Sope Creek Covered Bridge pictures

Pictures of the Soaks Creek Covered Bridge are rare.

The bridge was destroyed on Valentine's night, 1963, when my life-long friend Carol Joe Clayton had a head-on collision in the bridge. He was killed and the bridge was too.

While copying my mother-in-law's slides I came across the above pictures of the Soaks Creek bridge, when it was covered.

Carol Joe, the Covered Bridge, and Valentines

The grave is at Noonday Baptist Church.

As I grew up in Cobb County we had two covered bridges to enjoy. One was between Smyrna and Mableton and the other was between Marietta and Roswell.

Now we have one covered bridge.

Carol Joe Clayton had a head-on collision with the one between Marietta and Roswell. It killed Carol Joe and demolished the bridge.

It happened on a Valentine Night, February the 14th, 1963, when I was in the Navy.

Carol Joe and I grew up side by side. For about six years we lived next door to him and his family. He used to tell me he was born on Halloween. But his marker states he was born the day before Halloween.

At his mother’s wake a couple of years ago (on Super Bowl Sunday) I mentioned to his brother that I always thought Carol Joe was born on Halloween. His brother said, “Yep, born on Halloween and died on Valentines”.

I still don't know what day Carol Joe was born on. I wonder if the marker is wrong?

Which ever day Carol Joe was born he died on Valentines.

Wednesday Morning

Today I had a plan. It was not to just get up, drink coffee, listen to the news, fiddle with the computer and then go exercise.

Well, yes it was too. That was exactly what I did.

However!!! (pointing my forefinger upward to make a point) it is where I went to exercise. I went to the Silver Comet Trail, between 12 and 15 miles away.

The Silver Comet Trail is an old railroad bed, or trestle that is no longer in use by trains. Several organizations and counties got together and paved it for exercise purposes. I think it runs through three or four counties and I read someplace when it is complete it will be sixty miles long – which will just about take it to the Alabama line.

People walk, run, ride their bikes, and skate on the trail.

At different points they have rest rooms, bicycle shops, and at one point even a coffee shop that has a sign up that says “Fresh Donuts!” I bet donuts is a big seller among those trying to exercise…. I’m sure it gives some of those who are just starting to exercise a challenge. If they could only direct a fan to throw a donut scented breeze out to the trail.

I usually ride a portion of the trail a few times a year. My purpose in going today, is it is time for my bike’s 30 Day Checkup. I thought I might be able to give the bike mechanic the information he is looking for if I drove it a long time and I maybe I could detect something imperfect.

It is always a scenic ride over bridges; through short tunnels; new giant houses sometimes to the side, farms, gardens, greenery of trees, valleys, and many times you are in a cutaway path of bedrock or slate, that was made for the railroad many years ago. There is also a covered bridge within rock throwing distance, but I don’t think you can actually see it from the trail.

I don’t know, I have not studied the railways of Georgia history, but I would think that when it was a railway bed, it probably the trains coming through here were going to or just left a little section where to railways crossed, which was named Terminus. Terminus later changed its name to Marthasville and later changed its name to Atlanta.

After all, the Chattahoochee River is probably less than 5 or 6 miles away, and once you cross it you are in Atlanta’s city limits.

One thing was different than the last time I was on the Silver Comet Trail. On the news yesterday a man attacked two women, in the same area I was riding. When I passed people there seemed to be a distrust in the air. Very few lone women greeted me back when I spoke, waved, or nodded. I can’t say I blame them.

Afterwards, I went back to where I bought my bike and told the mechanic I heard a minor squeaking. He oiled and tightened everything up and off I went, happy.

Then, I went to my favorite Krogers to buy some groceries. It was sort of sad. They will close in about two weeks and they are reducing the prices… they just started doing that while I was there. My sadness was quickly replaced by greed as I started looking for some bargains.

Stovall Covered Bridge

This covered bridge is in north Georgia in Sautee Valley area. The sign beside it says it is The Stovall Bridge. You can not drive through the bridge any longer. It is for looks only. The road has been rerouted so you ride by and look at it.

The sign also states that it was a prop in the movie "I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN". I remember that movie from long ago. It was about a preacher and his wife that were new-comers to the area and how poverty stricken the area was. And I remember the sad event that one of the kids drowned near the covered bridge.

What I didn't know until recent years that a bunch of my distant Hunter relatives were extras in the movie. That is the good news, the bad news is that their next generation were extras in "Deliverance".

And yes, the fame went to our heads.