Always an adventure

I always love it when my oldest son Chris comes home. He has an adventurous soul and instead of spending the afternoon sitting in a movie theater he likes to explore. So off in the car we went. Our first stop was the Kinzua Bridge museum. The Kinzua Bridge is a large railroad span over a valley that was built to expedite the resources of the region to bigger cities. It ceased operation quite a long time ago since the steel pillars were in need of repair. After repairs it was used locally for passengers who wanted to have the experience of a train ride over the bridge. When my mother and father were here we went from Kane to the bridge on a rickety bumpy train ride and crossed over. 

In 2003 a tornado swept through the valley and tore down all but 9 of its pillars. Later it was rebuilt as a skywalk and just recently a new museum was built on the siteThe bridge was originally built from wrought iron in 1882 and was billed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World", holding the record as the tallest railroad bridge in the world for two years. In 1900, the bridge was dismantled and simultaneously rebuilt out of steel to allow it to accommodate heavier trains. It stayed in commercial service until 1959 and was sold to the Government of Pennsylvania in 1963, becoming the centerpiece of a state park. Restoration of the bridge began in 2002, but before it was finished, a tornado struck the bridge in 2003, causing a large portion of the bridge to collapse. Corroded anchor bolts holding the bridge to its foundations failed, contributing to the collapse.

Before its collapse, the Kinzua Bridge was ranked as the fourth-tallest railway bridge in the United States.^[5] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1982. The ruins of the Kinzua Bridge are in Kinzua Bridge State Park off U.S. Route 6 near the borough of Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania.

The museum was so well done with many interactive exhibits. The picture above shows that the bridge was as tall as the Statue of Liberty. After the museum we travelled over to Wareen to have lunch at a Chinese restaurant before stopping at the Kinzua Dam. It was a cold bleak day but Chris wanted to get some pictures. 

We took the long way home and explored a road we had never been on up to Gilbert reservior. We didn't go all the way since the dirt/gravel road became icy. That is an adventure for another day. 

I remember how my father always took us on Sunday drives around the area. Even though we are familiar with places around here its nice to get out and go for a drive.