Posts Tagged ‘Cedar Mesa’

Kachina Natural Bridge

Kachina Bridge

Kachina Bridge lies between Sipapu Bridge to the north and Owachomo Bridge to the south in Natural Bridges National Monument.  Kachina is a Hopi word that refers to spiritual characters – Hopi Kachina dolls are made to represent one of the specific spirits.  The span of Kachina Bridge has been reported by Wilbur and Shelley to be ~192 ft.

The image above was recorded on 2/14/2009 at about 14:00 MST (UTC-7) using the Nikon D700 and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 24mm.  The exposure was f/16 at 1/200s with an ISO of 200.  White balance was set using the WhiBal card, except that instead of the indicated tint of -14 (color temperature 5700 in ACR5.2) I used -4 to prevent the sky and snow from becoming too cyan (green).

The bridge was named for the rock art that adorns the eastern and northeastern faces of its base, and a false color image of a portion of the Kachina Bridge pictography is shown below.  Hand prints are a common signature element of rock art in the region.  This image was recorded in the summer of 2006 using the Nikon D70s with the AF-S Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70 f/3.5-4.5 IF-ED lens.

Kachina Bridge Pictograph

Sipapu Natural Bridge

Sipapu Bridge

Sipapu Bridge is the northern most of the three major bridges in Natural Bridges National Monument.  The bridges were discovered by a miner named Cass Hite in 1883.  Sipapu is a Hopi word that means ‘place of emergence’.  Bridges are the result of erosion due to water flow, and these structures are distinct from arches that are formed by freeze/thaw action and seeping moisture.  The bridge is almost directly in the center of the image.  In real life as here, it can be a little difficult to discern the bridge.  Sipapu is one of the world’s largest bridges, with a span of ~225 ft and a height of ~144ft. For more information on Sipapu and other natural bridges and arches, check out the web pages of the The Natural Arch and Bridge Society and UtahArches.com.

The image was recorded on 2/14/2009 at 13:00 MST (UTC-7)with the Nikon D700 and the PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED set at -6 mm shift.  Exposure was f/16 at 1/125s with an ISO of 200.  White balance was established using the WhiBal card and was set in ACR5.2 at a color temperature of 5700 and tint of -14.