Love Bridges All

The first novel (currently under construction) in the Mad River Romance series features covered bridges. The state of Vermont boasts more than 100 covered bridges, and the Mad River Valley, where our romance novels largely take place, has eight to call their own.

Each bridge is unique in size and character but share several design elements known to all. The bridges are covered, for starters, to keep the snow and rain off the bridge and prolong its life. Take a close look at a covered bridge and you’ll see they look like barns. That’s no accident. The thinking back in the 1800s when many of the Vermont covered bridges were built was that horses, notoriously afraid of water, would be less hesitant to enter a familiar-looking structure.

It’s rare to see horses passing through a covered bridge these days, but you’ll find cars and pedestrians aplenty. The Great Eddy Bridge in Waitsfield is unusual in that it has a covered pedestrian walkway adjacent to the traffic lane, making it an ideal place to walk and pause to look out over the rushing waters of the Mad River below.

Some old timers refer to covered bridges as “kissing bridges,” as couples have been known to take refuge in the bridges to sneak a kiss away from prying eyes. When we were plotting the grand apology scene in Love Bridges All, there was no question but that it had to take place on the Eddy Bridge.

A tour of the Mad River Valley covered bridges can be a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon. Bring a picnic to enjoy on the banks of the river and have a bathing suit and towel at the ready so you can dunk in any of the swimming holes near many of the bridges.

Click here to find a list of the covered bridges in the Mad River Valley. And by all means, go with your honey and do your bit to keep the romance of the “kissing bridge” alive.

Thank you to West Hill House B&B for the write-up on Mad River Valley covered bridges.