Natural Bridges

• This national monument is accessed from Utah Hwy 95. It is almost due west of the town of Blanding and was stumbled upon by a prospector looking for gold in 1883.
  
  Within its boundaries are three natural bridges, all sculpted by streams; they are named Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo. The first bridge encountered on the one-way road is Sipapu:
  

  

  Though it was not obvious to us at this point, Sipapu is the largest of the three with a span of 268 ft and a height of 220.
  
  Big and bulky Kachina Bridge is a tad smaller in span and height but not easily viewed from the road. We came away with no photo.
  
  We saved our hiking time and energy for Owachomo, the most dramatic of the three:
  

  

  This is the oldest bridge and the most highly eroded, only nine feet thick at midspan:
  

  

  It looks larger than the other two bridges but park documentation says otherwise.
  
  [As you would expect, walking on top of these bridges is forbidden. Interestingly enough, during our visit we did see an old photo (circa 1900, perhaps) that showed a number of people all across Owachomo’s arch along with a wagon. Since returning home, we have been unable to find a copy of this vintage photo on the Internet. Perhaps, it’s best not to put such ideas in anyone’s head these days as it is uncertain how much longer this bridge will stand.]
  
  Walking under it on the stream bed did not improve our perspective because the bed falls off rapidly, then tumbles into a ravine.
  

  

  
  Playing tourists once again, we tempted fate by posing beneath the arch, even after reading that the arch could collapse any day now --- or, then again, it might last another century:
  

  

  The odds were reassuring.