One Long Day of Lancaster County Covered Bridges

We did it. Ten covered bridges across Lancaster and Chester County in one day, and I am not going to pretend I wasn’t completely cooked by the end of it. This post is the bookend to what might turn into a full covered bridge series here on the blog, so if you’re just finding this, buckle up because there’s more footage on the way.

If you missed the video that kicked this whole thing off (and you definitely did since I scrapped it), here’s the quick version. Scott from Scott’s Moto Adventures is participating in the BMW Owners of America Grand Coddiwomple, which is basically a season-long scavenger hunt. This year the theme is covered bridges and bears. You ride around, take photos of your placard in front of whatever they’re looking for, and earn points toward an end-of-season reward. Last year I think it was chickens. I did not participate. But covered bridges? That I can get behind.

TrekkieMoto put the whole route together, daisy-chaining 10 bridges through the Lancaster and Chester County area into a single ride. He deserves full credit for that because planning a route like that is no small thing.

How the Day Came Together

We met up around 11:00 in the morning and didn’t split off until about 5:00 that afternoon. Six hours in the saddle. By the time I stopped for gas I was already at 120 miles from the start, and that wasn’t even counting the 25 or so miles from my house to where we launched or the 20-odd miles I still had to get home. So yeah, it was a full day. The group ride itself was right around 120 miles, which is a solid chunk of Pennsylvania backroads.

Some of those roads were genuinely fun. Twisty, scenic, the kind of stuff you go looking for on a weekend. Some of them were less fun, which is what happens when you let Google Maps call the shots. I questioned the “avoid highways” feature at least once because we were absolutely on a highway at some point. That’s just the deal when you’re routing 10 bridges in sequence. You take the good with the GPS.

How Bridge Ten Felt Different Than Bridge One

Here’s the honest truth about doing ten covered bridges in a single Lancaster County covered bridge ride: by the time you get to bridge nine, the magic starts to wear off a little. I ran out of SD card space somewhere around there. I had a backup card in my bag and I genuinely could not be bothered to dig it out. That is how you know you’ve crossed the line from “enjoying the ride” to “ready to be done.”

Trekkie was feeling it too. By the end he was ready to peel off, head home, and take a nap. Completely understandable. Scott and I ended up swinging by Poole Forge Covered Bridge, which is one I’ve probably visited a couple dozen times at this point. But Scott needed the Cottiwample photos, so we stopped. That’s what you do for your riding buddies.

There was another bridge within maybe 10 miles of where we finished up. I knew it was there. I did not care. I was done. Feet on the pegs, face toward home, cold drink at the finish line.

What Comes Next for the Series

This was always meant to be the bookend video for what could turn into a 10-part series covering each bridge we visited. Whether that actually materializes depends on what I can pull together from the footage. I was shooting photos and video throughout the day, but I didn’t exactly have a clean shot at every stop. We’ll see what I can put together. The goal would be a little montage for each bridge visit, something you could actually use if you wanted to go find these bridges yourself.

If that’s something you’d want to see, let me know in the comments. And if you’ve ever put together a themed group ride, whether it’s covered bridges, roadside attractions, something completely random, I want to hear about it. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve strung together with your buddies on a ride?

Ride With Me

If you want to follow along as this series develops, subscribe to the WaltInPA YouTube channel for more riding content. If you know someone who’d want to plan a covered bridge ride of their own, share this post with a friend who rides. And if you want to talk shop about group rides, routes, or anything else, come hang out in the WaltInPA Discord where good people talk about riding.