Three abandoned bridges in a row

As you drive US 50 in Illinois, in several places you parallel an older alignment of the road. The state has intended at various times to build a four-lane expressway out of US 50, to the extent that new lanes have been laid down with the presumable intent of rebuilding the old lanes to carry [...]

Three bridges over the Casselman River

I didn’t plan for our trip across Maryland to become the 2009 Grey Family Old Bridge Tour, but that’s how it turned out. I enjoyed it, of course, but I worried that my sons’ enthusiasm would quickly wane. How many old bridges can 10- and 12-year-old boys stand to see in one day? But somehow [...]

Art in steel

My junior year in college I used to bum rides to Bloomington to see my girlfriend. I made a lot of trips down State Road 46 and came to know the road well. The halfway point was the Eel River near Bowling Green, marked by a pale green steel bridge, the kind with all the beams over your head as [...]

Things guaranteed to make me smile

What never fails to make you smile? Here are my top five.
5. An abandoned road.

4. A twisty road I have all to myself.

3. A Studebaker.

2. A steel truss bridge.

1. A dog’s head poked out of a moving car’s window, its ears flying in the breeze.

If you’ve been reading my blog for long, I’m sure none [...]