A pretty cover-up

They're some of the prettiest cover-ups you're ever likely to come across.

I'd previously only seen covered, timber bridges on television and in movies like The Bridges of Madison County.

But here they are in Conway, New Hampshire, and Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood are nowhere to be seen.


Saco River Bridge, Conway
Built in 1890

Covered bridges were originally conceived as a way to protect bridges' wooden structures from the rain and snow, and extend their lifespan.

And this preservation attempt clearly did the trick - enabling me to make my way across the river today like many have done so during the past century or two.

While some of the covered bridges are still in use today, they have assumed a backseat role next to more modern, multi-laned, concrete bridges.

Swift River Bridge, Conway
Built in 1870

I'm not quite sure why, but covered bridges seem to stop me in my tracks (probably not a good thing when I'm driving across them).

Maybe it's because I have a vague recollection of watching a Disney cartoon as a child about the Headless Horseman, Sleepy Hollow and a covered bridge.

The bridges are both striking and a little bit sinister.   As I walk across them I feel as though I'm walking through a giant animal.   The timber beams, weathered over the decades, form a neat skeleton.  It's also noticeably darker and cooler inside - anything could be hiding in here and there's only two exits.

Honeymoon Bridge, Jackson
Built in 1876

But my covered bridge appetite has been whet, and I resolve to discover all the covered bridges I can while I'm in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the weekend.  

The bridges straddle some impossibly beautiful landscapes.   Lush green forests, fast flowing rivers cascading down from mountains that are blanketed in snow during winter - these are not normal scenes I come across in the frequently drought-stricken Australia.


Wentworth Bridge, Jackson
Built in 1990

Bartlett Bridge, Bartlett
Built in 1851

Whittier Bridge / Bearcamp Crossing, West Ossipee
Built in 1870s

Albany Bridge, Albany
Built in 1858

Licence plate to thrill

They don't mess around in the US state of New Hampshire.

While other states around America and the world adopt pithy little slogans to adorn their licence plates, New Hampshire keeps its real.  Really real.

Yes, that's right.  "Live Free or Die".

Now I'm no expert, but I'm confident the word "die" doesn't appear too often on licence plates around the world.

There also seems to be a range of decorative "Live Free or Die" options you can choose from if the moose option above doesn't pick your fancy.

You can also "Live Free or Die" with mountainside option 1

Or "Live Free or Die" with mountainside option 2

The words are actually the official motto of the state and comes from a speech written by a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.   Though apparently Vivre Libre ou Mourir ("Live free or die") was also a popular motto during the French Revolution, so the phrase may have its origin there.

Either way, it leaves the licence plate slogan of my home state Queensland, "The Sunshine State" (formerly "The Smart State" but we got dumb), in the shade.

Though just when I thought Queensland was being original, it seems this slogan is shared by another in the US.

And yes, now that you ask I have spent the past few days photographing licence plates.

I've been travelling from Boston to Montreal, travelling through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and finally Quebec.

In between remembering to get into the left-hand side of the car and drive on the right-hand side of the road, I've been keeping check of licence plate slogans.

Awww - that's nice

Fun!

Worthy cause

Still working on it? 

How grand

I'm thinking Underwater World

"I believe the children are our future..."

Pretty

But New Hampshire means what it says.

Here, you don't need to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike (or a shirt it seems as I watched a chubby and elderly man cruise down the highway).

And if you're over 18 you don't have to wear a seatbelt, but if you've got a car like mine then it will beep incessantly until you buckle up.

There's also road signs pointing you in the direction of the nearest liquor and lottery stores.  How handy for those who like to drink and drive with the prospect of hitting the jackpot!