Tonto Natural Bridge

Winter session online poetry course completed, poetry reading done, four-day weekend before a new class begins -- time to get out of town. I chose a state park I've never visited -- Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. The state parks are closing down for lack of $, so I'd better visit some while I can.

The old guy at the gate looked me over skeptically when I drove in and went on about how steep the trail is. Ha! If I can climb up out of Walnut Canyon, I can get out of this one. It's only a quarter of a mile long with a 200-ft elevation change. I'm pleased to report that it was absolutely no problem. I'm stronger than I look. :)

The bridge formation is very pretty, with water showering down from above. I am so pleased the rainbow actually shows in the photo. I had only my iPhone for a camera. It was so cloudy when I left home I didn't bother to carry the good camera along. I wish I had. The zoom would have come in handy to capture the woman posing nude for a photographer on the rocks under the bridge. She was lovely, though a bit of a looney tunes taking it all off as chilly as it was.

I wanted badly to poke at the mounds of bright green moss on some of the rocks, but I played it safe and didn't climb down to it. Next time I'll bring my walking stick for balance.