Owachomo Natural Bridge, Summertime Skies

Owachomo Natural Bridge from Armstrong Canyon, July 2016.

Late July at Natural Bridges National Monument. Time for a canyon hike in the summer heat. Fortunately, the late summer monsoon thunderstorm season is building again, after a disappearance of several weeks. Some cloud cover to blunt the searing afternoon sun.

The trail from the parking lot to Owachomo Bridge is only 0.2 of a mile. Down the hill and under the bridge. Then down to the stream bottom of Armstrong Canyon, where the big pool of water at the mouth of Tuwa Canyon remains.

The cumulus clouds building over Elk Ridge and Deer Flat made for a wonderful accent to the deep blue skies.

Photo location: Natural Bridges National Monument, San Juan County, southeast Utah.

© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg

Owachomo Natural Bridge, Summer Sunset

Owachomo Bridge at sunset, July 2015.

Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument is the grand old lady of the three massive sandstone bridges within the park. 

It's the oldest one because it's also the thinnest at the middle of its span. Only nine feet thick, many wonder when it will collapse, though I wouldn't bet on any time soon. It could be tomorrow, it could be a hundred years from now. Only the Earth knows.

On July Fourth I happened to be at Owachomo at sunset time. Thunderstorms had been dancing around the park all day, so what might happen at any particular hour was anyone's guess. Thunder rumbling, dark clouds. A savvy outdoors person wonders about if they should be in such an exposed place at that time. Balancing the risk against the possible reward.

The sunset cast a shadow of the Bridge on the opposite canyon wall. 

Then at sunset, the clouds opened a crack to the northwest and the warm yellow sunlight poured through from the upper right of the scene, illuminating Owachomo Bridge. Only in the summer is the sun far enough north to light this side of the Bridge. The dark storm clouds behind served to show it off even more nicely.

After the sun had set, I walked back up the trail to the overlook and made a nicely subtle portrait of the bridge in the dusk.

Owachomo Bridge at dusk, below the thunderstorm clouds, from the visitor overlook.

Photo location: Natural Bridges National Monument, San Juan County, Utah.

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Copyright © 2015 Stephen J. Krieg