Natural Bridges national Monument is a relatively small unit
of the national park system in southeastern Utah which preserves three major
natural bridges and some Indian ruins in White and Armstrong Canyons . My understanding
of the difference between an arch and a natural bridge is that the erosion that
causes arches to be created comes from wind and weaker layers of sandstone
below a stronger one, while a natural bridge come about through erosion caused
by water flowing through and underneath it.

The road at Natural Bridges runs along the edge of the top
of the canyon so the bridges are below grade from the viewpoints. To really get
a good perspective of the bridges from below you need to get out of the car and
hoof it down into the canyon. I have done so on two previous trips to the area
in the 1990s and hoped to do it the afternoon of our visit as well. The delay
in crossing Lake Powell and long detour, though, resulted in us having to keep
out visit short as dusk approached. What I really recall liking about Natural
Bridges is that it seemed like it was not very heavily visited, maybe because
it lacks full national park status and is so remote. I recall even having the campground
to myself the two times I camped in the park.

We found a motel room for the night in Blanding, a town
where our worst fears about Utah where realized. There was no place in town
that served or sold beer and the found at the restaurant we ate at completely
fitting for the town’s name. Why don’t people in rural America like flavor in
their food? What would we do without Mexican and Asian immigrants spicing up
the culinary choices in America? The food might still all be about as bland as
it is in Blanding.