33 B

I had an ulterior motive for wanting to search for 33 B (hm? You thought BMs were usually the ulterior motive? Not in this case!) When I traveled through this area three weeks ago, I saw a cute pygmy goat on a leash near the side of the road. I didn’t stop at the time, but my plan was to come back with Rich and somehow work the goat into the day’s benchmark-hunting adventures. The first thing I did when I got home was to figure out where I had seen the goat—and to see what BMs were nearby. 33 B was the closest.

Today we approached the old bridge from the west, taking T 348 from Route 292. At the fork where we would bear left to cross the bridge, a “Bridge Closed” sign was posted. We parked and walked across the open-grate bridge to the east side. The description and the topo map both indicate that the benchmark should be at the northeast corner of the bridge, but we saw no rock outcrop there at all. We saw only a very well-constructed stone wall. It’s possible that there is a rock outcrop further north that was covered by leaves, but the description puts the mark very close to the bridge.

There is a rock outcrop at the southeast side of the bridge (assuming the description might have been in error), but due to the construction on this bridge, the abutment at the site is now covered with gabions and the rock outcrop in that area was likely removed or covered.

I haven’t seen an open-grate bridge in a long time. This one, like many, is in rough shape. I wonder if the construction will eventually be completed or if the bridge will be permanently closed. One side has bright shiny new guardrail and new “Bridge Closed” sign, while the rail on the other side is still rusting and rotting away.

And yes, we saw the goat, after taking an unplanned detour around the closed bridge.