Pemigewasset River Bridge

[FrankMi]

Also known as the Flume Bridge this Paddleford Truss covered bridge was built in 1858 and is located in the Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. It carries a road over the Pemigewasset River just a short distance from the Franconia Notch Visitors Center.

The Pemigewasset River, known locally as "The Pemi", is 65.0 miles in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately 1,021 square miles. The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word bemijijoasek [bəmidzidzoasək], meaning "where side (entering) current is".



I hope you enjoy seeing this covered bridge as much as I did exploring the area in and around the Flume Gorge.

Wish as I might, I couldn't conjure up a horse drawn buggy to go with it!

[bnnrcn]

Hi Frank, lovely image. I haven't seen a bridge with a pink roof before , I loved the colours and composition The only thing which draws my attention is the timber stringers under the roof, IMO they look a bit too pink.

[Shadowman]

Nice capture.

[Brownbear]

Indeed a lovely image. Especially beautiful colours and exceptional detail.

Looks like a beautiful place!

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank, lovely image. I haven't seen a bridge with a pink roof before , I loved the colours and composition The only thing which draws my attention is the timber stringers under the roof, IMO they look a bit too pink.

I'm not sure why the beams inside the covered bridge would have a pink hue, but the red on the end of the roof is pretty close to actual. Thank you for pointing that out, Binnur. I'll need to look into the beam colours.

[FrankMi]

Hi John and Christina! Yes it is a peaceful setting and being inside the Franconia Notch State Park it is only the shuttle bus that used the bridge.

Now then, where can I find - Ah, I've located a carriage!



They had one from Plymouth and Franconian Mountain Valley Line in the visitor's centre. Now all I need is a team of horses to pull it!

[Shadowman]

Very ornate and nicely captured.

[Mike Buckley]

Not that it matters, but my and my wife's photos and my memory are that the siding on the bridge is more red than pink. Similarly, I don't remember any pink tones in the timbers underneath the roof, in the road or in the shadow tones of the forest. For me, the color of all of that is more accurate in the photo shown below. Even so, it's a keeper only to provide a memory; I rated it only as a 1-star photo and would normally not show it to anyone.

I definitely prefer Frank's composition and lighting.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Frank, even if there might be a color cast , please don't change it in the whole image, only the timber stringers under the roof look unnatural but the colors in the rest of the image are lovely and they suit the scene very well

The carriage looks very nice too

I'm not sure why the beams inside the covered bridge would have a pink hue, but the red on the end of the roof is pretty close to actual. Thank you for pointing that out, Binnur. I'll need to look into the beam colours.

[Stagecoach]

Beautiful bridge Frank they don't even bother having railings at the sides of many here let alone a cover.

[IzzieK]

Love the colour, Frank...the whole composition is excellent to my taste.

(OT: these kind of shots makes me sorry not to have been interested in photography at the time I saw this place once...)

[Rebel]

Lovely shot Frank, the trees and the colour of the roof compliment each other

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Frank,

It is, as usual from yourself, a great picture.

If I may wander OT slightly, can I ask if anyone knows why north american* bridges of this typical size seem often to have roofs?

* Is it just US, or are some Canadian bridges also roofed?

It is a concept we don't have here in UK**, I assume it is something to do with weather extremes in winter, although I can't really see the logic in say, keeping snow off it, if the approaches are snowbound.

** Cue someone to show me I am wrong

TIA, Dave

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank,

It is, as usual from yourself, a great picture.

If I may wander OT slightly, can I ask if anyone knows why north american* bridges of this typical size seem often to have roofs?

* Is it just US, or are some Canadian bridges also roofed?

It is a concept we don't have here in UK**, I assume it is something to do with weather extremes in winter, although I can't really see the logic in say, keeping snow off it, if the approaches are snowbound.

** Cue someone to show me I am wrong

TIA, Dave

New England has a lot of very wet weather. These wooden bridges were built starting about 1800. With the effects of the sun and rain, the bridges would need to be rebuilt about every 10 to 15 years. The covered bridges extended the life of the bridges to as much as 80 years.

In the mid-1800s, the development of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses, except in those areas of plentiful large timber. Eventually iron gave way to steel and covered wooden bridges were no longer needed. There are still about 1,500 covered wooden bridges in the world, some of which are upwards to 200 years old.

[Dave Humphries]

New England has a lot of very wet weather. These wooden bridges were built starting about 1800. With the effects of the sun and rain, the bridges would need to be rebuilt about every 10 to 15 years. The covered bridges extended the life of the bridges to as much as 80 years.

In the mid-1800s, the development of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses, except in those areas of plentiful large timber. Eventually iron gave way to steel and covered wooden bridges were no longer needed. There are still about 1,500 covered wooden bridges in the world, some of which are upwards to 200 years old.

Thanks Frank,

Thinking of a few local examples, is to suggest that in the UK, we tended to replace the original wooden structures with brick or we built smaller road bridges from stone in the first place. Not to say we don't have iron and steel spans also.

Interesting, cheers, Dave

[FrankMi]

OK Binnur, the pink beams are fixed. I still need horses pulling a carriage out front of the bridge to make it complete though!

[Teton Chuck]

I like it Frank, and I like the pink. Does it denote gender of the bridge? When we visit New England we always enjoy the covered bridges. Thanks for sharing.

[FrankMi]

I like it Frank, and I like the pink. Does it denote gender of the bridge? When we visit New England we always enjoy the covered bridges. Thanks for sharing.

LOL! I never thought of covered bridges that way. Two years ago we did a mini-tour of the covered bridges in Vermont.

When I was in New Hampshire I tried to do a coastal tour of the lighthouses in New Hampshire and Maine. Particularly with the advent of GPS, most lighthouses are abandoned now and other than those used for tourist attractions, are disappearing.

Unfortunately, what few times I could get out to shoot lighthouses, the weather was a dull grey so I am looking for a way to make dull scenes interesting. There is just so much fog that will hold a viewers attention before the repetition becomes boring.

[Mike Buckley]

This discussion of covered bridges that are painted remind me that I remember seeing only one that is painted on the inside. It is the Wanich Bridge in Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Frank ,the image looks excellent after your edit