July 6, 2025

In the morning, I found a harvestman, the arachnid commonly called “daddy longlegs” where I grew up, on the bench by the bushes, then noticed one in the bushes, then another and another and another . . . they were everywhere. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that while J was reading the breakfast menu in the dining room, he noticed he had a hitchhiker on his arm, prompting a discreet but hurried exit to disengage it outdoors.

After breakfast, we headed to the bridges — but stopped for this box turtle crossing a road very, very slowly. It wasn’t a busy road, but busy enough, so I got out to help it on its way. Several cars waited what seemed an eternity to me while I was waffling on where to put it. The day was very hot, and there wasn’t any shade where it was headed, plus the weedy grass looked difficult to navigate through. I finally gave him and set it down. I hope it survived. At least it had a better chance in the weeds than on the hot pavement with cars coming by every few minutes.

I remember a few of these bridges were out of the way. This one [McAllister] was between two farm fields. The unpaved road looked like it was for the convenience of farmers with their machinery. Although McAllister was off a main road, when turned around to drive back through it, we found ourselves facing a pickup truck from Texas. Parke County draws tourism from all over, and not only during the autumn Parke County Covered Bridge Festival.

One bridge (Neet, I think) wasn’t accessible from a road. You have to pull over and walk down a slope to get to it, if I recall correctly. I’m not sure now.

Bridgeton Bridge is the most notable for a few reasons:

• It’s in Bridgeton, home of the covered bridge festival.
• It’s new (2006) as it was destroyed by arson in 2005 (who burns a covered bridge?).
• Despite being relatively new, it’s pedestrian only unlike some of the other, much older covered bridges.
• It’s over a low dam and at right angles to the impressive Bridgeton Mill.

The bridges:

• Crooks Bridge
• McAllister Bridge
• Neet Bridge
• Bridgeton Bridge
• Nevins Bridge

After a quick drive around Bridgeton and a stop at Nevins Bridge, we raced back to Turkey Run State Park to get there before the Nature Center closed. Inside a ranger was showing a hellbender — first one I’ve seen that I know of.

Outside, we headed through the woods toward the suspension bridge behind the Nature Center. On the other side of Sugar Creek are some interesting features, including the Wedge Rock I’d seen on the 2016 visit. Partway to the bridge, I realized I couldn’t go any farther and return, and, keeping an eye on the weather reports and the sky (mostly the sky), I sensed a downpour was on the way. I was not wrong. It started when I was on my way back through the woods, which were dense enough to keep most of the rain off. As they thinned out and opened up near the Nature Center, I managed to get pretty wet — but not as wet as I would have been if I’d continued. I found a bench under the Nature Center porch roof and watched the rain come down for a pretty long time. It had been such a hot day that when it hit the parking lot pavement it steamed — not just for a few minutes, but for at least 45 to 60 minutes. It was impressive.

I’d seen a s’mores dessert on the menu at Turkey Run Inn I wanted to try, but it wasn’t available on Sunday — but I must have shown disappointment because they made them for us anyway.

And so with only a couple more detours another excellent adventure ended.

Parke County covered bridges, Turkey Run State Park

35 photos