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