From Monument Valley, we took the scenic drive up past Glen Canyon to Natural Bridges National Monument. Along the way we had to climb 1500 feet up a switch backed gravel road with huge cliff drops, no room for error on this road! Natural Bridges is a small park with 3 natural bridges, two of these bridges are the largest in the world. The best way to see them all is by taking a 9 mile hike through a dried out stream bed. This was our single longest hike yet, but was relatively easy because there was very little elevation gain. We learned that a bridge is different from arch because of the way it is made; a bridge is made from water passing underneath, while an arch is created solely from the wind and rain. AT the conclusion of the hike I was feeling pretty good so we drove North for 2 1/2 hours to Goblin Valley state park. We arrived late and unfortunately the campsite was full! This was our first time that we had run into this problem, but we know it will not be the last. Unfortunately many parks fill up in the summer and weekends, but we did not think that would be the case in April midweek. Luckily we were advised that all of the land around the park is BLM land. BLM (Bureau of Land Management) is public land, so you literally camp anywhere you find a spot to pitch a tent. We drove a few miles from the park and found a road leading into a small gulley, where we found a flat spot for our tent and setup camp for the night. We would have to wait another day for a shower (the state parks in Utah have showers).
Photo Album: FTF Day 51-52
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