Kenny and I really enjoy bridge hunting. It isn't just bridges, but railroad trestles and tunnels too. The most favorite kind for us is the abandoned ones that are still standing, but no longer in use. We decided this Summer to do a little bridge hunting. We first headed toward Scott County, Tennessee and went to Huntsville.
The New River Railroad bridge is very tall. We wanted to get a view of it. We finally figured out a way to get a look at it from underneath. We got a view of it from the road bridge also. We visited the former New River railroad bridge.
It is abandoned. I think if I understand correctly this is the third such bridge. The very first one is gone leaving no traces. At least not that I have found. We did not do the best job of picking a season for this. We found the pathway to one of the abandoned bridges impassable with weeds and briars. I later found out from Calvin Sneed, a journalist and bridge hunter extraordinaire, that trip needs to be made in Winter!
Above: We saw a lot of cardinal flower in bloom near New River.
Above: the path to the one abandoned rail trestle started out well enough, but quickly deteriorated to what you see shown below. A snakey, briary, weedy tangle.
Below: another pretty Summer wildflower we saw was rose gentians.
Above: Looking straight up at the New River rail trestle on the active line.
Above: a slightly different angle from beneath. There is a catwalk under there, but getting on it would be trespassing and tempting fate.
Above: just another view of the powerful, strong supports that hold up the load for this trestle. We watch a show called Engineering Catastrophes so I have a keen appreciation for sound structures that can bear the load.
Above: The upper portion of the New River rail trestle seen from below and backed up.
Below: Old abandoned New River trestle from the trail near it
Above: sunny yellow flowers grew near New River. I lump this together as a DYC
Above: Beneath the current day road bridge across New River. Lots of rain has the river churned up very muddy. The New is often a tranquil green color. Below is a different look at it gazing downstream.
Above: Joe Pye weed was thick along the river banks
Logs and Lawyers on the New River
We had an odd experience today. We pulled down under the road bridge into the shade to eat our lunch. We sat there for a bit and once done eating I got out to take photos of the river and the Summer wildflowers. Here came two guys in kayaks wrangling a large log in the river! We stopped to watch them and tried to help them get it loaded onto their wagon. One of them was building a house and he planned to use it as a mantel piece! You could tell it was a foot bridge that had been in use until it got washed away in flooding. It likely came from the New River section of the Cumberland Trail nearby.
It had been sitting tangled in the river for months. They came back on a paddling trip for fun and decided to try to salvage it. It was successful! It was a really weird thing to run upon, but funny. They were extremely nice men.
This man was the prosecutor and could tell me what ended up happening from it. The guy was driving on a revoked license. He showed up to court wearing a God's honest tinfoil hat! He was declared insane. The charges were dropped and he was put away somewhere to get some help. Only in Fentress County, eh? We had a good laugh over that.
Phillips Creek Tunnels Revisit
A few years back we visited the now abandoned Phillips Creek Tunnels #13 and #14 in Fall of the year. We knew there should be a different way to approach them, but it took us awhile to cipher it out. We finally got it figured and tried it. It worked. Before you knew it we were at the first entrance to Tunnel #13. We had walked through it before so we knew it was in good condition inside. We entered the tunnel with the RZR. Kenny asked me if I thought we could exit the opposite end? I recalled walking all the way through it without any problem so I believed it was okay. He listened to me and went out the far end, and that is when shit got real. I knew the Divorce-O-Meter was pegged into the red at that moment. We went out the far end and dropped ten feet straight down landing in a pile of rotting logs and rocks. Ooooph!
Above: Entering the south portal of the #13 Tunnel. It looked good enough from here.
Below is a video of the whole conversation. Remember... videos and photos= evidence.
The machine was fine. We were okay, but we had now made a committing move and had to figure a way out of this mess. There was no way we were going forward and coming out along Phillips Creek. Too many obstacles. Kenny was not happy. I set about helping him stack rocks and logs to help us get a purchase on the terrain to climb back out. He did get the machine turned around at last and headed back. He cut some stuff out with the chainsaw. We stacked stuff up. He ran the winch out and you better know I was doing a piece of praying that we could find SOMETHING ANYTHING to anchor the cable to to pull us back up and out. There was a rock embedded in the ground that had a lip on it. I hooked the cable around that and got out of the way praying all the while that it would hold and we'd get back up to the mouth of the tunnel to leave!
Below: Looking through the #13 tunnel .. it is in fine shape.
Below: Kenny pondering the fix we are now in after exiting the north portal of #13 tunnel. We dropped 10 feet down into that pile of logs and rocks. He is NOT happy. I was fretting. I figured we might have to end up phoning Buck or Rick King or someone to help us out of this jam. Thankfully that didn't have to happen.
Above and below .. two shots of the Norfolk Southern freight train passing at the railyard in Huntsville.
Thankfully the winch cable held to the boulder and the machine came grinding up over the lip of the south portal and back down into the tunnel.
Whew! Disaster averted. I was not going to need a divorce lawyer after all.
Kenny did say "Why did I listen to you?!" to which we both burst out laughing. Hey, its laugh or lose your mind.
We went on down to the south portal of tunnel #14 and checked it out. It was pretty as last time. Approaching it from the former railbed instead of the way we did before is simpler and easier. It is not as pretty though. The bushwhacking route from tunnel 13 to tunnel 14 goes through some beautiful forest scenery and pretty cascades. It is possible, but not easy to walk through the tunnel. It has had the floor blasted out of it and is full of water of varying depths. Dark and hard to see where you're stepping. The north portal of #14 has a waterfall flowing out of it. Today it was more impressive than on our first visit thanks to the recent heavy rains.
Above: Kenny standing at the north portal of tunnel 14
Below: another look at the tunnel from the north end
Below: Phillips Creek flows through the tunnel
Below: A partial view of the falls through the tree limbs.
Below is a video of Phillips Creek Tunnel #14
Once we got done checking out the tunnels we did a hasty retreat. Glad to have gotten out of there. Glad to have had another chance to check out the tunnels.
Bridge Hunting Trip #2-- Cumberland and Roane Counties
The next Saturday we decided to go hiking and bridge hunting. We took our eldest grandson, Michael age 12 with us. We went to Cumberland County first and hiked to Ozone Falls. The original plan was to hike out the Cumberland Trail to the new bridge and on out to the other falls behind Ozone Falls. We got just past Ozone Falls about 0.10 mile or so when a big thunder storm popped up. It wasn't just the rain, but wind, thunder and lightning. Bummer. We decided we'd best go get some lunch and figure out the next phase of our day's adventure.
Above: spotted jewelweed on our Ozone Falls hike
Above: a pretty pool below Ozone Falls
Above: dolls eyes
Above and below: shots of Ozone Falls today
Above and below: I got to see a flower today that I had long wanted to find. Blue Curls! My finger nail in the picture for scale on the top one. Look how tiny!
After we got a bite to eat we decided to head to Roane County and see some bridges there. We went up the highway to see the Piney Creek Railroad trestle.
Above: sunny yellow flowers at Piney Creek trestle
Above: current day bridge that Hwy 70 crosses it is called the Time Line Bridge
Above: a view of Piney Creek Trestle from the Hwy 70 bridge
Above: Piney Creek as seen looking down from the Hwy 70 bridge. It is a neat area and I'd like a chance to go back in cold weather to explore further. Especially the area beneath the bridge and trestle.
Above: first glimpse of Piney Creek Trestle
Below: an abandoned house near the Hwy 70 bridge
Below: a cluster of Virgins bower clematis blooms near the bridge
We enjoyed seeing Piney Creek Trestle. We then went on to see the Willet Hollow Tunnel. It is a part of the active line used through the week by Franklin Mineral Company. On weekends it is not in use so we carefully walked up there to see it. It was quite pretty in Summer.
Above and below: a concrete form that was used to pour the cement for this tunnel's construction. It was the last such poured so it has sat here since it was completed.
Above and below: Willet Hollow Tunnel
Below: a switch on the tracks
Above: the darkness of Willet Hollow Tunnel
The stones above the tunnel
Above: Michael and Kenny at the tunnel
Above: Kudzu with its pretty purple blossoms and grape Kool-Aid scent
Below is a video of Willet Hollow Tunnel
Next we left and went on out to visit the Mt. Roosevelt Fire Tower.
The last time we were there the graffiti on the tower was absolutely foul.
I hoped today we'd not be seeing any of that.
Above: goldenrod blooming atop Mt. Roosevelt
Above: blazing star on Mt. Roosevelt
Below: Blazing star with a bumblebee
Above: old house atop Mt. Roosevelt. Goats live here.
Above: grandson Michael on Mt. Roosevelt near the picnic area
Above: one view from Mt. Roosevelt tower site
Above: the best picnic spot on top the mountain
Above: another view from the mountain top
Mt Roosevelt Fire Tower and the giant star
Above: in the center... Michael and Kenny looking at the view
The view was quite pretty from the mountain top. We saw no graffiti at the tower site that was nasty at least. There were quite a few pretty Summer wildflowers up on top the mountain. On our way out... we ran onto an example of some nasty graffiti that was just so idiotic we could not help laughing.
What is wrong with people?! Well, in this case... the dude is upset cause his dick don't work. 😆
We went to the Good Will store in Harriman which is always good. Today we found a few neat items. We stopped by the old highway patrol building.
Above: this was state police headquarters for the area. It is now a museum
Another look at the building above
Below: Historic Tennessee Highway Patrol Station
Above and below: signs with info on the structure
We had crammed a lot into a day. We enjoyed spending time with our grandson. He liked bridge and tunnel hunting. He was eager to go again!
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Thanks for reading and commenting. I enjoy hearing from those who read & make use of my blog. I have made some wonderful friendships through emails from readers. I respond to all comments and emails. I appreciate folks reaching out to let me know when my blog entries are not functioning correctly or if the situation somewhere has changed. Many Blessings to you! Dana 🐝
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading and commenting. I enjoy hearing from those who read & make use of my blog. I have made some wonderful friendships through emails from readers. I respond to all comments and emails. I appreciate folks reaching out to let me know when my blog entries are not functioning correctly or if the situation somewhere has changed. Many Blessings to you!
Dana 🐝