By Daren Schumaker, community contributor
Many of the places we visit, we will neither see nor step foot on again.
Few, if any, of the people we talk to about our journey know the exact location of where we most recently made our way. For us, a simple intersection or a certain stretch of road in the “middle of nowhere” holds a special meaning. The “free mile” in Fayette County, the steep descent toward the Mississippi River in McGregor, and the “long pull” toward Reinbeck will forever hold a special place in our minds. Much of what we see and do is difficult to relate to. However, today we discuss something that most of us have at least heard of … “The Bridges of Madison County.”
For those of you looking for our take on the love story involving Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep) and Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood), you may be looking for quite a long time as we’ve never seen the film.
However, if you’re looking for a deeper and more literal take on the topic, a discussion of the actual bridges in Madison County, you might be in luck.
On Sunday, May 11, Team 99 Counties departed Walford at 6:30 a.m. and headed westward on Interstate 80 toward the gem known as Madison County. If not for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any, and it promptly started to rain as we started eastward on Highway 92 toward Winterset. The rain gradually soaked us to the point of saturation as we trudged a relatively uneventful 11 miles into Winterset, surviving only due to the limited warmth provided by the 60 degree air temperature.
As we entered Winterset, the rain really started to come down. Some would call it a storm. With all the thunder and lightening, some would call it a thunderstorm. We just hoped it wouldn’t get worse. We circled the Madison County Courthouse and made a stop at the birthplace of John Wayne, ignoring the rain as we literally soaked in the scenery.
The rain continued to punish us until we reached and briefly took cover in the Cutler-Donahoe Covered Bridge. We pushed eastward out of Winterset and headed south on Holliwell Bridge Road where we eventually crossed, you guessed it, the Holliwell Covered Bridge over the Middle River. We climbed out of the river valley and, before long, turned back toward the east and ran the better part of eight flat miles through a stretch of beautiful country into St. Charles.
On the eastern edge of St. Charles we passed through the Imes Covered Bridge, hitting 26.2 miles in the middle of the almost ancient wooden structure. Shortly thereafter we had completed our task, spending 3:53:22 to cross 26.8 miles of Madison County, our 56th county.
Moral of the story? Simply, the actual bridges of Madison County. The six remaining covered bridges in Madison County, each of which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, were built between 1870 and 1884. By order of the County Board of Supervisors, these bridges were “covered” to help preserve the large flooring timbers which were more expensive to replace than the lumber used to cover the bridge sides and roofs. Because of the preservation efforts implemented 100-plus years ago, we still can enjoy the beauty of these structures today.
In reality, each of us is very similar to a bridge in Madison County. One of the largest and most valuable flooring timbers that each of us needs to protect is our health and physical wellness. If gone unprotected, years of rain can cause decay and destruction so gradually we can be unaware of its presence until it is too late.
We suggest each of us take an active role in our health, by exercising so as to “cover” the timbers of our bridge with lumber that will hopefully offer protection, especially from the rain, for many years to come.
We can’t promise taking an active role in your health will ensure your placement on the National Register of Historic Places, but we can promise the stronger you make your bridge the longer it will last.
Inspiration through perspiration. Become active or make a donation to Team 99 Counties or the American Heart Association to help fight heart disease.