The Bridges of Fairfield County

On Sunday, Brian and I did 5 caches in about 5 hours - that's a record for me. On two other occasions I did four in one day, and both of those times were with Kerry. This seems to be a great time for caching, because its cooler - geocaching in 90 degree heat really slows you down. I think Brian and I would have done more if I had them ready, but I thought 5 was more than enough.
Since it is fall and leaves are just beginning to turn, I figured it would be best to get out of Columbus and in to some of the surrounding areas. We chose caches that are along 33 between here and Lancaster, though we didn't get as far south as that - we spent a lot of time around Canal Winchester, which is kind of a charming little town. I had a covered bridge theme for Sunday - part of a 9 or 10 cache 'series' called.. The Bridges of Fairfield County (sadly, we never ran in to Clint Eastwood). I think all three bridges we saw were made in the Queenpost style. I couldn't find out much about what that means, exactly, except that it is another version of the Kingpost style created to span longer distances. None of the bridges were all that big, and more than one of them were either not the original bridge or had been moved to preserve it. The Hartman II bridge, off of Pickerington Road, has been relocated and sits next to some old locks, where the cache was actually hidden. The bonus was that there was another cache unrelated to the bridge that was only 500 feet away - 2 for the price of one. The Rockmill Bridge is above the starting point of the Hocking River, and that river has been running for a LONG time - you can tell by the erosion to the bedrock, which was really cool. This one was located next to an old gristmill that was constructed in 1799. According to the owner of this cache, that area is being turned in to a park. The third bridge, the Zellar Smith Bridge, is located in Pickerington. Its in a busy park, so we had to be pretty stealthy. I read some comments on this cache site, and it looks like the big Buckeye tree next to the bridge seems to draw a lot of people.
The first one of the day was in Groveport, called Log House. There was indeed a log house there, all decorated for fall. Looked like some sort of a meeting place for.. church groups or something, though it was originally built as a residence in 1815. This was located next to an old cemetery - and you know how I love the cemetery caches.
After our final cache, we decided to put the gps to a different use - to locate a nearby restaurant or tavern where we could have a beer. We found a place on High Street in Canal Winchester, and it wasn't half bad - they had Hoster and Newcastle on tap.
All in all it was a very successful day. Good thing, because Brian's first cache was the fiasco in Grandview (which I WILL conquer one day) so now he's seen what traditional caches are like. My only regret is that we didn't stop at that little greenhouse in the middle of nowhere to buy a pumpkin...
Pictures are courtesy of Brian (and his roommate Jason), as my mom has confiscated her camera after I took it hostage for the summer.

Zellar Smith Bridge. Built in 1906 and moved to this park in the 80's. 

Brian took this picture while stopped at a red light. Does anyone know when the next train is due? 

Starting point of the Hocking River, as seen from Rockmill Bridge. 

Rockmill Bridge. 

Pitfalls of caching. This construction was between us and the Rockmill Bridge - we had to force Gordie to calculate new directions.

The locks. I told Brian to get up against the wall - and he took me seriously.  

Some large fungus next to the locks - sitting on top is Jerry the Fish - the travel bug I picked up in Central Park (does that sound weird?). 

Hartman II - Queenpost style. 

Hartman II Bridge