor....Subway! There was a cute elderly gentleman who ordered his sandwich just based on the picture advertisement. Throughout the line the employee would ask what he wanted for toppings and each time the man replied, "I want it like it is in the picture." It made us smile.

Next it was onto the countryside of Irasburg.

So beautiful and peaceful!

Apparently there was a wedding at the Lord's Creek Bridge. Congratulations Donna and Jesse!

Such a simple bridge with a beautiful setting!

Although, the floorboards made us a bit nervous.

But not too nervous...senior photo shoot with Natalie.

Oh look, the Black River can be seen through the floor! What a fun feature!

A bridge would be a perfect place to celebrate a wedding! Donna and Jesse got it right!

No time to celebrate...again it was back on the road.

Down the road in Coventry is the Orne Covered Bridge #2. Some may confuse it with the Mount Orne bridge (our final in NH).

There is a sign for Roy W. Ingalls. It is hard to find much information on him.

The beautiful Black River.

A close up of the Paddleford Truss.

Here is a sign for the Blow & Cote Company that reconstructed the bridge in 1999.

There are lots of messages of love on this bridge.

Apparently, there was also some characters around here...

Some very peculiar characters around here...hehehe!

Truck drivers need to be careful!

Truckers are probably thinking more about the scenery than driving. Who can blame them, really?!?

Next was a quiet bridge.

I am no Sacagawea, but if you look over Natalie's shoulder, I am pretty sure that you can see Canada!

Vermont loves their sheriffs!

The beautiful water flows below the covered bridge.

It Montgomery, it was onto the Hutchins Covered Bridge.

It was built by the busy bridge builders, Sheldon and Savannah Jewett. They built many bridges in the 1880s.

Beautiful flowers around the Hutchins.

Another view of the Hutchins.

The town truss that holds the bridge together.

It's a little faded, but you can still see the label for the Hutchins.

Montgomery is a busy place when it comes to bridges. Right outside of Montgomery is our next bridge.

The Fuller is a very well taken care of bridge.

There was a man on his porch, who watched us explore the bridge. I think he also wanted to make sure we didn't harm the bridge.

The Fuller was originally built by the Jewett Brothers. Then surprise, surprise, the Blow and Cote Company reconstructed it in 2000.

The Black Falls Brook passes under the Fuller.

Another tribute to the builders.

There was a family who rode their bikes to go swimming in the Brook while we explored.

I didn't want to be creepy, so I didn't take any pictures of them...

The lattice truss of the Fuller.

Such beautiful work!

The next bridge is the Creamery!

As Natalie read the description to me, I had my doubts about this one. It said that there was a rough road and we should park our car and walk 0.8 mile to the bridge. Hmmm.

Here was the "rough road." Not too bad. We can drive this, we have seen a lot worse...

Here is a view of the rapid West Hill Brook.

Who knew Big Wayne had been here!?!? I think he is the older brother of Lil Wayne. I am sorry we missed him.

As you can see this is a popular hang out for local teens and rabble rousers. There was a group of three who were preparing for a campfire as we explored the bridge.