107 Covered bridges to go!

Depending which source you use there are 106 or 107 covered bridges in Vermont! Maybe we should find out what the answer is.

The planning is well underway. I ordered this morning a new helmet – obscenely expensive but state of the art. My existing helmet was showing signs of age and after a lot of research the Nolan 102 with integrated communication system seemed to be the best approach. It is heavy, over 4lbs but has all the features I like and good reviews. WingStuff is installing the communication system and then shipping to me – couple of weeks and I will have a new hat.

Back to the covered bridges.

Why are they covered? According to Jack and Sue Drafahl (I have no idea) "There are a great many old wives' tales as to why there are covered bridges. Among the most common tale is how the roofs keep the snow off, so the steeper the better. Or did you hear the one about the bridges being built to resemble barns to make the horses comfortable? Besides, everybody in those days knew how to build a barn, so they didn't have any trouble building a bridge. Some believed the builders covered the bridges to keep the taxpayers from seeing the shoddy workmanship under the wooden shell. Others felt that the bridges were designed for travelers caught in storms."

"The actual truth to it all is that the bridges were covered to protect the wooden trusses that held the bridge together. If the trusses were left to the sun, wind, and rain, the life expectancy was about ten years. When they were covered, their life span increased tenfold."

Looking at the map above it is going to be logistical adventure to try and visit each one – I think my trip just got longer!!!!!. Charlotte to the Vermont boarder is 831 miles or 2 days if I take it easy. That makes a 4 or 5 day round trip and then 5 days at 20 bridges per day for a total of 10 days. A list of the covered bridges can be found here.
An example or preview can be found here. This one is the longest span in Vermont.

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