NV/AZ/UT Road Trip: Natural Bridges National Monument

The first half of Day 5 was a visit to the Birthing Scene Stone, as previously posted. For the afternoon we penned a visit to Natural Bridges National Monument in Lake Powell, Utah. From Moab it’s a 2 ½ hour drive according to Google maps, but I felt like it took longer than that. Nope, not complaining because I enjoyed watching the passing scenery. We took 191 S and just drove straight. We even passed by Monticello, which was our home for the night. Most of the first part of the drive was hit by heavy rain. The rest of the drive was met with pleasant weather and sunshine. There were long stretches that saw us on our own without any other cars on the road. It is during these times that I get anxious. As much as I get a bit cray-cray in overcrowded places, being all alone also gives me the creeps - sometimes. However, whatever was bothering me was drowned by the beauty of the drive. We drove through a sandstone pass with humongous red rocks flanking both sides. It was beyond beautiful. Utah is just incredibly fabulous - if you are into this kind of landscape.

It was around 3 pm when we arrived in Natural Bridges NM. I went inside the Visitor Center to present my Annual Pass and to get a map of the park. There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot, which made me happy. I knew then that we’ll have the place almost to ourselves.

True to my expectation we saw one or two cars driving along in the park. There are three bridges to see. The first one on the map is Sipapu. This bridge can be seen from the overlook. We were really not into long hikes, so we made it easy for us to see the sights without going on hikes.

The second bridge is the Kachina Bridge, which was difficult to see from the overlook.

The third one is the grandest one in my opinion, the Owachomo Bridge. Or at least it’s the one that made a big impression on me. The Owachomo Bridge is easily seen on the overlook/viewpoint and there’s a short hike down to reach it and stand underneath it. My husband went for it and I stayed halfway under a tree and thought it’s best time for me to meditate and to be on my own for a short while. You can be overwhelmed by a to-see checklist that sometimes we don’t let the experience, the moment, the beauty to sink in and take a hold of us.

It was on Owachomo Bridge that we encountered people, not many, but at least we know we were not alone in this park. There’s not much to see other than the three bridges so we decided to end the visit after the husband came back from his hike. On the way back we were planning on stopping at the Visitor Center, but they were already closed for the day.

I was prepping for a long drive back, but the husband was keen to see the Butler Wash Anasazi Ruins, which was by the highway. We saw a sign on the drive here. Since I was still suffering from hay fever and somehow I was unsteady on my feet, I stayed in the car in the small parking lot. There is one other car - a camper - in the lot but I could not see anyone in there. Probably went for a hike. As I sat in the car, many scenes from movies about being alone in the parking lot and so many other crazy images came to mind but I tried to block them out. I really wanted my husband to see the ruins. There’s not much to it, he said.

The drive back to Monticello was as rewarding and long as the drive here from Moab. This would be our last day here in Utah. Off to Arizona next.