It's Independence Day! (Part 2)

At precisely 9:00 we rolled into the parking lot of the Flume. (This just happens to already be one of my favorite attractions in NH.) We couldn't have planned it any better!  We walked into the lobby and saw this:

It's like we knew we were home!  With great excitement, we bought our tickets and started on the trek to see two bridges.  We were pretty sure that we were the first people to take the Flume trail on the holiday morning.

We looked down to see our first aerial shot of a bridge to date.  

The Flume Bridge.

Check out the trusses on this one!

Natalie taking a picture of the Flume Bridge.  Notice she is holding the official notebook of the Covered Bridge Challenge.  She was talked out of bringing the official Bridge Binder on the two mile hike.  We are minimalists.  

Just in case people aren't sure where we went.

This is the first of several warnings about slippery surfaces.  

Ellen presents the Flume.

Natalie likin' the lichen!

They weren't kidding about the stairs!  

Hold the handle and watch your step!  The surfaces are slippery!

And finally the waterfall!  Gotta love America (and NH!)!

Natalie navigating the way!

On the walk back to the car, I pointed out this brown koala to Natalie.  You never know what you are going to see on our adventures!

Here are the happy bloggers in action!

Natalie at Liberty Gorge!  It was the 4th of July, after all.

Here is the pool at the base of the Flume.  

Natalie (and if you squint really hard you can see the next bridge in the background).

The Sentinel Pine Bridge.  This is the bridge that we have worked the hardest to find.  We walked 2 miles to get here.

Learning about the Sentinel Pine Bridge.  

The view from the Sentinel Pine.

Natalie at the Sentinel Pine.

Another view from the Sentinel Pine.  

The Sentinel Pine in all its glory!

Next onto the Lost River!  

Natalie happy to be at the Lost River.

Ellen rests in a chair while looking for the river.

The bloggers with the Found River.

Natalie emerges through the rocks after finding the Lost River.

The Allen-Hollis Bridge that you don't have to pay $17 to see.  We did because we are committed to the cause.

Learn more about the Lost River!

After a 2 mile hike at the Flume and a .75 mile hike (both which were predominantly uphill) we were tired and hot, but we knew our search for bridges was not over for the day.  We had taken in a lot of scenery and were curious to see what the rest of the day would bring! 

It's Independence Day! (This is why we love America!)

On July 4th, we made like our forefathers and packed our car and hit the road as the sun was rising.  Just read any history book and you will see that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Betsy Ross all were known for getting up early and packing their cars for a day long exploration on July 4th.  Ok, so maybe that's why Natalie and I don't teach history...

Our first bridge was very easy to find an exit or two from where we had started our day.  First up, the Blair Bridge.  This is yet another bridge that we visited that has been destroyed by arsonists.

The Blair Bridge overlooking the Pemigewasset River.  

Across a set of railraod checks and down a few roads and we came across this sign marking Bridge #2 for the day.

This is the side view of the rebuilt Bump Bridge.

The Bump also had great atmosphere: the field with cows, loud croaking frogs, the fog atop the mountains, and of course a great travel companion!

The Bumps are apparently a very busy family and very proud of their well placed bridge.

 One final shot of the Bump Bridge.

Our next stop was probably the most somber of this whole challenge... 

The Turkey Jim.

The Turkey Jim was destroyed by Hurricane Irene in the Fall of 2011.  It was sad to see such a beautiful structure in shambles from an act of nature.

Next was on to the Jack O'Lantern.  A picturesque model bridge.   Although, it is not a recongized covered bridge by the state. 

Here is the view on the Jack O'Lantern...

Here is the view to the right of the bridge...

Here is a view of the golf course to the left of the bridge... 

It was a nice bridge with a nice view, but perhaps the sadness of the Turkey Jim cheapened the feeling we got from the commercialness of the Jack O'Lantern.

Next, it was onto Clark's Trading Post.  We read that we didn't have to pay to view and photograph the bridge, which was fortunate because the park was not opened when we arrived.  So we found an opening in the fence and then spotted the bridge.  But first we had to pass by the guardian...

Here is the Clark's Bridge Marker.  The bridge used to be located in Vermont, but was moved.  

Here is the bridge.  Yes, this is what bridges are supposed to look like!  Just what we needed at this point in the day!

Here is the memorial for one of the high schoolers who helped to move Clark's Bridge.  He died while fighting in Vietnam.

This is one of the engines that have driven through Clark's Bridge.  We have not travelled across the bridge, because it was marked with signs of danger.  Safety first!

By 8:45 we had tackled 5 bridges.  Not bad for one morning.  Maybe we weren't acting like our forefathers, but I think they would have been proud of the way we explored and celebrated all our country has to offer.  Don't worry there are still 18 more bridges the we visited that day! So keep reading!