Covered Bridges of Northeast Ohio

On Sunday, May 15, 2022, we headed out on a planned ride on a little tour of some of the covered bridges in northeast Ohio, largely in Ashtabula County. This trip included Meanie and I, Booner and Sweet-N-Low, and Tiny and Goldilocks. Meanie and I had been through some of the bridges in the past when we went on the Covered Bridge ride hosted by the V-Twin Cruisers motorcycle club (which was well designed and safely handled, making for a great event!). 

This time we were on our own. I start out these blogs the same way anymore: that the best laid plans get brushed aside! Well, we started out as perfectly planned - north on OH-7 from Hubbard, west on OH-87, north on OH-46, and west on US-322. At Orwell, we stopped at the Shell gas station so I could look at a map so as not to miss the turn for the first stop, the Windsor Mills Covered Bridge.

The people at the gas station hadn't heard of the bridge, but did pull up their GPS and we were only several miles away. Westbound on US-322, we kept going past the intersection with OH-534, and shortly after that made the left turn onto Covered Bridge Lane. The road goes downhill into the yellow bridge. 

There's a light at the end of every tunnel.

We continued straight from the other end of the bridge, and turned right at the stop sign. This took us back out to US-322, and we turned right/east. Our next stop was the Harpersfield Covered Bridge. We turned left on OH-534 north, and the ride was continuing with ease and perfect weather. The sign for the bridge was finally on the right, but you make a left onto Harpersfield Road when heading north. This lane brought us down to the bridge, which was closed for construction
(we didn't know that), so we turned down the lane into the park area by the Grand River, which runs under the bridge southbound having its beginnings at Lake Erie at the Headland Dunes State Nature Preserve.

Goldilocks and I walked down to the river and messed around finding crayfish things and critter shells both open and empty as well as closed and occupied! 

                                               

Sweet-N-Low and the guys stayed up on the hill bullshitting under the trees while watching a young boy wading in the water catching snakes and putting them in his wader pockets. 

By this time we were getting hungry, so we made our way back out to OH-534 north, and that's when the directions went offline. I believe I managed to get us north on OH-45, because somehow we ended up on the right road, OH-531 east through Ashtabula. We were looking for Briquettes Smokehouse, and that my friends is easily passable because it sits back behind some other buildings very near the water and a draw bridge. Well, we passed it, went past the Crow's Nest bar, and when I found us at the road that was actually next on our directions, I knew we went too far.

I pulled us into a golf course parking lot, and regrouped, and that's when Tiny & Goldilocks said we had passed it back at the bridge. So we turned around, went back, pulled up the road alongside and sat there. The parking lot was small and packed. No street parking, and after Meanie went out to scout for parking and seeing there wasn't any, he also said the line to get into Briquettes was out the door. In our most favorite phrase, fuck that; we left and went back up to the Crow's Nest to eat. 

Food eaten, we took off again down the road to the turn at the golf course. Our next bridge was the State Road Covered Bridge. So from OH-531, we went south on OH-193. At OH-84, we were supposed to turn left, but I missed something and we continued straight across I-90. So, we stopped as usual and I figured out where to go. We made a right on Cemetery Road which does a complete nosedive at the other end when it meets with S. Ridge Road!!! Good brakes work here! Our friend Bones said he always liked adventures, and that's what happened. 

SEE THE RED ARROW?

Shortly before this point there is a big yellow sign that says

"Pavement Ends"

Yep. It does. So this point is where Meanie and I pondered where to continue on the dry dirt and gravel road to the next bridge or forget it. We decided to forge ahead; at least is was dry and not mud!

It was a somewhat short ride that I think felt longer due to the sliding nature of the tires in the dirt and gravel, and we kicked up more dust than a John Deere ag tractor in a drought-ridden Oklahoma farm field! You stay on S. Ridge turning right from where the pavement ends, and then another right onto State Road. State eventually becomes pavement again and you find yourself at the State Road Covered Bridge. 

All I can do is assume that the bridge was as nice as the others and got my fill riding through it, because when we stopped at the pull off on the other side, I had to go potty. SOB I was glad I brought that pack of tissues! But when I went traipsing into the woods for a private spot, the ground cover was all poison ivy and poison oak. A nice stamped down spot behind a tree worked for me!

We left there following the paved road, even though my directions said to go back to State and S. Ridge Roads and the dirt. No thanks. We continued on State making a left on Hatches Corners Road to make our way to the Middle Road Covered Bridge. Upon approach to Middle Road, where we were to turn left, it slightly slopes downhill and his heavily covered in gravel and stone, so I waived the group onward. One dirt road per day is the limit. No biggie.

We soon interested with OH-7 and turned south. This took us to OH-84, west we went, and turned left onto Stanhope-Kelloggsville Road. Next was left onto Root Road where we found the Root
Road Covered Bridge. Most of these bridges are off beaten paths, so you can park your bikes at one end and explore a bit with no traffic problems. This Root Road bridge had a pretty cedar-color looking roof. The river scenes on either sides of the bridges were always pretty too.

                 

                       

Maybe I was here before; my maiden initials!

You guessed it, we moved along! The next bridge on the tour was to be the Cain Covered Bridge. We continued south on Stanhope-Kelloggsville, and when I saw Caine road on our left, and that it was yet another one completely covered in gravel (no pavement) I waived us on again. Poor guys behind me, could see the bridge from where we passed, but it was a big NOPE for me. You wanna see it, then go on with your bad selves! LOL

Anyway, we're riding along and I'm thinking where the hell are we, because we were not following my written directions, when suddenly we passed S. Denmark Road on the right, and I look down and further down in my directions that was the road we needed! I stopped us mid road to turn around, and we went back to turn left on S. Denmark. This was the bridge I was really hoping to see.

The road through the bridge sort of parallels S. Denmark, and has its own turn off, so we passed the initial entrance and turned left into the second, which made for a great photo op with the bridge and bikes.

     

                              

7

The Denmark bridge was a lovely stop, and I'll probably make that quilt design into a patch someday. Well, Sweet-N-Low wanted ice cream, so the decision was made to go to Bacconi's Lickety Split  in Cortland for dessert! When we got there the place was packed, when we left the place was packed.

Must be one hell of a business; good for them!

Making our way down OH-193 back to Hubbard, we rode with the sun setting and enough wind for one lovely day in May. We made it to Hubbard, and stopped to say goodbye, or rather, until next time. Next time game a week later when Booner invited us to go for a ride to see one of his favorite covered bridges near New Castle, PA, the Banks Covered Bridge. We ate at Ryder's Restaurant in New Wilmington first, and the owners there are very nice people. 

From Ryder's, Booner led us down a whole bunch of country roads we hadn't seen before, and at one point we weren't sure if we were going somewhere for slaughter or to actually see a covered bridge! But, we did finally get to the Banks bridge, and it was really nice too. Check it out.

There must be something about riding and ice cream, because then we were introduced to Forbush's Ice Cream in New Castle. Yummo! I had basic chocolate and while it was hand-scooped ice cream, it had the softness of soft-serve. Creamy and delicious! Boy, if we could go back to every food place we enjoyed, we'd have to quit working!! 

This ride was the first time I was ever at the back of a pack. I am usually 1st or 2nd. So I thought the opportunity would be cool to finally get pictures of everyone else. I tried. My Ram mount held my phone just fine, but my goofy wires were in the way, so all of the pics I took are impeded by them. I'll just have to get the riser extension for my mount and get the camera above the wires.

That's the end of this story about riding around to see covered bridges in northeast Ohio. Some we touched, some we saw from a distance, some will be seen by car maybe someday, and others may never be part of our paths. The point in all of this is that the world is a beautiful place and humans have made so many neat things and places and learned the art of feeding each other. You can take it all in if you let yourself escape the every day things we all must do; plan your escape! If you have not seen enough on social media and the news, or even in your own backyard, the world is telling you that every minute counts. Every second. Every friend, true friends, they ride with you through the darkest tunnels to the light at the other end, crossing every bridge together. All you can hope for is that no one is burning the other end and cutting you off from a rich and joyful past that is the structure for all of the future. Well, that's how I see it. 

~ Holly, a.k.a. Stitchblade