I randomly came upon a book years ago, The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller, and read it. It was a romantic story of a National Geographic photographer and a world war 2 bride. The reference to the bridges intrigued me as I have never seen a covered bridge. My research didn’t go far either. The book stayed in the shelf but the thought stayed at the back of my mind.

Several years later, I came across a movie version of the book. Clint Eastwood (my favorite cowboy and vigilante actor) and Meryl Streep portrayed the main characters. I read the book several times again and each time became more intrigued with the bridges.

This autumn, we scheduled a trip to the New England states. We did it primarily to meet old friends and to watch the autumn leaf change. There were two things that struck me as we were planning for our trip: first, the New England states are famous for its autumn leaf color change; second, the states are home to the last few hundred covered bridges still in use.

We almost missed seeing the autumn leaf changes. A storm hit that dropped the temperature and stripped the leaves off of the branches. We were lucky that New Hampshire and Vermont still had lots of autumn leaf color change left to appreciate. The bridges were not so difficult to find. It was driving to their location that took a lot of time. Most of them were in areas that are less travelled especially with the heavier motor vehicles.

I found the bridges and savored the moment. It was as if I was reading the book again. It was with mixed emotion to see the bridges in different states of condition. Some were not in use anymore and converted for different purposes. Most were still sturdy but clearly aging and worn down. A few were well kept and in good use. The number of covered bridges in existence are dwindling. The heavier traffic is making it impractical for use. Soon, the covered bridges will be gone.