Bridge Over Troubled Waters Tuesday – Week Ten! Apologies again for not posting anything for a week or two, I have been super busy studying for a professional certification and needed to focus on that. By the way, I passed! Rochester Bridge is still being used today for daily traffic and was a real pleasure to see. It’s a bit further south (strictly speaking) than the Willamette Valley, so should by all rights be in the “out and about” section, but I’ll need to get a few more stock piled up to go to that section. Anyhow, Rochester Bridge is a lovely one!
I stopped the truck a little ways from the bridge and got out to take a look – it was a pretty nice one, with a gentle curve in the entrance that I really enjoy. As I was walking closer I spotted a very cute sign on the side of the road. It was a small one that said “There’s no place like home, except Grandma’s”. The nearest house was a little ways away and one can only assume that was Grandma’s.
Like some of the other covered bridges I’ve visited this one is used as a major thoroughfare, though I didn’t have to dodge any cars like one of the others. As I approached I noticed the large windows on the side – there are four per side – large curved ones whose shape reminded me of the entrance and exit.
These windows were unlike any of the others I’ve seen before – they had unusually large openings, and while the top was just an opening the bottom was a deep slanted catcher for any rain that might make its way inside. This had to be one of the best designs I’ve seen so far – even better than some of the others, like Cavitt Creek Bridge – that one has slanting, but the entire window top and bottom was slanted – which made for a rather small opening, another interesting one was the Dorena Covered Bridge – that one has larger openings, but most of the opening is obscured by many slants even tough the opening is big there isn’t much of a view outside. These on the Rochester Bridge were great! Large and airy even while being mostly protected from rain.
Looking through the windows – which let in a great amount of light is a fantastic view of the river – it’s not too quickly flowing like some are, but is more of a meandering river. Still the view is quite nice – Summer in Oregon is certainly beautiful.
I really liked this bridge – it has some of the classic characteristics of many of the other Oregon covered bridges – like white exterior and a gap below the roof to allow more light in, but there are other more fantastic characteristics I thought were just wonderful, like the arched entry and exit and the matching very large windows – with their unique sloping rain guards.
Overall the Rochester Bridge has been one of my favorites – it is still being used to this day and has lasted quite well for having been built in nineteen thirty-three. It also has some wonderful features, and for all of those reasons definitely deserves five Heywillamettes.
Hey Willamette Valley 