Day 6- Covered Bridges

Today we decided to do a little sight seeing and explore some of the covered bridges in the area. Call it a hunch our legs needed a hiking break. The first bridge we went to is called Gold Brook Bridge. This bridge is also known as "Emily's Bridge" , due to that it is haunted by a ghost named Emily. There are many stories of how she died on the bridge. One story is that she was suppose to elope with a lover and they were suppose to met at the bridge, when her lover never showed she hung herself from the rafters of the bridge. Another version of this Vermont legend is that she met the man who stole her heart, and the couple made plans to marry. The fateful day arrived, and Emily went to the church in her beautiful red wedding dress ready to give herself to the gentleman in holy wedlock. The groom never arrived, and the jilted bride took the family wagon in a frenzy of anger and sorrow. She was merciless on the horses, and whipped them until they were traveling at an incredible pace, planning perhaps to confront the faithless groom. As she approached the bridge she failed to negotiate the turn right before the bridge and drove the horses and carriage over the bank and onto the rocky brook below. Both the horses and Emily were killed in the accident. There is no historical evidence that Emily did ever exist.

Next stop on our adventure was Lunch... a cute little bakery/cafe called Sweet Crunch Bakery in Hyde Park just off Route 15 on Main Street, highly recommend for a great homemade lunch/sweet treat. From there we went to the Power House Covered Bridge, also known as the School Street Covered Bridge. This bridge crosses the Gihon River off State Route 100C in Johnson, Vermont.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge gets its name from a now obsolete hydroelectric generating station just upstream from it. The bridge is of Queen post truss design by an unknown builder.

On to Cambridge Junction Bridge This bridge was built in 1887 by George W. Holmes in order to access an important railroad junction and the surrounding village of Cambridge Junction. The Burr Arch structure has a clear span of 135 feet, making it one of the longest spans of its type in the U.S. The bridge is also known as the "Poland Bridge" after the retired judge who led a lawsuit against the Town of Cambridge that resulted in the bridges construction. The bridge was reconstructed in 2003-2004.

Next Stop was the Gates Farm Covered Bridge: This bridge crosses the Seymour River off State Route 15 in Cambridge, Vermont. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge is of Burr arch design, built by George W. Holmes. It was a little strange since it was kind of the bridge to nowhere, in the middle of a field ending in a corn field.

On to the Grist Mill Covered Bridge also known as the Scott Covered Bridge and Bryant Covered Bridge.
This bridge crosses the Brewster River off State Route 108 on Canyon Road in Cambridge, Vermont. You can park at the Brewster River Gorge Park. The bridge has historically also been called Canyon Covered Bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge is of Burr arch design by an unknown builder. Also on the other side of this bridge is the Alden Bryan Brewster River Trail. The trail to both the lower and upper viewpoints starts across the street from the parking area and is marked by a sign for the “Alden Bryan Brewster River Trail.” To begin this hike, start into the woods on this charming and straightforward white-blazed trail. After about 0.3 mile on this trail, you will reach a junction. To reach the base of the falls, take a right and you will reach the base of the falls in about 400 feet. From the base of the lower falls, the water picks its way through and around boulders that appear to have fallen on top of one another throughout the years. There are small greenish tinted pools at the base of several of these boulders. The river below the falls is quite wide with an extended riverbank—containing a mix of tough sand, soft grass, and small pebbles.
To reach the top of the falls, where the best views of the gorge are found, continue left and keep hiking uphill for 0.2 mile on moderate terrain. The devastation from hurricane Irene was evident throughout the entire gorge. The views from the trail and the river were beautiful and so picturesque. Our pictures just don't do this area justice.