We drove down to Blanding, Utah for a couple of nights so we could get out to Natural Bridges National Park, about 35 miles west. It has the highest concentration of natural bridges in the world.






Gorgeous drive out there. Lots of ups and downs. (We later took this same road with our motorhome using out engine brakes a lot going down the 8% and 10% grades).

 

The park has a 9 mile loop drive that has viewpoint stops and trailhead stops where you can get out and photograph the bridges or walk down to get under them. There are three major rock bridges. They are now named Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo.

Several names have been applied to the bridges. First named "President," "Senator" and "Congressman" by Cass Hite, the bridges were renamed "Augusta," "Caroline" and "Edwin" by later explorer groups. As the park was expanded to protect nearby Puebloan structures, the General Land Office assigned the Hopi names "Sipapu," "Kachina" and "Owachomo" in 1909.

The difference between and Arch and a Bridge is: the Arch is formed by water seeping down through the rock causing chunks to fall away and, eventually, form an arch. A rock bridge is caused by a meandering river that decides to cut through a rock instead of going around it.

Some of the bridges have no water or river going through them anymore. 






How did the bridges form?

As the White River and Armstrong River cut through the Cedar Mesa Sandstone they meandered and, instead of continuing in its meandering path, it cut through the rock faces and formed the bridge.

 



See if you can spot the bridge in this photo....


http://www.nps.gov/nabr/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm

In 1883, prospector Cass Hite wandered up White Canyon from his base camp along the Colorado River in search of gold. What he found instead were three magnificent bridges water had sculpted from stone. In 1904, National Geographic Magazine publicized the bridges, and in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt established Natural Bridges National Monument, creating Utah's first National Park Service area.

Naming the Bridges

Sipapu means "the place of emergence," an entryway by which the Hopi believe their ancestors came into this world. Kachina is named for rock art on the bridge that resembles symbols commonly used on kachina dolls. Owachomo means "rock mound," a feature atop the bridge's east abutment.http://www.nps.gov/nabr/learn/historyculture/index.htm

Living Soil

Living Soil

Biological soil crust is a living groundcover that forms the foundation of plant life throughout canyon country. This community of bacteria, lichens and mosses retains moisture, prevents erosion and makes critical nutrients available to plants.
 
Cryptobiotic soil crust is a living groundcover that forms the foundation of high desert plant life throughout canyon country. This knobby, black crust is dominated by cyanobacteria, but also includes lichens, mosses, green algae, microfungi and bacteria.Cyanobacteria, previously called blue-green algae, are one of the oldest known life forms. It is thought that these organisms were among the first land colonizers of the earth's early land masses, and played an integral role in the formation and stabilization of the earth's early soils. Extremely thick mats of these organisms converted the earth's original carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into one rich in oxygen and capable of sustaining life.

 When wet, Cyanobacteria move through the soil and bind rock or soil particles, forming an intricate web of fibers. In this way, loose soil particles are joined together, and an otherwise unstable surface becomes very resistant to both wind and water erosion. The soil-binding action is not dependent on the presence of living filaments. Layers of abandoned sheaths, built up over long periods of time, can still be found clinging tenaciously to soil particles, providing cohesion and stability in sandy soils at depths up to 10cm.Nitrogen fixation is another significant capability of cyanobacteria. Vascular plants are unable to utilize nitrogen as it occurs in the atmosphere.

Cyanobacteria are able to convert atmospheric nitrogen to a form plants can use. This is especially important in desert ecosystems, where nitrogen levels are low and often limiting to plant productivity.Soil crusts have other functions as well, including an ability to intercept and store water, nutrients and organic matter that might otherwise be unavailable to plants.

FLOWERS

 
Great sunsets at our RV park in Blanding.



This was a great stop. Not that long...that is, if you don't walk down to each of the bridges. We only did the one....half-mile round trip....and straight down! The others were over a mile+ in each direction, again, straight down. Imagine how many years it took for the rivers to carve out the side of the canyon walls to make these bridges.