Covid Rebound and the Bridges of Madison County

Last week was tough. We had had to euthanize our beloved Auggie on Wednesday, and on Friday I noticed that my nose was stuffy and my cough had returned. Uh oh. Bob and I took Covid tests and while Bob’s was negative, mine was positive. We had planned to spend the weekend with my niece Lori and her family; suddenly those plans were out the window. We were able to see them on Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours, sitting outside under their covered portico while I remained masked and kept at a distance. What a joy to see them…it had been three years since we had been through Iowa last. It wasn’t enough but we’ll just have to come back so we can tour their newly built home.

I was back to isolating but have been very fatigued. No fever, but the post nasal drip kept me coughing and sneezing. It has been gradually improving, however, and today I felt well enough to go for a drive around Madison County to see some bridges. There are six covered bridges still in the area and we saw four of them before I had enough. The ones we saw are pretty much clustered in one small area.

Hogback Covered Bridge was built in 1874 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster to cross the North River. It is 106 feet long. If you click on the photo you will be able to get a closer view of the writing on the plaque.

It was named after a nearby limestone ridge.

Cedar Bridge was built in 1883 by Jones and Foster. It is 76 feet long and is the last bridge open to vehicles.

Built over Cedar Creek, it was moved to its current location in 1921. In case you are interested, those blue flowers were everywhere we went, and according to my Seek app, they are chicory.

Cutler- Donahue Bridge is 79 feet long and was built in 1870 by Eli Cox. It originally crossed the North River and was moved to its current location at the Winterset City Park in 1979.

We also enjoyed seeing the carvings and a small, restored log cabin that are featured in the park.

Holliwell Covered Bridge was built in 1880 by Jones and Foster. At 122 feet, it is the longest covered bridge in Iowa.

We also stopped briefly at the birthplace of John Wayne.

There is a museum which looked interesting but because I may still be contagious, we decided to pass on it.

In a couple of days we head on to Nebraska for about a week and a half.