Meems Covered Bridge

 

I think that it was after reading 'The Bridges of Madison County' that I wanted to see for myself what a covered bridge looked like.

 

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit Meems Bridge, a covered bridge just a few miles from the Shenandoah Caverns.

 

Although the top structure of this bridge is wood, the original wooden struts that spanned the river when it was built in the nineteenth century have been replaced with concrete pillars.

 

Although it was interesting to see and fun to drive through, I am hoping to see an older one at some point.

 

The original reason for the covered bridges was to protect the flat surface of the bridge - originally made of wood - from drying out or rotting and breaking up.