Somewhere in my life, (likely in high school) I fell in love with the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. The emotions between the two lead characters were so intense that it really stuck with me, only having a close call with P.S., I Love You. When I started photography later in life, it took this favorite movie - about a National Geographic photographer on assignment - to a whole new level! So, when our family vacation plans finally landed on the Northern US, and we were going to be driving through Madison County, Iowa, I was all in! As my son described it: I giggled like a little schoolgirl.
There are 6 covered bridges in Madison County, and finding them is fairly easy - once you realize that there are road signs everywhere telling you where to head. Previous to that, you might miss one like we did. Our first find was the Imes Bridge. I won't lie - it was sort of magical to walk through our first bridge. It felt dreamy and surreal and I couldn't stop smiling or trying to get pictures of it from different angles and with different light. Oh, the plight of a photographer.
After that, the hunt was on (and my son was so excited, as you can see)! Our next stop was the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge. While only a couple of the bridges are in their original homes, they all have signs detailing the history of where they started and if / when they were moved. It was neat to read about each one and consider how they had been traveled on during their heydays.
Next stop was the Cedar Bridge. The COOLEST thing about this one was that we got to DRIVE THROUGH IT!!!! The saddest thing about this one is that it has been damaged by arson twice and had to basically be completely rebuilt. As we visited different bridges, it was interesting to see the sprinkler systems and video cameras that are now inside all of the bridges because of the arson attempts on others.
The Hogback Bridge was one of the bridges that have remained in its original home, although traffic no longer crosses it. I really enjoyed visiting this one and getting to take pictures because you could see the water that goes under it so much better! Plus, it just makes prettier pictures. I also loved that it had more of a natural surrounding that allowed for wildflowers and butterflies. I wasn't so fond of the biting flies, but I survived.
Our last stop, and one that I definitely squealed over, was the Roseman Bridge. If you've seen the movie, you might recall that this is the bridge where some of the more iconic scenes and photos take place. It was fantastic to think about the history of this space and try to remember the scenes from the movie and guess which angles different things were shot from.
I felt a little like a kid in a candy shop and loved the final shots that I got.
I try to make sure I get shots of my whole crew now on our travels. Hopefully you enjoyed seeing the bridges up close with us and may even be inspired to finally go see
The Bridges of Madison County. I'll warn you though - it really doesn't have much to do with bridges.
Until Next Time,
