Germany Valley, West Virginia

Germany Valley, WV is the next road trip I would like to take you on. Located off U.S. Rt. 33 in Pendleton Country WV. Germany Valley is a scenic upland valley high in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern WV. Originally settled by German farmers in the mid-18th Century. It is today a part of the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area of the Monongahela National Forest, although much ownership of the Valley remains in private hands.

The Valley is noted for its extensive karst and cave development, with dozens of caves and cave systems having been formally documented by enthusiasts. The area was made a National Natural Landmark in 1973 by the National Park Service. The NPS cited it as “one of the largest cove or intermountain karst areas in the country, unique because all the ground water recharge and solution activities are linked with precipitation within the cove.”

If you do make the Germany Valley trip I would definitely recommend staying at the Germany Valley Overlook Cabins. There are 3 cabins all situated in the middle of lush rolling fields all private and all have spectacular views. We went during the summer and the site of all the wild flowers and wild life was incredible.











There are plenty of things to do in Germany Valley such as canoeing and rafting, Spruce Knob (highest point in WV), plenty of hiking trails, Potomac Eagle and Cass scenic railroads, Dolly Sods Wilderness, and the list can go on.

Germany Valley is a place I plan to visit again but in the fall. I can just imagine how beautiful the fall foliage is. I hope you enjoyed your journey through Germany Valley West Virginia.

Covered Bridges in Bedford County, PA

Road trips, I love them! I've been on a few road trips in my days and I have to say that I have enjoyed every one of them. The good ones and the bad ones.

My husband and I take most of our road trips together and we are two people that don't care for the crowds. We like to travel for the holidays just like a lot of other people but we try to find the destinations and roads that are lesser traveled.

One Memorial weekend we decided to set out for Bedford County, PA. On one of my many searches of "where to go this time" on the internet, I discovered that Bedford County had a covered bridges tour. At the time we lived in Silver Spring, MD and we figured it would take us approximately 3hrs & 40min (if we hadn't avoided the highway it would have taken 2hrs and 20mins, but road trips aren't meant to be rushed) to get to the first covered bridge. You wouldn't have known by the routes we took that it was one of the busiest travel weekends.

While there are 14 covered bridges to see on the Bedford County tour, we didn't have time to see them all. Below is a little bit about our 4 favorites.

1. Claycomb Covered Bridge - Built in 1880 (#4 on the tour guide)

Just north of Bedford, at the entrance to Old Bedford Village. This bridge was originally built in Reynoldsdale and then was moved in 1975 to its current location. The bridge is County owned and has a pedestrian walkway. The bridge is a burr truss design and has been reinforced with steel to support bus traffic that frequents Old Bedford Village. It also is unpainted, the roof is Cedar shakes and the deck is crossboard planks. The sides are totally enclosed and it sits on poured concrete abutments.




2. Hall's Mill Covered Bridge - Built in 1884 (#14 on the tour guide)

It is in Hopewell Township, on State Route 1020. It is Country owned and is the 7th bridge to be built at this location. It is a burr truss design, 97 feet in length.






3. Jackson's Mill Covered Bridge - Built in 1875 (#1 on the tour guide)

Named for M.J. Jackson, owner of the nearby grist and sawmill.
The bridge now sets 300 yards downstream of its original location since the 1889 flood. County owned, the bridge has been refurbished and is driveable. It is a 95 foot Burr Truss bridge with a shallow gable roof and high exterior sides. It crosses Brush Creek 3 1/2 miles south of Breezewood, PA on Township Route 412.





4. Colvin Covered Bridge - Built in 1894 (#7 on the tour guide)

County owned multiple kingpost bridge, resting on concrete abutments. It crosses Shawnee Creek, which is a popular place for fishing. The bridge is 66 feet long and is traversable.

We had never done a covered bridge tour and I'll tell you it was wonderful. I wish we would have had time to see more bridges, because we really loved the scenic drive. The country side was so green with burst of wild flowers everywhere. We do plan at some point to go back and see the remaining Bedford County covered bridges and when we do I will be sure to tell you all about it.