![\"Willimantic](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7153\/27118499305_c5640d073e_b.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSteve from CTMQ<\/a> and I continued trading tweets as my path finally hit Connecticut and we approached our in-person visit. I’d made it as far as Willimantic for lunch at Willimantic Brewing and would see Steve that evening. He noticed my lunchtime tweet<\/a> and suggested I see a nearby geo-oddity. It was a bridge. He cited a Wikipedia page<\/a> on the subject:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Willimantic Footbridge: Willimantic is the home of the Willimantic Footbridge (established in 1907), which is the only footbridge in the United States to connect two state highways, as well as crossing all three major forms of transportation (road, rail, and river).”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It sounded fascinating and it was an easy walk so I strolled there after lunch (map<\/a>). Wikipedia didn’t have a completely accurate listing however, a billionth example of why one shouldn’t place complete confidence in its claims. A marker at the base of the bridge said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A landmark since 1906, the 635-foot-long footbridge connects the city’s commercial core with a residential area to the south. It is the only such structure east of the Mississippi to span sidewalks, vehicle traffic, an active railroad and a river…”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Willimantic Footbridge represented something remarkable either for the United States or for some portion thereof, I supposed. I walked from one end and back, then headed to my car for the onward journey towards Hartford. I never figured out why Willimantic even had a pedestrian bridge. It didn’t seem like it offered much of a shortcut. Maybe the larger crossings came later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I debunked the Willimantic Footbridge claim the very next day. The-Very-Next-Day.<\/em> I hadn’t planned to poke a hole in the pride and joy of Willimantic, it just happened. The Walkway Over the Hudson<\/a> first appeared on 12MC in an article I called Impressive Pedestrian Bridges<\/a>. It began as a railroad bridge, fell into decay, and blossomed again when preservationists converted it to pedestrian use, a linear park over the Hudson River. Guinness World Records<\/a> proclaimed its 1.28 mile (2.06 kilometre) span “the world’s longest pedestrian bridge.” I’d hope to see this ever since I started planning my trip. I knew we’d go there once we got to Poughkeepsie, New York (map<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thoughts of Willimantic came to mind as I walked over the mighty Hudson. I passed above streets, several residential in nature and even a highway. I passed over two sets of train tracks on either side of the river including one that serviced Amtrak. Of course I passed over the Hudson River itself, considerably more imposing than the diminutive Willimantic River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I supposed the marker in Willimantic must have been posted before 2009 when the Walkway Over the Hudson opened as a pedestrian passage. They needed to change it to read “the only such structure east of the Hudson,” or something like that, although it wasn’t nearly as impressive. Or maybe they could qualify it by calling it the only such structure designed<\/em> as a pedestrian bridge. Or maybe they could just pretend the Walkway Over the Hudson didn’t exist, which is probably what actually happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Days fell into themes. There was a day of geo-oddities, a day of history, a day of county counting, and a day of breweries. Our drive between races in Maine and New Hampshire was particularly brief so we had plenty of extra time to explore the countryside. Ironically, there wasn’t much to see besides the scenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were plenty of covered bridges though, all in close alignment while our path seemed to follow the Contoocook River. I’d never hear of the Contoocook. It flowed for about 70 mi (110 km) through an attractive stretch of southern New Hampshire popular with anglers and boaters, a perfect backdrop for covered bridges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWalkway Over the Hudson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Walkway](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7247\/27138043225_ea0e851779_b.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCovered Bridges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n