14 April ‘07
Saturday
After leaving Fort Verde, we headed east to Payson and a couple of stops before to see some local sites. We soon came to a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees that run clear across Arizona to California and onto the Pacific Ocean. In 1877 a prospector named David Gowan stumbled across a huge natural bridge while he was being chased by Apaches. He hid there in one of the many caves for 2 nights and 3 days before coming out. Once out, he saw that he had stumbled into something quite unique. As it turned out, he had stumbled into what we now know as Tonto Natural Bridge. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge is 183 feet high over 400 feet long and at its widest point, 160 feet. It is huge. The walk down the cliff is not the easiest hike, but it was well worth it. Once there, we were pelted with water coming from over the top while trying successfully to traverse the interior. There was a small river flowing through the tunnel, but we could cross it by jumping from rock to rock. Now it was time to hike back up to the top…
Now we were off to see Payson. Payson is a small and very charming town of 35000. If we were looking for a place to settle down, Payson would most likely be our first choice as we see it now, BUT WE’RE NOT LOOKING !!!
Saturday
After leaving Fort Verde, we headed east to Payson and a couple of stops before to see some local sites. We soon came to a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees that run clear across Arizona to California and onto the Pacific Ocean. In 1877 a prospector named David Gowan stumbled across a huge natural bridge while he was being chased by Apaches. He hid there in one of the many caves for 2 nights and 3 days before coming out. Once out, he saw that he had stumbled into something quite unique. As it turned out, he had stumbled into what we now know as Tonto Natural Bridge. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge is 183 feet high over 400 feet long and at its widest point, 160 feet. It is huge. The walk down the cliff is not the easiest hike, but it was well worth it. Once there, we were pelted with water coming from over the top while trying successfully to traverse the interior. There was a small river flowing through the tunnel, but we could cross it by jumping from rock to rock. Now it was time to hike back up to the top…
Now we were off to see Payson. Payson is a small and very charming town of 35000. If we were looking for a place to settle down, Payson would most likely be our first choice as we see it now, BUT WE’RE NOT LOOKING !!!