Covered Bridge Visiting (Part 1)

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To paraphrase something John Roberts said about Civil War battlefields, basically, if you've seen one covered bridge you've seen them all. That's not true, of course: just ask any covered bridge enthusiast or historian, and they'll tell you (just like I'll tell you not all country songs sound alike!). My drive today was short and sweet (because I have a doctor's appointment on Monday morning). Since the fall colors are still muted here I decided to go north, into Indiana. Now, Indiana has a lot of covered bridges. Not the most (that distinction goes to Pennsylvania, with 219), but there's nearly a hundred covered bridges throughout the Hoosier State. The trip began in Jackson County, with the Shieldstown Bridge. It is the only one of the three I visited today that you cannot drive across (that's right, a number of these covered bridges still carry cars). It's located parallel to Indiana State Route 200N, transversing the east fork of the White River. As there were "private property, no trespassing" signs near (but not on) the bridge, I didn't venture too far around the bridge, just walking the 365-foot span across the White River and back. If you're into covered bridges, this is an easily-accessed bridge. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.