The Cloister

One of America's earliest religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German settlers seeking spiritual goals rather than earthly rewards. Gathered in unique European style buildings, the community consisted of celibate Brothers and Sisters, and a married congregation of families. At the zenith of the community in the 1740s and 1750s, about 300 members worked and worshiped at the Cloister.

This one is a four image panorama merged in Photoshop CC and finished off in Aurora HDR Pro. Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

Lime Valley Bridge

Here is a four image panorama of the Lime Valley covered bridge in Lancaster county, Pa.

Neff's Mill

One odd thing I found in Lancaster county was they don't really have a lot of areas around their covered bridges where you can stop, park and snap a few pictures. I saw lots of no parking and no trespassing signs near many of the bridges. To get this image I had to go on someone's property to shoot and didn't feel comfortable doing it so I just got the one shot and moved on. This could have been a tremendous image but the horses wouldn't co-operate in the short time I had, so for now it's just an image to say I was there once.

Long Horn

Impressive set of horns here. Some horns get to be six feet across. A truly magnificent animal. It took a bit of patience to get a good composition image but it was worth it.

Herr's Mill

Another covered bridge from Pennsylvania trip. This one is closed to traffic and needs to be restored. One of the longest bridges I have encountered as it double the size of most covered bridges. I am not sure if the doors are to keep people out at night or if they were part of the original bridge design.

Susquehanna Valley

I used eight images merged together in Photoshop CC to make this grand vista view of the Susquehanna valley near York, Pennsylvania.

Weaver's Mill covered bridge

Lancaster county, Pennsylvania has an abundance of covered bridges like the Weaver's mill bridge above. They are an interesting part of history and make great photography subjects. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members and flooring from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges have a lifespan of only 10 to 15 years because of the effects of rain and sun. Wooden bridges with covers last for centuries. Bridges having covers for reasons other than protecting wood trusses, such as for protecting pedestrians and keeping horses or cattle from shying away from water, are also reasons for covers on the bridges.