While most motorcyclists don’t need an excuse to go for a ride, sometimes having a mission
can make each ride a little more interesting
Tragic, dramatic, unbelievable, heartbreaking. The scene portrayed on the evening news of April 16, 2014, was most unsettling. A creative individual with a camera, positioned on the bank of the swollen Canaan River, started rolling the film in a fixed position. Suddenly, from the left side of the screen there appeared a floating covered bridge. The Cherryvale Bridge, built in 1927 and one of the longest in New Brunswick at 50 metres, was being carried downstream by the force of nature caused by melting snow, warm weather and rain. Exit right!
While not that far away from my home in Saint John, it was one of the covered bridges that I had not yet visited during my two-year quest.
Local Knowledge
Ask yourself: How well do you know your home province? Have you been to every corner to explore and discover? In my case, New Brunswick was, except for a cottage on the Bay of Fundy, all new to me. After eight years overseas, my wife and I returned to Canada and chose the province as our new home.
In 2012 I purchased a paperback called New Brunswick’s Covered Bridges, with illustrations and descriptions of their locations, design, age, length and special features. I visited several of them that year while on my Kawasaki Concours 1400 cc sport-touring motorcycle, which lets me comfortably cover some serious ground. I’d take particular note of the unique trusses, sidings, entrances, rooflines, etc. Getting to all the bridges progressed quickly from an idea to a specific mission. I learned that there are 15 counties in New Brunswick, and all but two of them have official covered bridges. My plan was to ride to every bridge in the province during the 2013 and 2014 riding seasons.
Limited Motorcycle Access
In Sunbury County, there is a very attractive setting and bridge called the Smythe Bridge. Few bridges have pleasant picnic areas, but this one does, along with a large sign spelling out a bit of the history, including, “In 2012 the covered bridge celebrated its 100-year anniversary. Royal visitor Prince Charles visited the park in the late ’60s during his helicopter training at C.F.B. Gagetown. There were once 4,000 covered bridges in N.B. Now only 60 exist.”
Well, I don’t know about the 4,000, but I do know that since I picked up the two reference books, three bridges have been lost. Fire, vandalism, careless driving and natural disasters have been the main causes for the gradual decline of what I now call “provincial treasures.”
I also feel the provincial tourism department is missing an excellent promotional opportunity to maintain, protect and actively promote them.
Ride into History
A sports-touring motorcycle is not the best vehicle for getting to some of these bridges, many of which are in remote areas: dirt roads, logging roads or even just paths. Part of my mission was to take a photo of my motorcycle in front of each bridge; not always easy, but I did so, sometimes under difficult conditions, in every case but one. Twelve of the remaining 60 bridges are “not in service.” So although they’re still standing, some are the subject of tremendous neglect, or intentional damage and graffiti. For example, the Little Lepreau bridge, near our cottage, is now just off to one side of the community road. There is a sign to head you in the right direction, but nothing at the site itself, so it’s easy to drive right by it. Getting to many of the bridges was like a treasure hunt and the excitement would rise in me as I felt I was getting closer to my next bridge.
Often, I could sense the proximity as the road surface deteriorated. I would be descending a hill in the woods getting closer to a river, and then signs would appear about speed, height and weight limitation, and “single lane.” The DOT has even installed metal height barricades to prevent oversized vehicles from passing through. But Crooked Creek was different and the most elusive. The access road is no longer maintained; the trail was washed out in one area, and in May 2014 when I tried walking in to the site, the mosquitoes got the better of me. It was only in October under a clear blue sky and spectacular fall colours that my 45-minute hike each way paid off and I got to Crooked Creek – but no motorcycle in the photo.
Appreciation for Workmanship
As I visited more and more bridges, where I always remained for about 30 minutes to get a sense of location and photograph from all possible angles, focusing on the features of design and construction, I developed an appreciation for the workmanship and an understanding and recognition of the many common or unique features. What fascinated me was the current lack of vehicle circulation on most of these bridges. It was common to not see a single car during a visit, and I had to wonder what the justification was at the time of construction – why here? While some bridges are lost in thick woods, many are in beautiful settings. And some are being maintained.
Recently, a young man lost control of the car he was driving and caused extensive damage to the Maxwell Bridge. With much encouragement to the correct officials, within two years the bridge was rebuilt and reopened. Sadly, that was not possible for the Cherryvale Bridge on the Canaan River. While there were numerous appeals to return the bridge to its moorings, I could tell when I had scrambled down the Trans-Canada embankment to the bridge remains that, on close examination, what looked decent from afar was actually too damaged to salvage. In the meantime, I was able to criss-cross the province on my bike, see some wonderful sights, experience great hospitality and really get to know New Brunswick, which I now call home.
