W is for Wooden Bridges

ABC Wednesday is up to the letter "W" today. I can't believe I started at the letter "B" and we're almost through the alphabet already! To see who else participated today, click on Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

Early bridges were made of wood, especially where it was a plentiful resource. Wooden bridges tended to deteriorate rapidly from exposure to the elements, having a useful lifespan of only nine years, but around my area it seems that everywhere I look I see wooden bridges. They aren't usually long bridges, but rather in parks and on trails where they don't get a lot of traffic. I was particularly taken with the following bridge that I found near Andover, UK, when I went out geocaching with some friends. It was a beautiful sunny day, warm enough to just wear a sweater, but the angle of the sun proved it to be autumn. I love how the shadows are cast on the walkway of the bridge.

Closer to home and during my "walkabouts," I've discovered lots of other wooden bridges. Here we have a very long wooden bridge at Boundary Bay that goes over a swampy area filled with bulrushes. I always walk very carefully for fear of tripping and landing in the water!

Below is another one of my "haunts." It's located at Deas Island Park that runs along a tributary of the mighty Fraser River. I often walk through here admiring the views of the river through the thick trees. It was here that I caught my winning photo, "Autumn on the River" from last fall.

This wooden bridge is located at Bear Creek Park in the neighbouring city of Surrey. I took my grandson here for a day just after my granddaughter was born in March. We had a great time playing on the equipment and walking (him riding his little bike) around the trails. Here he is zooming over the bridge. We stayed here for a while as he "needed" to practise his mountain biking.

Finally, this is one of many wooden bridges you will find at Campbell Valley Regional Park in neighbouring Langley. I posted about my walk here a short time ago because I was amazed that I never knew it existed in all my life living here. The place is so green that you can't help but feel relaxed and calm while walking through giant cedars and firs, alpine meadows, and areas where the trees bend over the trail to create a canopy.

Wooden bridges are intriguing structures. Some are simply made with planks covering the ground while others are intricately constructed over smaller riverbeds or streams. My favourite ones are the ones found in mysterious and remote locations. I always wonder who else has discovered this spot.