Roadtrip, Day 20...Bridges and Baseball

Day 20

Friday, June 6, 2025

    The only thing on tap for the day was lunch with my brother in Lewisburg, about an hour north.  

     With plenty of time, my first stop was just north of Harrisburg in Fort Hunter Park.  Inside the park grounds was the first of four covered bridges for the day.  

     The Everhart bridge originally spanned a stream fifteen miles away.  When the decision was made to replace the bridge with a modern one, it was moved here.

     Heavily damaged by Tropical Storm Agnes, it was dismantled and placed in storage.  A few years later, there was a move to rebuilt it.  The amount of damage and rot was too severe.  So, a replica was built in it's place.  

     Fort Hunter was one of a string of forts built by the British during the French and India War.  When the war was over, the fort, buildings and mill were all abandoned.  

     Revolutionary War veteran Captain Archibald McCallister bought the property in 1787, eventually turning it into a growing town.  His mansion still stands.  Tours are available, just not quite this early.

    The park has a paved walkway that runs along the Susquehanna River.  Naturally, that railroad bridge caught my attention.  

    That's the Rockville Bridge. It's the third bridge here and was completed in 1902.  It's the longest stone arch railroad bridge in the world.

     

     Just north of the park, the walkway passes in front of an attorney's office.  With a few highly visible No Trespassing signs, they clearly didn't want me getting too close to their caboose.

     After working my way back towards the car, I heard that familiar sound.  It was faint, but definitely a train horn.  This was followed by that deep rumble, getting louder.

    Next stop, the Dellville Bridge.  Originally built in 1889, it was heavily damaged by arson ten years ago.  What was salvageable was used to rebuilt this one. 

     The third was aptly named Red Bridge, built in 1886, it still stands, just closed to anything but pedestrians.  

      I considered a brief stop in Milton, it's just across the river from Lewisburg.  There's a life sized statue of Chef Ettore Boiardi.  He migrated from Italy and eventually opened a restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio.  He bottled and sold his sauces under the moniker Chef Boyardee.  The statue is in front of the ConAgra plant that now makes his products.  

     Instead, I just went to lunch.  I don't get to spend much time with my brother, so this was a welcome visit!

     Milton State Park sits on a small island in the middle of the Susquehanna River.  It seemed the perfect place to stretch my legs after lunch.  There are two miles of trails within the park.  I just didn't trust that sky.

 

     How you know you're officially in Pennsylvania.

    Since it was on my way, the Factory Covered Bridge.  Built in 1880, it's been been refurbished a few times.  But, it's still mostly original.  

    And finally, some blue Pennsylvania sky...

       From here it's was just the drive to the Williamsport Quality Inn, my home for the night.

     I would have rather be forty minutes up the road, but this really is the closest I could get to my next stop.

     Decent enough place.  But, half the machines in the guest laundry were out of order.  One washer and one dryer still worked.  So, all was right with the world.  

    With the laundry done and bags repacked, it was time to hit a brewery.  Williamsport has two.  I chose Jackass simply for the name.  I hate to say it, but the beer was uninspiring.

     Williamsport, PA is the home of the Little League World Series. There's even a Little League Museum.  I drove past, but didn't stop.

    I only mention it because of what I saw en route to the brewery.  With the glare, it's not easy to see all of it.  But, it's kids playing ball as it the intersection was the infield.