Bridge Over Country Waters

I can't help it. I have to stop to take pictures of swinging bridges.

They speak to me of days long past when people didn't mind walking, when they took the time to build the bridges right, so that many, many years later someone like me would stop to take photos of them.

That's not the real reason, of course. They built them strong because they knew that their work would last not just for the time being, but for years and generations to come.

This bridge was located very near the Burning Springs Museum in Wirt County. I spied it through the trees, and commanded, "Stop! Let me out." My husband seldom questions that command--he knows I've seen something and need to take a photo. He pulled off the road, turned the car around, let me out, and then went up the road to turn around again. What a guy.

I walked down a steep gravel drive to the bridge. A sign hung on it: No Trespassing.

Oops.

Of course this was someone's land, and the bridge crossed over the Little Kanawha River to their home on the other bank. I quickly snapped a few pictures and walked back up to the road, but I had to keep turning to look at that bridge. Except for the one over the Coal River in my husband's growing up place, this one is the longest such bridge I've seen, I believe.

I think this bridge was built by oilfield men, especially since it's so close to the site of the state's longest producing oil well. Sturdy pipes and cables support it, and thick planks line the walkway. It took strong shoulders to put this one together. I wonder if there was once a little settlement on the other side. It seems likely, given the expense put into the bridge's construction.

These bridges were built for foot traffic, not vehicles. As you walk across the bridge springs under your feet with a swaying motion that would have to be uncomfortable for a man with a little too much beer in him. But that swinging is gentle, a rocking motion that moves up and down instead of side to side. You learn to walk with the roll, and it is almost a dance.