Hwy 24 | Capitol Reef

Highway 24 transverses the hundred-mile-long waterpocket Fold, once a formidable barrier to east-west travel.  Early prospectors who had been sea-men often called any such obstacle to travel a "reef".  The rounded white sandstone formations capping the fold bear a resemblance to capitol domes-hence the name "Capitol Reef".

Kachina and Owachomo Bridges

Some creationists cite what they believe to be various sculptures, carvings and other artistic representations of dinosaurs made by ancient cultures around the world. Most of these have been discredited as forgeries and misinterpreted objects, but creationists continue to use them as evidence for their peculiar view of earth history. Among the most oft-cited is a petroglyph of what appears to be an Apatosaurus-like sauropod on Kachina Bridge in Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument. 

Owachomo is a Hopi Indian word for rock mound.  On the upper left of the bridge is a rock outcrop which suggested the name for the bridge.

Owachomo Bridge looks different from either Sipapu or Kachina Bridge.  

Because Owachomo no longer straddles all the streams which carved it, it appears to be an arch.  

Flowing water is required to carve a hole through a rock wall to form a bridge, while an arch is freestanding and does not span a water course.  

Natural Bridges is famous for its three spectacular bridges, but the monument also contains smaller and less noticeable arches.

Sipapu Bridge | Natural Bridges National Monument

A strenuous hike rewards the adventurous with a closer view of Sipapu Bridge.  The trail leads to either a viewpoint part way down the canyon wall or to the canyon bottom where you can stand beneath one of the world's largest natural bridges.

Dinosaur Museum | Blanding, Utah

Although growing evidence of the relationship of non-avian dinosaurs to birds raised the possibility of feathered dinosaurs over the twentieth century, it was not until the mid-1990s that clearly non-avialan dinosaur fossils were discovered with preserved feathers. Since then, feathers or feather-like integument have been discovered on dozens of genera of dinosaurs via both direct and indirect fossil evidence. 

 

Introducing our trip mascot, Littlefoot!