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Route 322

This is State Route 322 that heads out of West Chester and through Downingtown and beyond. It is one of the few roads around here that has a decent shoulder on which to ride a bike. As you get into Amish Country the shoulder gets even wider to accommodate house and buggies.
Bradywine Creek Trail

This is the trail head for the Brandywine Creek Trail. It is a nice alternative to riding along 322. It only goes for a couple of miles before you get back on the highway. I believe it is part of a Rails-to-Trails project.
Bradywine Creek Trail

It is darn pleasant to ride your bike on.
Gibson's Bridge

Gibson's Bridge is about halfway down the Brandywine Creek Trail and very hard to miss.
Gibson's Bridge

Nice woodwork on the interior.
Gibson's Bridge

A view of the Brandywine Creek from the one small window opening on the bridge.
Gibson's Bridge

The roof.
Gibson's Bridge

It looks as if a car didn't quite make it through the opening of the bridge!
Gibson's Bridge

The underside shows iron beams that would be part of a more modern renovation. There was an Eastern Pheobe nest under here. The adults did not like me checking things out at all.
Bradywine Creek Trail

The Brandywine Creek trail also links to a network of mountain bike trails. Zippy and I stuck ot the paved one.
Bradywine Creek Trail

This is a new pedestrian bridge on another section of the trail. Not quite as interesting as a covered bridge.
Route 322

Since I was honed into bridges on this ride, this is a train trestle at the other end of the Brandywine Creek Trail heading into Downingtown.
Old Cabin

This is the oldest building that I have come across in Chester County. It was built in 1701! It is in downtown Downngtown.
Victory Brewing

This place, the Victory Brewing Company, as only been around since 1996, but is probably way more popular than the old cabin. I mainly stopped here to take a photo of the place to entice my sister Teri to come up for a visit.
Route 100

After leaving Downing town I chose to ride up Route 100, mainly because it was a road that I have never ridden on. Most of it looked like this, and to be honest, I don't need to ride it again.
Larkin's Bridge

Here Larkin's Bridge. As you can see it looks like it was dumped off a truck onto the side of the road.
Larkin's Bridge

Here is an old photo of the bridge at it's original location back in the early part of the 20th Century.
Larkin's Bridge

And, here it is today. Looking pretty much the same!
Larkin's Bridge

The interior.
Larkin's Bridge

The underside seemed to lack all the added steal beams like the Gibson's Bridge had. I guess me and my bike are not a structural risk like a car or truck.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike

The famed Pennsylvania Turnpike. Not a bike friendly place.
Old Barn

This is an old barn not far from where the orignal bridge was located. The cornerstone on it was dated 1828.
Grubb's Mill

Another interesting location on the ride home was Grubb's Mill. It is mostly an intersection, but ruins of the old mill are still standing. These homes at the intersection were old, but I didn't see any markers with dates.
Grubb's Mill

Here is the ruin's of the mill.
Grubb's Mill

More ruins.
Grubb's Mill

Here is a corner stone, but if there was a date on here, it is long gone.