Navajo Bridge, Vermillion Cliffs, LeFevre Outlook, and Lydia’s Canyon

On the way home from Sedona we stopped at Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, which has its visitor center at Navajo Bridge National Monument. Navajo Bridge was amazing! The water below the bridge was stunningly clear and the most incredible color I had ever seen. And the bridge was covered with California condors!! They are impressive birds. They would occasionally take off in pairs and fly over the river, which was beautiful to see especially considering they almost went extinct. It was heartening to know that they were recovering from the brink and thriving in this magical spot.

Abe particularly loved the slow soothing motion of the water
The girls staring at the actual wingspan of the California Condors they had just observed on Navajo Bridge.
Clarissa was tired and very weepy on the bridge. She did not want to have to hold my hand, but since her head fit through those diamond slats, I overrode her will on that one.
A look at Vermillion Cliffs. I am assuming it was windy.
After Navajo Bridge, we drove past an ancient Pueblo site. The girls got out to buy some Native American pottery and briefly explore the pueblos.
We grabbed some fry bread for lunch and ate it at the LeFevre Overlook, which is more breathtaking than any photo could capture. The LeFevre Overlook lets you see three national parks, a bunch of national monuments, and many more points of geological interest all at once. It expands well outside the frame of this photo and had us all open-mouthed. We were staring at Utah from an angle we’d never seen before and we were wowed! Also, the kids loved climbing all over this overlook. They were a mess of

After we passed Kanab Lydia saw a sign for Lydia’s Canyon Road! Of course we did a U-turn and checked it out. We spent the next thirty minutes driving up and down this canyon and daydreaming about buying a home in Lydia’s Canyon. We even stopped a family who was out walking and asked them about their experience living in the canyon. I guess it gets a lot of snow in the winter, which would kind of defeat the purpose of a vacation home…but it was fun to daydream!