| "If your dog is fat," the old saying goes, "you aren't | | | | Trails visit meadow, marsh, pond and forest |
| getting enough exercise." But walking the dog need not | | | | landscapes.Theodore Burr built a bridge spanning the |
| be just about a little exercise. Here are 10 cool things | | | | Hudson River at Waterford, New York in 1804. He |
| you can see in greater Philadelphia while you hike with | | | | added an arch segment to the multiple truss bridge |
| your dog.FOLK ARTIn 1855, a hotel entrepreneur built | | | | popular at the time, attaining a longer span. Patented in |
| a new inn on Rex Avenue. To draw attention to his | | | | 1817, the Burr Arch Truss became one of the most |
| hostelry he constructed an Indian from old barn boards | | | | common in the construction of covered bridges. The |
| and propped it up on top of a rock overlooking the | | | | Larkin's Bridge, a 65-foot long, 45-ton "Burr Arch" |
| Gorge. In 1902, when the Indian Rock Hotel was long | | | | covered bridge erected in 1854 and rebuilt in 1881, was |
| gone but with the silhouette still there, artist Massey | | | | relocated to the northeast section of the park in 1972. |
| Rhind was commissioned to make a representation of | | | | Larkin's Covered Bridge is the only remaining legacy of |
| a "Delaware Indian, looking west to where his people | | | | Milford Mills.In 1850 Albert Fink, a German railroad |
| have gone." The kneeling warrior has gazed up the | | | | engineer, |
| Wissahickon Gorge ever since. A switchback trail | | | | designed and patented a bridge that used a |
| leads to the Indian Statue where you can get close | | | | latticework of rods instead of cables to reinforce |
| enough to pat his knee. And take in a breathtaking | | | | stiffness. This construction was cheap and sturdy, |
| view.MONUMENTAL M0NUMENTSThe Multi-Use Trail | | | | making the Fink Truss one of the most commonly |
| rolls past reconstructed huts and parade grounds that | | | | used railroad bridges in the 1860s, especially favored |
| transport you back to the Revolution. The National | | | | by the powerful Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Only one |
| Memorial Arch, a massive stone tribute dedicated in | | | | Fink Truss bridge remains in the United States - an |
| 1917, stands out along the route. The inscription reads: | | | | abandoned 108-foot span in Zoarsville, Ohio. A wooden |
| "Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough | | | | reproduction of a Fink Truss is in a field at Warwick |
| admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the | | | | County Park for you and your dog to climb.CANAL |
| soldiery. Washington at Valley Forge, February 16, | | | | LOCKPennsylvania's first canal system was cobbled |
| 1778." In the southern part of White Clay, reached by | | | | together in 1815 using 120 locks to stretch 108 miles |
| the Twin Valley Trail, is the Arc Corner Monument | | | | from the coal fields of Schuylkill County to Philadelphia. |
| marking one end of the 12-mile arc which forms the | | | | Railroads began chewing away at canal business in |
| Pennsylvania-Delaware state line, unique in American | | | | the 1860s and the last coal barges floated down the |
| political boundary-making. The circular divide dates to | | | | Schuylkill River in the 1920s. Today, the only sections of |
| William Penn's directive of August 28, 1701, when | | | | the canal in existence are at Manayunk and Lock 60, |
| Delaware was still a part of Pennsylvania, known as | | | | built by area name donor Thomas Oakes, at the |
| the Lower Three Counties. A little more than 1/2 mile | | | | Schuylkill Canal Park. In 1985 the Schuylkill Canal |
| to the west is another monument marking the tri-state | | | | Association formed to keep the canal flowing and |
| junction of Delaware,Pennsylvania and | | | | maintain the lock and towpath. In 1988, the area was |
| Maryland.AMERICAN CASTLESBreaking out of the | | | | added to the National Register of Historic |
| woods at several points on the hilltops you are | | | | Places.CHAMPION TREESThe Taylor Memorial |
| greeted with an unparalleled view of Granogue, one of | | | | Arboretum provides a 12-Tree Self-Guided Tour. The |
| the more spectacular of the American castles dotting | | | | collection is especially strong in Far Eastern specimens |
| the Brandywine Valley's chateau lands.MOVIE | | | | and spotlights three Pennsylvania State Champion |
| LOCATIONSFlying concentric circles outward from | | | | trees: the Needle Juniper, the Lacebark Elm and the |
| Philadelphia, Hollywood location scouts for Oprah | | | | Giant Dogwood. Also on the tour is a Dawn Redwood, |
| Winfrey's movie project, Beloved, spotted the Fair Hill | | | | an ancient tree known only through fossils until 1941 |
| terrain and selected it as the backdrop for the film's | | | | when a botany student tracked down living specimens |
| rural scenes. A ramshackle 19th-century tenant farm | | | | in rural China. Some of the first seed to come to |
| was constructed and much of the movie shot here. | | | | America resulted in this tree. Liberated from their |
| The producers decided to leave the movie set intact, | | | | sun-stealing neighbors of the crowded woods, the |
| to deteriorate naturally. You can wander among the | | | | "King" and "Queen" White Oaks have spread out into |
| fake buildings and even knock on the styrofoam | | | | a massive canopy of leaves. The "Queen" measures |
| stones.COOL FORTSWhere else can a dog climb into | | | | seventeen feet around at the thickest part of the trunk |
| an actual battery and scan the Delaware River where | | | | and the "King" is closer to twenty. The two trees are |
| gunnery officers once aimed guns capable of | | | | part of the "Penn's Woods" collection of 139 trees |
| accurately firing 1,000-pound projectiles eight miles like | | | | standing when William Penn arrived to survey his |
| he can at Fort Mott State Park? Fort DuPont, named | | | | Pennsylvania colony.The arboreal oldsters reside at the |
| for Civil War fleet commander Admiral Samuel Francis | | | | last stop of the nature trail. bacterial infection. Awbury |
| duPont, saw active duty in three wars before | | | | Arboretum in East Germantown was the summer |
| becoming a state park. The 1-mile River View Trail, a | | | | estate of 19th century Quaker shipping merchant |
| grassy loop path, begins in the marshland along the | | | | Henry Cope. Across the 55 acres are plantings of |
| Delaware River and finishes in shaded woodlands. The | | | | groves and clusters of trees set amidst large swaths |
| trail takes you past several ruins of the military | | | | of grss fields in the English landscape garden tradition. |
| installation, camoflauged to river traffic, and features | | | | You can investigate more than 200 species, mostly |
| sustained views of the Delaware River and Fort | | | | native, in your informal explorations of the grounds. Old |
| Delaware on Pea Patch Island.REMARKABLE | | | | macadam paths lead to most areas of the |
| BRIDGESIn the farthest northern section of Tyler | | | | odd-shaped property. Also on the grounds are |
| State Park is the longest covered bridge in Bucks | | | | wetlands surrounding an artificial pond.BARNSWhile |
| County. The 117-year old Schofield Ford Covered | | | | many of the Hospital Farm's buildings have |
| Bridge burned in 1991 but after five years of fundraising | | | | disappeared, the unique dairy barn remains. Built in 1914, |
| the 166-foot, two-span crossing was entirely rebuilt by | | | | it is shaped like a wheel with four spokes. The fame |
| volunteers on its original stone abutments using | | | | of the hospital's dairy operation was widespread. In |
| authentic period materials and methods. An elaborate, | | | | 1961 alone, nine cows produced 1.1 million pounds of milk |
| reinforced wooden railroad trestle bridges a ravine on | | | | - more than 300 pounds of milk per cow per day.The |
| the Glen Trail. The trail runs by a stream under the | | | | Visitor Center is a restoration of a 1923 Sears & |
| trestle and there are sweeping views of Wenonah | | | | Roebuck mail order barn. A century ago Sears sold |
| Woods from the top.A walk through Brandywine Park | | | | anything and everything by mail - including kits for |
| provides a quick lesson is the history of bridge | | | | building houses and barns. The kit, which could cost as |
| architecture. The classical arch form is represented in | | | | little as a few hundred dollars depending on style, |
| grand style with the magificent stone viaduct across | | | | would include rough lumber, framing timbers, plank |
| the river and numerous reinforced concrete spans. | | | | flooring, shingles, hardware, sash and paint. Usually |
| There is even a small iron arch bridge over the mill | | | | shipped by train from the west, the barn kit would be |
| race. A prototypical 19th century pier and girder iron | | | | loaded onto a freight wagon and hauled to the building |
| bridge transports trains over the Brandywine. And the | | | | site for assembly by local carpenters.COOL |
| pedestrian footbridge across the water, the Swinging | | | | ROCKSForty million years ago an igneous explosion |
| Bridge, is a little suspension bridge employing the same | | | | occurred underground here and cooled very quickly |
| engineering principles as the mythical Brooklyn Bridge.A | | | | leaving behind a particularly fine granite rock. Tourists |
| floodplain is a safety valve for the release of a raging | | | | and students of geology alike made the pilgrimmage to |
| creek's overflow. Along the Paper Mill Trail, just off the | | | | the Falls of French Creek to study the rock formations. |
| Creek Road Trail, is an exhibit on managing these | | | | Granite quarries mined the rock and granite from Saint |
| protective wetlands that create a unique wildlife | | | | Peters once received an award at the 1893 World's |
| habitat. The stone double-arch bridge next to the | | | | Columbian Exposition in Chicago as "a fine-grained |
| floodplain exhibit was built in 1847. The fall line on the | | | | polished cube, a good building and ornamental stone." |
| Pennypack Creek was the natural choice for fording | | | | The quarries closed in the 1960s and many pits can still |
| the creek back to Indian days. William Penn was not | | | | be seen. Today the giant boulders in French Creek are |
| so patient in waiting for the tide to take the water | | | | ideal for your dog to sramble on - or just lie in the sun. |
| away each day and in 1683 he asked that "an order | | | | Mountain in State Game Land #157. The mountain is |
| be given for building a bridge over the Pennypack." | | | | essentially a ridge of diabase boulders and the trail to |
| Each male resident was taxed in either money or | | | | the top calls for almost continuous rock-hopping, a |
| labor to build the bridge, which, when completed in 1697, | | | | technique called bouldering. The basaltic rock provides |
| became the first Three Arch Stone bridge in America. | | | | incredible traction.And our vote for the coolest thing of |
| Designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark, the | | | | all on Philadelphia trails - the "Ringing Rocks" in Ringing |
| bridge over Frankford Avenue in Pennypack Park is | | | | Rocks Park where the rocks ping when struck by a |
| the oldest stone bridge still carrying heavy traffic in | | | | hammer - or thud on "dead " spots.copyright 2006I am |
| America. Germantown Pike was the first road to be | | | | the author of over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with |
| started in Montgomery County, dating to 1687 when | | | | your dog, including the |
| funds were allocated for a "cart road" from | | | | widely praised The Canine Hiker's Bible. As publisher |
| Philadelphia to the Plymouth Meeting settlement. Later | | | | of Cruden Bay Books, we |
| extended to present-day Collegeville, an eight arch | | | | produce the innovative A Bark In The Park series of |
| stone bridge was built to span Skippack Creek in 1792. | | | | canine hiking books found at |
| An equestrian trail crosses the bridge, which is the | | | | During the warm months I lead canine hikes as |
| oldest bridge in continuous, heavy use in America. | | | | tour leader for tours, leading packs of dogs and |
| Ashland Covered Bridge, built in the days before the | | | | humans on |
| Civil War; the adjoining Succession and Flood Plain | | | | day and overnight trips. |