We drove west toward Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. Along the way in the middle of nowhere we saw a lone bicyclist. He was pulling a small trailer with a sign that said “Pedaling Until our Troops Come Home.”
This drive included some desolate but incredible scenery. Highway 95 is a scenic byway that runs through open cattle range. The land appears deceivingly flat and continuous at a distance, with the obvious buttes, however deep canyons, valleys, and dry stream beds criss-cross the area making Hwy 95 an extremely interesting drive. There are very long and windy stretches up and down with 8% grades. Sometimes we drove no faster than 25 mph uphill in 2nd gear.
After 3 hours and 130 miles we arrive at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. This time we didn’t camp in the park, but on public Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. This was a large sand and gravel lot ½ mile down a bumpy dirt road in the middle of nowhere only known to those who scour the internet blogs of past intrepid campers. We had the place all to ourselves (well a small, quiet group with tents arrived late and left early). Who else would be crazy enough to go boondocking in the middle of a high desert scene straight out of a western movie in the middle of the summer. Of course, it had no water or electricity and it was about 95 degrees. We parked the camper between some junipers and pines and took the truck into Natural Bridges NM.
A 9 mile loop road takes you to the overlooks of the 3 famous natural bridges: Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo Bridges. These were formed before the dinosaurs when desert streams gradually eroded the sandstone. Each bridge represents a different stage in maturity. From the overlooks one can hike to the bottom of the canyon and the base of the bridge. We made the steep 1.2 mile roundtrip hike that included some stone steps and wooden ladders to Sipapu Bridge. No water was flowing but we did manage to find a green pool of remaining water. Cottonwood trees and Gambel Oaks grew where the soil was more moist.We were a bit worn out by the heat, high elevation (about 7500 feet) and the climb back up. We decided not to do the hike to Kachina Bridge (the youngest) but just view it from the overlook.
The hike to Owachomo Bridge (the oldest) was short at 0.4 mile RT with little elevation change. We felt refreshed enough to head down. Out of the 3 bridges Owachomo is definitely the most stunning. Once again we had the place to ourselves. We lay on our backs on the flat sandstone in the cool shade directly beneath the bridge. The sight overhead was magnificent. We stayed for more than an hour relaxing and contemplating the scale and grandeur of the site. In the meantime the boys climbed rocks and played whatever boys do.
We had a quick drive back to the BLM “campsite” and cooled down with a frozen margarita (thank you propane). The adults relaxed surrounded by beautiful scenery while the boys constructed a solar still using a piece of peeled prickly pear cactus, a la Bear Grylls. We saw rabbits including a solid white one (albino?), lots of lizards but no rattlesnakes, neat singing birds and wild horse tracks and dung. We have also noticed quite a few hummingbirds all along the way. My theory is they are attracted by our brightly colored kayaks…
After sunset we looked at the stars while a large bat swooped down near William’s feet. It would have been ideal as there isn’t a single light for many miles around, but the moon was up and bright. We are not in Virginia anymore!
William and the boys slept in so Esther took an early morning walk. The search for interesting animals out before the heat of the day resulted in only birds, some lizards and 2 rabbits.
The Davids' Cross-Country Trip 