Take the Long Way to Work 06-16-09

Monday, June 15 was Ride to Work Day. Of course, it was also my one day off from work! My commute to the restaurant where I work is 10 miles each way, and I ride my motorcycle to work everyday, so Ride to Work Day isn’t such a big deal for me. Needless to say, I used my day off to run some errands, and do some other things. Maybe I should have gone on a ride though. The weather on Monday was sunny and warm, but an overnight thunderstorm  left the roads damp, and the sky gray on Tuesday… But I digress. On Tuesday, I woke up feeling a bit depressed that I didn’t get in an epic ride on my day off, so I decided to take the long way to work, adding about 100 miles to my commute! I left the house at 9 a.m. which gave me six hours of riding time before having to clock in.

I started heading west toward Quakertown, to see a few more of the covered bridges in Bucks County. Along the way I was stuck behind a dump truck that was leaking some brown sludge, which splashed on my helmet. I dropped back a few car lengths, and when an opportunity to pass presented itself, I gunned the throttle and got in front of it. A few miles later I stopped for a bagel and some coffee, and wiped the sludge off my face shield. After refueling my body, I headed back out on some nice back roads to find the Shear’s Mill Covered Bridge.

At a length of 130 feet, the Sheards Mill Covered Bridge is one of the longest in Bucks County still open to traffic.

It’s height limit is 12 feet 1 inch, and it’s width limit is 15 feet.

It spans the Tohickon Creek up stream from Lake Nockamixon between East Rockhill and Haycock Townships.

Sheards Mill Covered Bridge was built of native hemlock and pine in 1873, and was named after David Sheard, who owned a nearby mill.

As I was taking my last photos at Sheards Mill, a car drove through the bridge, and the gentleman driving asked if I wanted a photo of myself. After he snapped  a quick shot, I noticed the Florida plates on the car, and asked where he was from. He and his wife live in Ft. Lauderdale, and were passing through Bucks County on their way to vacation in Canada. They decided to check out the covered bridges. It was a quick chat, and he jumped back in the car and drove off. I soon departed as well, grateful for the photo.

A few miles from there, in Springfield Township I arrived at the next covered bridge, the Knecht’s Covered Bridge!

It crosses Durham Creek, which was formerly called Cook’s Creek.

Built of hemlock in 1873, this bridge is also known as “Slifer’s Bridge.”

Knecht’s Covered Bridge has a height limit of 11 feet 6 inches, a width limit of 15 feet, it is 110 feet long and can support 3 tons of weight.

After departing from the Knecht’s Covered Bridge, I cruised along Slifer Valley Rd, which is a fun little twisty.

I went right past this cool dam on Small Lake…

and decided to turn around to take a couple photos.

Eventually, as I was cruising around, my bike started to feel a little loose under me, and since I needed gas anyway, I pulled into a Turkey Hill station. I checked the pressure in my tires, and they were a bit low, so I added some air, topped off my tank, and headed back out to find another bridge.

Frankenfield Covered Bridge is on Hollow Horn Rd. in Tinicum Township. It crosses Tinicum Creek two miles upstream from the Delaware River. The area was once known for an abundant turtle population.

It was built of oak in 1872. At 130 feet, Frankenfiled Covered Bridge is one of the longest covered bridges in the county still open to traffic. It has a height limit of 11 feet, 3 inches, and a width limit of 12 feet.

There is a lot of interesting history about the Frankenfield Covered Bridge. It appears to be undergoing yet another facelift.

After leaving the Frankenfiled, it was half past noon, and I wanted to cruise some more, and check out the last two covered bridges in Bucks County that I hadn’t seen. But I had to start making my way towards Richboro, where I work. I rode a few back roads heading south, and ended up on Fleecydale Rd, which runs along Paunacusssing Creek. It is a fun, goaty, old road.

I crossed this old stone bridge which was built in 1844, and continued on toward River Rd. I cruised south on River Rd. for about 15 miles and took Washington Crossing Rd, into Newtown, to get to Tyler State Park, where the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge is located.

I pulled into unpaved road into Tyler Park on an unpaved road, and eased along until I reached the trailhead. The path to the bridge is off limits to motor vehicles but is accessible by foot, bike, or horseback.

I headed along the trail to the bridge, and checked it out.

At 170 feet long, 13 feet high, and 16 feet wide, the Schofield Ford is the largest covered bridge in Bucks County. Formerly known as the Twining Ford Covered Bridge, it was originally constructed in 1873 of hemlock and oak. It spans Neshaminy Creek.  In October, 1991, the original structure was destroyed by an arson fire, leaving only the supports and approaches standing in Neshaminy Creek.

After the fire, it was rebuilt according to original specifications (with the addition of windows on each side), and rededicated in 1997.

After checking out the bridge, I still had a little time before work, and decided that I was going to get my bike down to the bridge for a few photos, rules be damned!

I left the park, cruised over to Worthington Mill Rd. and with the help of my trusty Garmin Zumo GPS unit, I found a back way into Tyler Park along the Dairy Hill Trail. It’s a paved bicycle path which leads to the backside of Covered Bridge Trail!  At the bottom it is unpaved, so I gingerly approached and got a few more shots of the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge with my bike!

With under fifteen minutes to go before work, I rolled on, leaving the Schofield Ford in my rearview.

Richboro is a stone’s throw from Newtown, and I arrived at work with 5 minutes to spare, clocking in at 2:59 p.m.

Sure, I’d have rather kept riding, but I need money for gas!