It seems like every time I go to Maine a good portion of the trip ends up being weird excursions and a search for shoes. This time was no different as the hot glue holding my mother’s hobo shoes together was not working any more and the amount of shit she was getting for wearing them to literal threads was becoming too loud to ignore. Still, our trip was almost over so we decided not to go too far. A trip to Pennywise, the town’s punderfully named thrift store would have to do. She’d end up with three used pairs of shoes for $6 and I… got distracted by flowers growing in the park across the road.
Having at one time briefly lived in Pittsfield I was aware of this little park but I’d never bothered to check it out, figuring it was probably just a small stretch of green space for the nearby apartment building.
I was surprised to see that although very small this park was very well maintained and quite beautiful. It offered a cute little fountain at one end, a bountiful assortment of flowers spread throughout, a sweet view of the river, a memorial stone to the local doctor it was dedicated to, and several benches with which to enjoy the tranquility.
As such this micro park seems quite an enjoyable place to perhaps have a picnic if you’re in town.
Today’s little adventure started with the usual – this time it was my mother trying to figure out where this pretty bridge she kept seeing on FaceBook was located. It claimed to be in Pittsfield Maine, the town she grew up in, but she had no recollection of it. This isn’t unusual for my mother…. she’s the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet but she has the attention span of a gnat. On several occasions in the past I had to inform her her cousins were the offspring of her aunt who she swore up and down was a childless spinster. And so it goes… A week of speculation on a bridge…
As it turns out there is indeed a snow mobile bridge in Manson Park, right past the center of town. It claims to be the longest pedestrian suspension bridge over the river but I can’t for the life of me figure out if it has a name or who put it there. Oh well! The mystery continues!
I have been to Manson Park many times over the years, always during the big Egg Festival. It’s a really nice park with a full baseball diamond (complete with dug out) a public swimming pool, several play ground type areas, some scenic picnic spots near the river, and lots and lots of open space to run wild and free on. Honestly this park is better than most city parks I have seen. STILL, I had no idea what this whole damn bridge debate was about so I herded my mother in the car and off we went.
I parked in the lot aside the river and it didn’t take me long at all to locate the bridge. I could see it, though I was uncertain how to get there, I knew I could because there were two women sitting out there chillin’. I walked alongside the river until I couldn’t anymore and found a footpath through the grass not far away which led into the woods and onto the bridge.
THIS BRIDGE IS MENTAL. No seriously, it’s proper scary. It’s a long suspension bridge weighted down on both sides by trees. Trees which, mind you, had grown in the past 30+ years and who were literally being slowly cut down by the wires… This DIY Maine engineering is common out here but always scares the crap out of me. Getting onto the bridge was no better. It swayed and swung in the breeze, lurching back and forth and wobbling heavier with every step. The two women chilling noticed us walking out and they walked off…. they probably know something we don’t. By the time I got to the sections that were missing boards I was more than a little unnerved. If you’ve ever seen the video of 
All that being said it was gorgeous! And attached to a trail on either side which led god knows where… I made my way up to the train tracks before turning around… 85 degree weather will put a damper on anyone’s desire to explore! All and all this was totally worth it… if not just to be grateful for being alive…
