County shows off bridges

In the old days, a moonlight buggy ride on a quiet country road was the equivalent of a "hot date."
Sheep-eyed sweethearts would climb into the rig, slap the horse with the reins and disappear into the twilight.
When the buggy clattered under the wooden arch of a covered bridge, it was appropriate for the love-struck couple to linger for a cuddle and a kiss.
Thus covered bridges were often called "kissing bridges," or "courting bridges."
Although covered bridges no longer rank as Saturday night hot spots, those that have survived still exude old-fashioned charm and romance.
And plenty of covered bridges have survived right here on the back roads of northeastern Ohio.
Ashtabula County boasts 16 of them spanning the Grand River and its many tributaries.
Festival
The Ashtabula County Covered Bridges Festival takes place every October to celebrate these wonderful old bridges that have stood the test of time.
This year's festival is set for Saturday and Sunday at the Ashtabula County Fairgrounds in Jefferson.
Festival events include a parade, arts and crafts demonstrations, draft horse pulls, antique autos and engines, homemade food, a farmer's market and, of course, guided and self-guided driving tours of all of the county's covered bridges.
Tour A covers 69 miles and includes 11 bridges in Sheffield, Ashtabula, Jefferson, Denmark, Pierpont, Conneaut and Monroe townships.
Tour B covers 66 miles and features five bridges in Harpersfield, Austinburg, Jefferson, Morgan and Windsor townships.
Maps are available at the fairgrounds the days of the festival, or, if you prefer to visit the covered bridges on another day, you can request a map by calling (440) 576-3769 or logging onto www.coveredbridgefestival.org.
Fall foliage
It's no accident that the festival occurs every second weekend in October.
The fall foliage is at its peak, and when you stop to stroll the many covered bridges, you'll revel in the fiery autumn colors and blue sky mirrored in the lazy waters of the county's rivers and creeks.
You'll also delight in the scenery that flashes past the car window en route to the many bridges.
The county's country roads wind through miles of green pastures and picturesque farms. Bring your camera and enjoy.
If you don't have time to visit all 16 bridges, put the Windsor Mills covered bridge and the Mechanicsville Road covered bridge at the top of your list.
Both of these bridges were recently renovated and reopened to traffic in 2003.
Windsor Mills covered bridge was built in 1867 and spans a plunging gorge at Phelps Creek, a tributary of the Grand River. The bridge sits atop massive cut-stone abutments that were quarried nearby and is listed on the National Register of Historic places.
Mechanicsville Road covered bridge is the longest single span covered bridge in Ashtabula County and was built in 1867 over the muddy waters of the Grand River.
Longest bridge
The longest covered bridge in the county -- as well as the state -- also spans the Grand River and is called the Harpersfield Covered Bridge.
This bridge sits a stone's throw from one of the county's metro parks, a perfect place to stretch your legs or sit down for a picnic lunch.
The Harpersfield Bridge was built in 1868, but after the northern end of the bridge washed away during the great flood of 1913, a metal truss was added.
The 228-foot-long bridge is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not all of Ashtabula County's covered bridges are old.
The Giddings Road Covered Bridge and the Netcher Road Covered Bridge were both built during the 1990s with ODOT funds.
The Netcher Road bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1999, is a quaint, Victorian-style bridge with red paint and gingerbread details -- very romantic.
But although covered bridges are still associated with romance, it's important to realize that they were built purely for function.
In the days of dirt roads and horses and buggies, crossing a creek was no easy task -- especially in the dead of winter.
Initially, people chopped down enormous trees, laid them across gorges and used them as makeshift bridges.
Later, carpenters split the mighty trees into timbers and made truss bridges, a far superior invention since truss bridges supported heavier loads and required less wood for construction.
The truss bridges were covered to preserve the wood from the weather and keep it from rotting, not to provide shadowy nooks for spooning young folk.
It was also easier to drive a horse through a covered bridge than across an open bridge because horses were less likely to be spooked by the sight and sound of rushing water.