Back to the Ohio:  The Search for Covered Bridges in Kentucky

We awoke to a light rain, had a leisurely breakfast and drove through more beautiful horse farms on our way north and east. 


By early afternoon we were approaching the Ohio River once again, but as we looked across the river, we saw Ohio and not Indiana or Illinois.

We had quite a winding path before we found our first one, Cabin Creek Covered Bridge which is 114 feet long.  It is in poor condition, so all we could do was look at it:  no walking or driving through it.  Hopefully the
bridge,built in 1867, will be the next one to be repaired.

We returned to Maysville and followed the river westward to the turn for the next one, the Dover Covered Bridge.  This bridge, built in 1835, renovated in 1966, and is still open to traffic.  It is 62 feet long and is the oldest covered  bridge in Kentucky.

On our way to the next bridge, we left our road and drove down to the river in Augusta, Kentucky to see the old section of town and to see the ferry crossing to Ohio.  Augusta was a picturesque town that reminded us of many of the little coastal towns in Maine.

Leaving the river behind,we took another circuitous route, to find Walcott Covered Bridge which is also known as the white bridge because it is painted white.  This bridge was rebuilt in 1880 to replace one built in 1824.   No vehicles could cross this bridge, but we could walk across it.

As we drove the winding byways in search of the bridges, we passed numerous fields of tobacco and pastures filled with fat cows.  The barns were no longer the wonders of the horse country; they were much more like the barns used for regular farming that have been there for a hundred years.

On our way to Blue Licks Battleground State Resort Park (the site of the last battle in the American Revolution) where we planned to stay in the lodge for the night, Klep spotted the sign for the Johnson Creek Covered Bridge.  We were pleased to find that the 110 foot bridge built in 1874 was in good condition and was open for traffic.




We circled back and headed to the state park.  We were delighted with the facilities.  Although the lodge lacks some of the atmosphere we found at the Dupont Lodge, another state facility, the convenience of a spacious ground floor room with its own deck out back overlooking a wooded area more than makes up for the lack of architectural charm!