Rainbow Bridge

Did you ever do something so tried and true it could be called cliche, yet end up getting your sox knocked off? I mean did you ever do something like stand on the boardwalks around Niagara Falls and been surprised to have water spray on you from such a distance you hadn’t realized it was possible? Ever spit into the Grand Canyon and surprise yourself by just how far it could go? Anything like that?

I had one of those moments while on Lake Powell. I’ve known about Rainbow Bridge for a fair chunk of my life, but had never gotten a good view of it before because the best way to get a really good view of it involves a boat. Ok, a boat and some walking.

When it turned out we could go see it, I became fixated on going. It was that or go where the fishermen go, and why bother when none of us fish?

We started our adventure at the crack of dawn by taking the motor boat into the correct waterway. At least we thought it was the correct water way.
Apparently some clown had come along and used duct tape to create an arrow going the opposite direction. We didn’t get close enough to the sign to see that it was fake until we had already gone to the end of the wrong spur. By the time we got a chance to take a picture, the ranger had removed the duct tape, along with some of the paint under it. The correct arrow shows here.

It can be hard to tell which way to go, the water ways got narrow, and you had to go very slowly because it was a “no wake” zone. The slower you go, the harder to steer. Good thing we were in the motor boat and not in too big a hurry. You should have seen the faces of the people who came after us – including a houseboat which had clearly gone the wrong way.

Once you get to the right place, you have to dock, then walk. We’re not exactly sure how far because someone with tape got a hold of the mileage sign too. Either it was 2/3 a mile or a mile and a quarter. Either way was fine by me.

It starts off with a boardwalk that kind of twists and turns, eventually turning into dirt.

There are times when you catch glimpses of it.

You can see it coming for a long way. When you finally get to the base, the thing that stands out the most is that it is really,

really

big.

Well duh. It’s claim to fame is that it’s the worlds largest natural arch. I knew that going it. I knew it was going to be big. I just forgot that I’m not on the same scale.

So how about you? Anything catch you by surprise lately?