Only in Bucks County: Uhlerstown Covered Bridge

I went with Richard to an appointment in Upper Black Eddy, Upper Bucks County, and to my surprise, this was at the end of the block! One of Bucks County's twelve remaining covered bridges, the Uhlerstown Covered Bridge.

I was going to do my own research after visiting Uhlerstown Covered Bridge yesterday, but it seems Visit Bucks County has done it for me! According to their website, “Constructed of oak in 1855, the Uhlerstown Covered Bridge has windows on both sides and is the only covered bridge in Bucks County that crosses the Delaware Canal. It is named for Michael Uhler, a canal boat builder and the first postmaster who founded Uhlerstown.” 

According to multiple websites I visited, the bridge was completely reconstructed using original fabric in 1985. Each timber was disassembled and repaired or cleaned, then reassembled using the original wooden pegs and timbers wherever possible. The bridge and wingwalls were rehabilitated in 2009. Looking around inside, Richard and I were fascinated with the woodwork and construction!

Again, the Uhlerstown Bridge is one of twelve covered bridges still standing in Bucks County.

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall... you and your friends, family, or loved one can hop in the car and take the Bucks County Covered Bridge Tour!

                                                                          

COVERED BRIDGE FUN FACTS:

The oldest documented American covered bridge is the Hyde Hall Bridge in Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown, New York. It was built in 1825.

Every county in Pennsylvania has its own Covered Bridge Tour!

Check it out here.

  

Only in Bucks County: Five Mile Woods, Finally!

 

I must have passed Five Mile Woods Nature Preserve FIVE THOUSAND TIMES driving back and forth between Yardley and Bristol before I finally talked Richard into going for a walk there.

                  

                                                                         

 The trees were tall and beautiful, and we enjoyed the "lost in the woods" feeling that we got. 

In fact, after about fifteen minutes following trails that took us deep into a forest, we were relieved to hear another family heading our way to ask them how to get back to the parking lot. Unfortunately, they asked us the same question! It was a dad, his little kid, and maybe the grandpop... and they were using their phone's GPS to find their way back. We all laughed!

The paths were mostly single track with quite a bit of raised boardwalk in areas that would have been too muddy or serving as bridges, which were fun to walk on. We saw and heard a lot of birds chattering away, saw a woodpecker doing it's thing, and saw evidence of larger wildlife. I think we saw a beaver. 

There were lots of smaller trails leading off of the main trail so we'll definitely go back as there is more to see and experience. 

TIP: According to most of the reviews I read about Five Mile Woods, it gets extremely buggy in the summer. We must have chosen the perfect time of year... late Septermber...no bugs at all.

PRO-TIP: You will pass many signs that say "HQ" on them. 

This is the way back to the parking lot/Headquarters!

 My review: Very pretty. Easy hiking, especially for somewhere so close by.

Great place to take younger kids, unfortunately no pets are allowed.

The preserve is a part of Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County.

The exact address is:

Five Mile Woods Preserve

1305 Big Oak Road, Yardley PA 19067

HERE'S A MAP!

All Aboard Bucks County: 2019 Wrap Up

What do you do when you haven't blogged for a WHOLE YEAR and you want to get it going again? I just Googled exactly that; and every article that I read told me to "refrain from sharing every single thing you did, and "Don't try to catch everyone up all at once". I never listen to advice anyway! I did some cool things this past year and took great pics! This "Comeback Post" is to highlight the best of my first half of 2019 and to share some of the photos that I snapped.

Moving forward, I'm hoping to blog and least twice a month, even if they're quick posts. I am often invited to attend events or to check out new businesses all over Bucks County, so look for more of that in 2020 too. For now, cheers to 2019! 

January 2019

Every January whether it's icy cold, or quite balmy, we are spectators at the Eastern Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, held at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Bucks County. This annual event features food, family, and fun at "Plungetown" before the event... with lots of crazy costumes and a costume contest, followed by waves of bikini-clad (and Speedo-clad!) plungers dashing into freezing cold water to raise funds that will benefit some of our local Special Olympics athletes.

  

                                                

February 2019

For Valentine's Day we went to A Taste of Artisty Paint Studio just a few blocks from our house, where we sipped red wine, ate chocolate cake, and painted each other in the Picasso-style.

                  

This looks more like Guy Fieri than Richard!

                                                                                        

This doesn't really look like me either, does it? 

Well, maybe the hair!


March 2019

March 2019 was surprisingly cold and bleak. This photo I took along Radcliffe Street here in Bristol Borough captures March’s moodiness completely.

 

April 2019

Living in a wharf town with brand new docks has it’s benefits! In April 2019, the 90-year-old Tall Ship AJ Meerwald docked here at The Bristol Wharf and we took a two hour tour one evening as the sun set. Richard was fascinated with the former Oyster Schooner's wood and wood details, and we got to chat with the knowledgeable crew about the ship’s history. Being a foodie, I had a really interesting conversatio with ship's Chef about where she shopped for food, and what the crew typically likes to eat!

May 2019

I have two favorite parades in Bucks County... Bristol Borough’s Christmas Holiday Parade (it’s the best!) and the Middletown Township Memorial Day Parade (it’s a good one!), and I’m happy to say I’ve been asked to photograph them both for LevittownNow for the past few years. Here are a few of my favorites from the May 2019 Middletown Memorial Day Parade:

The rest of my photos (hundreds in fact!) can be seen here on the LevittownNow website.

June 2019 

For our first anniversary I wanted to surprise Richard with something really different! He thought we were going wine tasting at one of our favorite wineries, Newtown’s Rose Bank Winery until we pulled up and he saw people walking in with yoga mats. Thinking that his "surprise" was a yoga class, I got our yoga mats out of the trunk and followed a small group of people into the winery... where we did a 90 minute session of GOAT YOGA with the cutest baby goats, (there was even an allotted "cuddle time" afterwards) followed by some wine and cheese pairing!

PS: We were the oldest ones there and everyone was so nice to us.

 PSS: We really had a blaaaa-st. 

Happy New Year - and here's to a great year ahead exploring, supporting local businesses and restaurants, and enjoying friends and family!

Yours in friendship, good times, and good health,

~Elisa

“The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was

 is so we can tell them about our own weekend.” ~Chuck Palahniuk