The Bridges of Kent County - Revisited

My friend just got a new Dodge Charger and he wanted to take it through its paces this weekend.  We ended up going to see the Covered Bridges near Grand Rapids again.  It was his first time and my third time.  I'm actually pretty glad that I went because they were particularly photogenic yesterday.  I'm still surprised that there aren't more covered bridges in Michigan given the number of rivers in the state.

 We got off at the Ionia exit because it was almost time for lunch.  As were heading up M-66, Chris noticed this group of eagles.  He stopped so that I could get some pictures.  It looks like they were enjoying lunch.  Sadly, this was the best picture of the bunch and it's really not all that good.  I only included it because I'm finding it encouraging that I am seeing eagles in other places.  These two were joined by a third and if you could look off to the left of the picture, you would see another pair.  One of these days, I hope to figure out where the eagle that is hanging out around Gallup is.

 The first bridge we stopped at was the Fallasburg Bridge.  This bridge was built on this spot in 1871 but it is the second bridge.  The first bridge was flooded out.  I would have to say that of the three bridges in the area, this one is probably the most picturesque.  There aren't too any trees around it to distract the view.

 As you can see, there is a $5 fine for driving faster than a walk.  This law is probably enforced as well as other traffic laws in the State of Michigan.

 This was probably my favorite picture of the bunch with the bridge being reflected in the water.

 Looking down the Flat River to one side of the bridge.  If you look closely to the left, you can see my friend's Charger.  I'll have to admit it was a pretty neat driving experience.

 Looking to the other side of the Bridge.

 This is called the Brown Truss System.  It was patented by a bridge designer out of New York.  This is common to all three of the bridges that are featured in this post.

 One of the reasons why I was happy to visit the bridge again was because of the amount of snow around it.  I think that makes it look that much more scenic.

 Based on this picture, I can't wait to see it in the fall.

 And one more picture before moving on to the next bridge.

 The next bridge we stopped at was the Whites Bridge.  This is the third bridge that has been in this location.  The details are a little sketchy about the previous bridges but the current one was also built in 1871.  Before there were bridges here, it was used as a fording location.

 If you notice similarities between this bridge and the Fallasburg Bridge, you would be correct because they were both built by the same guy.

 I think this one would be a little more picturesque in a season when you can get a little down the coast from it.  I would imagine it would look pretty cool from a boat or canoe.

 I will have to admit, it is pretty cool to be able to cross over a covered bridge.

 I can't imagine driving anything larger over this bridge.  It looks scary enough as it is.

 What's really amazing is the lack of respect that people show for these historic structures.  Look at all the grafitti on it.

 You can see the similarities between this and the other bridge.  They both use the same construction methods.

 And then we visited the Ada Bridge.  This bridge spans over the Thornapple River.  This bridge was built in 1867.

 In 1979, the roof collapsed and had to be reconstructed.  It burned down shortly after that.  Had this event not happened, this would have been the oldest covered bridge in the state.

 Although they were careful to rebuilt it as close to the original as they could, it's kind of hard to call this a historical bridge.  It is more or less a replica.  But that is one of the points that people can argue I suppose.

 Again, I think this would be a pretty picturesque bridge if I could get a better view.  I probably could have had the bridge further down the river been clearer for pedestrian traffic.

 It also used the same truss system as the others.

 I kind of like this view but I wish I could have gotten around the trees.  Sadly, the ground was a little on the icy side.

 This is the Ada Dam.  It was constructed in 1926 by the Water Power Company.  In 1934, it was owned and operated by Consumers Power.  After electrical generation was deemed uneconomical, it was sold to a homeowners association for $1 in 1969.

In 1983, it was repowered by STS Hydropower and generates 1.6Mw of electrical power.

And there you have the tour.  I hope you enjoyed.