HISTORIC POINSETT BRIDGE | An Adventure Post
This past Saturday, I took a nice summer drive to the Upstate to find the second of the two historic bridges that I've heard about in "The Dark Corner". Nestled in the foothills above Greenville, South Carolina is the oldest surviving bridge in the state - Poinsett Bridge. Check out my blog post about Campbell's Covered Bridge to see my story behind my interest in these bridges: CLICK HERE.
The Poinsett Bridge was built in 1820 and was part of the original state road that ran from Charleston to Columbia to Asheville. This beautifully structured bridge has a 14-foot gothic arch in the middle of it allowing the Little Gap Creek to flow gently under it as it connects further down to the North Saluda River. Believed to be designed by Robert Mills, the architect of the Washington Monument, the bridge was handsomely made of large stone and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
I knew this bridge looked fascinating in the pictures that I had seen, but I was really surprised when I visited it. The road leading up to the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve was a pretty little mountain drive. The park was very well kept and the stillness and quietness at the bridge while listening to the water flow was peaceful. There are some trails that go throughout the preserve but I mainly just enjoyed the historic bridge this time. The lighting during my visit was just perfect as the afternoon sunlight was coming through the tree canopy directly on the bridge to brighten up the old mossy stones. The forest green trees surrounding it made a perfect crop for my images! I was a pleasure to make the trip up to this location on such a beautiful Saturday!
You can see my pictures of the Poinsett Bridge down below, but with it being such a wonderful afternoon in the mountains, I decided to take 276 up to the Blue Ridge Parkway before I headed back home. Along the way I stopped at Casaers Head, like I normally do when I'm making this drive, to take a peak off of South Carolina's most awesome view. The colors are just beautiful this time of year as all of the trees down below have their freshly green leaves back on them with the crisp blue sky above.
I was slightly disappointed when I made it up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, however. I was planning to watch an awesome sunset at a favorite location but a rain storm quickly came over the mountain causing me to get back in my car and call it a day. As I was driving down the parkway my friend and I were trying to decide where we wanted to eat on our way home. Fortunately, I had a the spur-of-the-moment great idea to stay up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and eat at the Pisgah Inn Restaurant! I have to say it's sort of a hidden secret which is guaranteed to not disappoint! Typically the Inn is used for romantic getaways or anniversaries, but the restaurant on the Blue Ridge Parkway overlook is top notch and welcomes any tired and hungry hikers! (I know by experience) While eating a belly filling country meal, you get to enjoy a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge mountains right out the window.
This pit stop definitely completed the successful day because as we were eating we heard people gasp with awe as everyone looked out the window and noticed the rain clouds had opened up to allow two bold rainbows to form over the mountain! Alittle disappointed that I decided to leave my favorite location early because of the rain, I was fortunate to be able to still see this awesome work of God! Many people, including the waiters, stopped what they were doing and either went outside or to the windows to take pictures of the colorful rainbows. My pictures below doesn't really do justice of how beautiful they were, partly because I had to run back to my car to get my camera and by the time I got back the rainbows weren't as vivid as they were before.
Thank you for reading this far! I hope that you enjoyed this adventure post and remember any of these images are available as prints on my website!
Poinsett Bridge, Greenville SC
Caesars Head, South Carolina
Looking Glass Falls, North Carolina
Mount Pisgah Double Rainbow and along the Blue Ridge Parkway
BONUS (If you've made it this far)!
About a month ago I had to get rid of my original "trekking" vehicle, my Nissan Xterra. It was a good truck that I loved to use all throughout Clemson, while living in Asheville, and through all of my trips! But, with a broken down vehicle comes a new ride! So here are some of my first pictures of my new car on it's first trip to the mountains! I think it'll do just fine. ;)
