Vermont's Covered Bridges and Swimmin' Holes

Driving northwest along Route 30 we spy our first covered bridge in Vermont!  And she's a beaut!

The Dummerston Bridge, at 270 feet, is the longest still in use.

The West River flows under it, a clear, swift, rocky creek where families are enjoying the sunny afternoon swimming, snorkling and tubing.

Just a few miles up the road, we enter the lovely village of Newfane with its picturesque town commons.

Every building in town is white frame with dark green shutters which lends an air of New England charm and order.  

Flower gardens sprout willy nilly to add a bit of color to a summer's day.

We find lunch at the Newfane Market and Deli.    Our sandwiches of liverwurst and chicken salad are so generous, we take half home for supper.

A little farther along Route 30, we find Townshend Lake and Dam.  The narrow one-lane bridge carries us high across the dam and into the recreation area with camping and hiking trails.  There is a fine beach with a lovely view of the surrounding hills and forests.  Lots of folks are catching a few rays and floating in large inner tubes.

Just beyond the dam, we spot the Scott Bridge.  Built in 1870 and at 277 feet, it is the longest single span covered bridge in Vermont.   It is no longer in use...for vehicular traffic, that is!

A group of boys and teenagers are having great fun using the 277 foot-long bridge as a high diving board.

We are thrilled to watch them scamper up the riverbank, run through the bridge to climb out through an opening to teeter precariously on the supports before jumping into the water twenty feet below.

While some of the boys are jumping off the bridge, others are taking turns at the rope swing dangling over the river.

As I observe the older boys instruct the younger ones on just the right technique to use to get the most out of the experience, I travel back to a favorite memory of growing up in Texas.  Every summer we would visit my Aunt Sybil and Uncle Noel in Coldspring, Texas, the county seat of San Jacinto County in the Davy Crockett National Forest in Southeast Texas.  Even though it was the county seat, the town consisted of the simple court house, and one block of stores and shops running alongside the wooden boardwalk. 10-12 seniors graduated from the high school each spring. Our days spent with our cousin, Wayne, were always filled with adventure and mischief.  Traipsing through those piney woods, over fallen logs, you know...the kind where rattlesnakes are lurking, just waiting to take a bite out of you; looking for arrowheads, and finding a few; visiting swimming holes with rope swings, the kind with the dark, murky water that makes you wonder what else is swimming in there with you;  blowing up coke bottles with firecrackers, okay, I just watched from a safe distance while cousin Wayne worked his magic; climbing up the tree on the side of the house, listening for the sounds of the hound dogs baying in the woods as the coon hunt my cousins had taken off on came to an end.  I come back to the covered bridge and the frenzy of activity and wonder if their moms will be giving them a 'tick check' like my mom always did after our visits to the Big Thicket!

As we head back to Brattlesboro we take a detour to the Williamsville Bridge.  Built in 1870, the single-span town-lattice truss spans 120 feet over the Rock River.  Dark, weathered, vertical boarding covers the sides and it has a long horizontal window opening near the northeast end on the downstream side and near the southwest end on the upstream side.

To assist drivers at night, the vertical boarding covering the portals is painted white.  It has a faded green painted steel roof.  Also known as the Newfane Covered Bridge and the Williamsville Road Covered Bridge, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1973.

Charming, charming, charming....