The Covered Bridge Over Big Red Oak Creek

November 25, 2017 
Georgia

I found a brochure in my house, titled, A Sunday Drive 7 Days a Week that descriped an auto tour starting and ending at Warm Springs. I thought it might be a good way to start to know my surroundings.  I also noticed a spur road called Covered Bridge Road, which really piqued my interest since I love covered bridges. I found an interactive map of Georgia covered bridges and determined this was the Covered Bridge over Big Red Oak Creek and copied the coordinates into my GPS and set out


The tour is very short so in less than an hour I was turning on the spur road.  Soon I was enjoyint the bridge.

They make sure your vehicle will not be too heavy to use the bridge

My first picture of the bridge

I found it difficut to take interior pictures as my flash is not working

Big Red Oak Creek was a pretty stream in its own right.  I crossed it twice more on much more muncand bridges

The far side has a long approach, making it the longest covered bridge in Georgia at 391 feet

This is the view approaching cars see

Now I know where to find cane if I need it.  It is growing beside the bridge extension. 

I walked a little along the creek and saw this view looking back

I was awed by the tenacity of this tree.  It had to grow horizontally to get out of the shadow of the
bridge and clearly has had soil washed away from its roots. 

The most amazing thing I learned about this bridge was that it was built by Horace King, a freed slave, who built bridges throughout Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.  He built the first public bridge connecting Alabama and Georgia. For more of his story click here
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There is a Horace King Overlook at the visitor center in Albany, GA. Check out the you tube movie on it here. 

I continued my tour but had to stop to photograph this hourse. He appeared to be growing out of a bush.  He was one of many on a horse ranch.  I toured around Gay, did the last little loop of the trail, then drove back south toward  Molena.  I has a main street of about two blocks.  Its claim to faim is a two man jail.  When I arrived at the cross road to Woodbury, I skipped the last bit and came home.

I found this First Baptist Church of Gay, GA worthy of another stop

This horse looked like he had been carved from the bushes - he was one of many horses on a ranch

The Flint River flows throug Meriweather County and forms part of its border

This site has had a few bridges on it and was a low water crossing before the bridges were build

Looks like a canoe put-in

I was off the official route - maybe a little lost - when I found these goats

This is the main tourist attraction of the tiny town of Molena - a two man jail

It had grills at each end

Across the street an  "antique" store had  cotton arrangements as street decoration

If you love bridges and want to visit the ones in Georgia, click here for an interactive map, complete wth waypoints.

While I was driving, I was listening to NPR and learned that this day was the 100th birthday of Moon Pies.  So I had to stop at a gas station in Woodbury and buy one.  But because they have nothing I'm supposed to be eating, I swear not to eat another until their 200th birthday.

One of the souths most iconic snacks - supposed to drink with a Pepsi

On the personal front, I'm keeping up with the aquarium, blowing, raking, and hauling off leaves, and feeding all the fish we have in ponds and some in tanks. It's lovely to be outside most of the day.