Week 5 of the 52s...A Little Road Trip

So this morning whilst having breakfast, I realize that once again it's nearing the end of the week and I haven't done my new thing for the 52s.  I had sort of planned to hit the art gallery yesterday--one of the adventures on my list--but with the garage fiasco and other stuff I had to do, I just couldn't pull it off.

I spend a minute or two considering if I want to search for one of the covered bridges (also on my list), but the weather's foggy and crappy, not such a good day for photographs.  I glance at the map, then decide to save that trip for another day.

The dogs and I head down the mountain for our walk, and as we're going along the trails through the VA complex, the fog lifts and it starts to look like a pretty good morning for a drive after all.  Except I don't have the map.  We get back to the car, and at the intersection where I either turn for home or turn for adventure, I make a snap decision.  Telling the boys to fasten their seat belts, off we go: clueless into the unknown.

Actually, I remembered most of the route, though there's always the possibility of making a mistake, getting lost, and at one point I did think I'd gone the wrong way.  Luckily, just as I was looking for a place to turn around, there it was.

Oregon has the most covered bridges in the West, and almost the most in America.  Once upon a time there were more than 400, though today there's barely 50, and only six in my part of the state.  Sad, really.  They're such wonderful little pieces of history.

The Cavitt Creek Bridge, built in 1943, is 70ft long and spans the Little River.
 

Going through it was really cool.  You have to keep to the center, driving on the large planks while the wood creaks and groans around you...I loved  it.

Once I drove through to the other side, I parked along the river embankment and walked inside the bridge to take some interior shots.  A few of the locals passed by, very friendly, lots of smiles and waves, and careful driving so I didn't have to leap into the river.

The far side of the bridge--the car is just out of view to my right--as I'm heading inside...

The interior was very cool.  Huge support beams on each side that had to easily be 50ft long (if the bridge is 70ft), then the buttresses, equally as thick.  Imagine the size of the trees...

An interesting thing were the six large openings (three per side) like windows without glass (visible in the second photo above).  Here's the view down river from the middle opening...

Looking out the other side, up river...

It was such an adventure, not knowing if I would truly be able to find the place, especially without the map, then the fun and satifaction when I did.  And it was a perfect drive: quiet, not much traffic, and the further I got into the wilderness, the better the weather.

After leaving the bridge and retracing my steps the eight miles back to the main highway, I noticed a sign across the road that said Colliding Rivers Viewpoint.  Well hey, I'm game...now that I'm channeling Sacajawea.

At this confluence, the Little River collides with the North Umpqua River, where chaos ensues.  The waters were really turbulent and wild, though the viewpoint didn't lend itself to good photographs.  I stood on the stone wall, wrapping my foot around a post in the handrail as I tried to shoot between the trees.  This is the best I was able to do...

The Little River is coming from the left...

 

 

...and colliding with the North Umpqua coming from the right.  They merge tumultuously in the middle, to eventually become the main Umpqua River that runs to the Pacific Ocean.



It was a great morning.  I loved the adventure, the drive, the doing of something unexpected and fun.  It sure wasn't on my agenda for Saturday, but that's the whole point of the 52s, isn't it?