By MARK STITH (Southern Ledger Writer)

Three covered bridges in northeastern Alabama may be some of the prettiest sights you've never seen. Tucked away in the rough and rocky ridges that mark the end of the Appalachians, these wooden spans do more than just take you over the river and through the woods (to grandmother's house, we go...). They let you in on the beautiful secrets that reward any weekend wanderer. You. Me.

Let's set the scene first. Swann, Easley, and Horton Mill bridges- sit nestled within a stone's throw (read: a few miles) of each other. Crafted from local, hand-hewn timbers in the early 1900s, they are still in use. People drive their cars, trucks, mo-torcycles, whatever across their tire-smoothed planks every day (with the exception of Easley, which is closed for repairs).
All of them are single-lane, so you have to make sure no one's coming in from the other direction. Driving across them is like an amusement park ride. For free. The long wooden planks creak and complain as your car rolls over them (kinda scary). The rushing river splashes over smooth, gray boulders beneath the boards. Sun-light blinks in and out like a strobe light as you pass the massive, criss-crossed beams that form the long sides. Horton Mill, just out side of downtown Oneonta, has a little parking spot with picnic tables. The other two have little pull-offs where you can park the car and explore. But, there's more to these bridges than just pretty places out in the country. They make you slow down.
Case in point. Me. I arose before dawn to see the bridges bathed in morning light and the last flickers of autumn. Not only did I get to admire them in the golden glow of a new day, but many more sights, sounds, and smells of the rural (and dis-appearing) South revealed themselves.

A beautiful white stallion grazing in a pasture. A bottle tree, glittering with green, brown, and frosted upturned bottles beside a modest, wooden-frame house. A weathered gray barn standing - just barely - beside a pasture filled with cows- a great, panoramic autumn scene. A chicken coop. A yard filled with pretty pink flowers atop massive, head-high shrubs (Confederate roses, by the way).
Now, how much did this cost me? Next to nothing. Where else can you see real horses, cows, and chickens, cross a covered bridge, walk beside a stream, and bask in a beautiful autumn day?

I have the answer. Your state. Your place. Every state in the South has preserved a few of their covered bridges. You may not be able to drive across them, but they all lead to a wonderful day in the country.

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(Note: To see these bridges, take the U.S. 231 exit off Interstate 59 to Oneonta) Horton Mill is on US 231 North of Oneonta on the left. Easley is located on US 231 about 2.3 miles east of Oneonta. Swann (my favorite, and the longest -324 feet) is located off AL Highway 79 about 7 miles south of Oneonta. The Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel's website, www.800alabama.com , has great links to information and driving directions to each bridge.

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