Friday April 26 2024

 Friday April 26

Great weather forecast for the day ahead – so we decided on a local hike in the park. The main attraction in the area are the sandstone arches. We set off to hike the namesake of the park, Natural Bridge. We tacked on the Rock Garden trail on a recommendation from the visitor center. The whole hike was fantastic, the arch was huge and amazing, we were surprised we were allowed to walk over top! Great views from up there. The Rock Garden trail was also interesting, it circumnavigates the rocky outcrop of the mountain that makes up Natural Bridge and the trail took us along the base of some very impressive sandstone cliffs. Plenty of interesting patterns in the rock created by erosion. Also along the trail were a multitude of spring wild flowers which we enjoyed photographing.

After all the hiking we returned to camp for a quick bite of late lunch then grabbed the laptop and headed to Daniel Boone Coffee Shop for afternoon coffee and a decent wifi connection. I made a couple of blog posts and Lydia edited some pictures and we enjoyed the excellent drinks and atmosphere at the café.

After we returned to camp we prepared diner and chilled out for the evening. A couple from a few campsites over from us approached us curious about Free-da. The were aware of the Alto and would like to downsize to one in the future. The currently have a large Class A motorhome which they like but find too large and not that convenient for exploring. They like the idea of dropping the trailer at the campsite and having the freedom to explore with the truck sans trailer for day outings. We enjoyed chatting with them, its so nice to connect with people along the way who share a love for camping and exploring and being in nature.

By the time darkness fell, all the campsites were full.

Natural Bridge Arch

Stairway to the top of the arch

Battleship Rock from top of Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge from Battleship point

Nice view from Battleship Point

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Natural Bridge

Cool erosion rock formations

Wild Irises

Hobbit girl

Odd looking plant

There are trilliums here!

Up against the wall

Hangin out

massive overhang

Happy couple

Rock Garden trail

Lassie, I've fallen in the well...