Pleasant Valley Rd | Bridgeport Covered Bridge | Pashnit.com
Ride to the Longest Single Span Covered Bridge in the United States
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45 Days on a Gen3 Hayabusa - 2023 Pashnit Touring
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Taking the fellas to see Bridgeport Covered Bridge - longest single span covered bridge in America.
Plus, it's the only remaining single-span covered wooden bridge of this size in the nation.
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Plus, it's the only remaining single-span covered wooden bridge of this size in the nation.
Pleasant Valley Rd | Bridgeport Covered Bridge | Pashnit.com
Ride to the Longest Single Span Covered Bridge in the United States
www.pashnit.com
The bridge was closed for a complete rebuild and refurbishment and just opened up a few months ago. We're glad to come back here and check it out. Most the riders didn't know it was even there.
Built in 1862 by David J. Wood with lumber from his mill in Sierra County. The covered bridge was part of the Virginia Turnpike Company toll road that served the northern mines and the Nevada Comstock Lode. The associated ranch and resources for rest and repair provided a necessary lifeline across the Sierra Nevada. Utilizing a unique combination truss and arch construction, Bridgeport Covered Bridge is one of the oldest housed spans in the western United States and the longest single span wooden covered bridge in the world.
The Bridgeport Covered Bridge was built in 1862 by the Virginia Turnpike Company. In January of 1862, a 1000-year storm washed over the Pacific Northwest, creating massive flooding in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, and washed the bridge away. The bridge was rebuilt by summer time with wood from David Wood's sawmill, 30 miles north of Bridgeport.
The bridge was 249 feet long including a 10-foot weather wing on each end. The actual span between the footings is 208 feet and the weather wings were later removed during a restoration. Today the bridge is 229 feet long and the clear span has remained the same since 1862.
The wood is Douglas fir and the 27,000 shingles that cover the bridge are made of sugar pine.
Built in 1862 by David J. Wood with lumber from his mill in Sierra County. The covered bridge was part of the Virginia Turnpike Company toll road that served the northern mines and the Nevada Comstock Lode. The associated ranch and resources for rest and repair provided a necessary lifeline across the Sierra Nevada. Utilizing a unique combination truss and arch construction, Bridgeport Covered Bridge is one of the oldest housed spans in the western United States and the longest single span wooden covered bridge in the world.
The Bridgeport Covered Bridge was built in 1862 by the Virginia Turnpike Company. In January of 1862, a 1000-year storm washed over the Pacific Northwest, creating massive flooding in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, and washed the bridge away. The bridge was rebuilt by summer time with wood from David Wood's sawmill, 30 miles north of Bridgeport.
The bridge was 249 feet long including a 10-foot weather wing on each end. The actual span between the footings is 208 feet and the weather wings were later removed during a restoration. Today the bridge is 229 feet long and the clear span has remained the same since 1862.
The wood is Douglas fir and the 27,000 shingles that cover the bridge are made of sugar pine.
Graffiti from 1927
After a bend was noticed in the bridge, an engineering survey was conducted and confirmed the bridge was warping. It was closed in 2011 as being structurally unsafe. Pedestrian traffic was halted until funds could be raised to refurbish the bridge. Over 150 years of wear began to show as joints were noticed having come undone and tension rods holding the bridge together were exceeding their capacities.
The grass-roots fight to save the historic bridge finally gained ground in 2014 when the state of California included $1.3M in their yearly budget for restoration and refurbishment. A subsequent $3.2M was built into the state budget in 2017 to further the restoration. Estimated restoration costs hover at $6.9M funded with a combination of state and federal funds. The engineer plan is to preserve the bridge’s framework and prevent any further deformation.
Due to the bridge being a national landmark, each piece that is not salvageable must be replaced with an exact replica. During the restoration, original ‘stitch bolts’ and ‘square nails’ were reused wherever possible. Some original 1862 hardware was heated on an antique forge using coal and straightened on a handmade anvil right on the job site. Abutments on either side of the bridge were replaced and rebuilt to support the massive weight of the bridge. The $6.9M restoration of the bridge was completed in November 2021.
These battery powered air compressors work good. From Amazon.
Just set the target pressure and let it run. Pumps right up.
I have a heavy preference for the Stop-n-Go kits, but this is my worm kit when that doesn't work.
What tire repair looks like. Six people commenting on the job, two actually doing the work.
Just set the target pressure and let it run. Pumps right up.
I have a heavy preference for the Stop-n-Go kits, but this is my worm kit when that doesn't work.
What tire repair looks like. Six people commenting on the job, two actually doing the work.
With a couple posing for the camera....
Highway 49 - Yuba Pass is a super fun ride. It rides up and over several mountain ridge lines descending into the river canyon & back out again.
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Always construction, even in the middle of nowhere.
Lots of S-curves though, Highway 49-Yuba Pass is super fun & fast!
Highway 49 Yuba Pass, Nevada County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Yuba Pass across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California Motorcycle Ride
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Always construction, even in the middle of nowhere.
Lots of S-curves though, Highway 49-Yuba Pass is super fun & fast!
Highway 49 Yuba Pass, Nevada County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Yuba Pass across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California Motorcycle Ride
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Highway 49-Yuba Pass rides through these canyons following the contours of the river.
Highway 49 Yuba Pass, Nevada County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Yuba Pass across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California Motorcycle Ride
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Highway 49-Yuba Pass rides into the tiny gold rush town of Downieville.
Town lore is Mark Twain used to work here. Mark Twain once wrote for the paper under his real name, Samuel Clemens, while hiding out from Nevada authorities. The story goes he accepted a duel after dueling had been outlawed and had to quickly leave town escaping to Downieville.
Town lore also states Downieville was in the running to be the state capital, along with 15 other California cities in 1853 to replace Vallejo. Downieville was California’s 5th largest city by the mid-1850s, but the honor for the capital eventually went to Sacramento. The Downieville population quickly declined by 1865 but has remained as the present-day county seat of Sierra County.
Present day Downieville at a population of 325 is the center of the ride on Yuba Pass. There can be snow here into April, but the elevation is low at 3100 feet. At Nevada Street is the Durgan Bridge built in 1938. The bridge is single lane and you can easily view the confluence of the Downie and Yuba Rivers from here.
Town lore is Mark Twain used to work here. Mark Twain once wrote for the paper under his real name, Samuel Clemens, while hiding out from Nevada authorities. The story goes he accepted a duel after dueling had been outlawed and had to quickly leave town escaping to Downieville.
Town lore also states Downieville was in the running to be the state capital, along with 15 other California cities in 1853 to replace Vallejo. Downieville was California’s 5th largest city by the mid-1850s, but the honor for the capital eventually went to Sacramento. The Downieville population quickly declined by 1865 but has remained as the present-day county seat of Sierra County.
Present day Downieville at a population of 325 is the center of the ride on Yuba Pass. There can be snow here into April, but the elevation is low at 3100 feet. At Nevada Street is the Durgan Bridge built in 1938. The bridge is single lane and you can easily view the confluence of the Downie and Yuba Rivers from here.
Highway 49 Yuba Pass, Nevada County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Yuba Pass across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California Motorcycle Ride
www.pashnit.com
We've learned through the years if you want a good lunch, go to the local golf course.
My wife & I have this long-running inside-joke after 25 years together. She knows what I like better than I do.
I text her a picture of the menu & she tells me what to order.
My wife & I have this long-running inside-joke after 25 years together. She knows what I like better than I do.
I text her a picture of the menu & she tells me what to order.
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