Natural Bridges National Monument
Another well-kept secret- this place is amazing! First, there are such dramatic landscapes and then down in White Canyon there are three- not just one- but three of the largest Natural Bridges in the world! (a natural bridge is formed by water, where an arch is formed by wind)
We hiked to the bottom of the canyon- three times- to stand under these bridges. Two of the hikes are strenous for sure- Sipapu drops 500 ft in .6 miles, Kachina drops 400 ft. in about .5 miles. The path is narrow, sheer drop-offs, tight switchbacks, ladders, stairs and hand rails ( you literally use them to hold yourself on the trail and pull yourself up), and we are at 6500 ft elevation. The hard work was well worth it! We were the only ones on the trail to and from Kachina Bridge, and barely saw anyone else on the other trails.
We are boondocking on an abandoned airstrip, right beside the road. The old pavement is a welcome relief from all the sand and dust! The road goes from Blanding to the two northern sections of Lake Powell; not much traffic, so it is relatively quiet here. We can comfortably boondock for 6 days. We carry 65 gallons of fresh water, can shower (quickly) every day. The sun is strong and bright, 13 hours of daylight, so our batteries charge up every day by about 3pm. We can use small amounts of AC for the coffee maker, TV to watch a dvd, and the microwave to reheat leftovers and still charge back up every day!
Bears Ears is a National Monument. Another cliff edge drive up a gravel road and we were between the ears and then behind them.
We can’t remember the last time it rained- weeks and weeks ago- we had rain one night (not even 1/4″) and snow flurries at 6500ft and accumulating snow at about 8000ft. Isn’t it April?

















