Day One
Woke up from our motel to find several inches of new snow (!) on the ground. Now, precipitation in this area can ruin a vacation because the access roads to the trailheads are not paved and in this part of the country the soil is a clay-type substance known affectionately as Adobe mud. It can bog down even a four-wheel drive truck instantly. So we decided to spend the day visiting sites that had paved roads to them and then we would take off for Monument Valley, AZ and Canyon de Chelly, also in Arizona, while waiting for the weather to change and the roads to dry up a little.
Camping would be a bit wet in all this snow so we motel'ed it to wake up to......
a coupla new inches the next day. Bummer.
Natural arch near Butler Wash ruin.
Butler Wash Ruin. The ruin can be seen in the top-most recess.
Natural Bridges National Monument. Had the whole trail and bridge to ourselves. This is Sipapu Bridge, one of three in the monument.
Sipapu Natural Bridge. A natural bridge is different than an arch (like the ones found in Arches National Park). Natural Bridges are formed by water wearing away at the base of an obstruction that forces the river around an ox-bow type feature. Over the years the water breaks through the obstruction and the bridge is formed.
Kachina Natural Bridge.
After leaving Natural Bridges National Monument we headed south down off Cedar Mesa. This shot is a view off the edge of the mesa looking at what is known as Valley of the Gods.
This is from the valley looking up at Cedar Mesa.