Hello friends!

Sully and I went on a lovely trip in the mountains over the weekend, ending with a breathtaking tour of Natural Bridge on our way home. Although pictures can’t convey the grandeur of this massive rock formation, I’m excited to show you the ones I got of the bridge as well as the beautiful path beyond it.

Read on for stone towers, charming streams, and pretty wildflowers.

The main reason this bridge is breathtaking is it’s massive size – over 200 feet tall. Which means you really have to be there and walk under it to fully appreciate it. Still, here’s a picture to give you an idea of what it’s like. (Note the tiny people walking underneath.)

Here’s the bridge from the other side. I loved the way it curved around the blue sky like a stone picture frame.

I kinda wanted to walk across the top but I don’t think that part was readily accessible to an average tourist. As you looked up, you could see drips of water falling from small holes in the stone.

The lower, inside walls of the bridge were damp with moisture, giving the rocks a strange, wet-clay appearance.

Most of the best full-length shots ended up being phone pictures, but here’s a closer-up DSLR shot. The weather was perfectly sunny and rather warm that day which made for beautifully contrasting blue sky.

I had fun making abstract compositions with the overlapping arch shapes.

After fully appreciating the bridge, we continued down the path beyond it for about a mile – highly recommend if you end up visiting as it’s a lovely, easy hike. The water just past the bridge was a mesmerizing shadowed blue.

Parts of the water looked green or teal – so pretty against the white foam of water crashing on rocks.

I kept an eye out for flowers as we walked because… well, you know me. 😀

Another thing hard to convey in pictures was the contrast of deep, blue shadows and warm, bright sunlight from varying patches of steep cliffs and open areas. The high walls gave a majestic feel to the landscape.

Honestly one of my favorite pictures and sights from our walk was these gorgeous little bunches of hepatica scattered around. I think they’re my new favorite wildflower. I mean… look how perfect!

I love the lavender color and delicate centers. Makes me want to paint them. 🙂

Farther along, water gushed from a small rock cavern, labeled by a nearby plaque as the “Lost River,” a stream with it’s source hidden from human eyes.

Another wildflower break. 😀 Not entirely sure what this one is but it reminds me of Star of Bethlehem.

So much interesting rock! I had to capture the mottled lichen pattern on this one.

The sunlight on the stream was so intense in places that it made the water look kinda pink. You can see green highlights at the top of the picture and pink on the bottom. Strange but beautiful.

A pretty little waterfall tumbles down at the end of the path. Also kinda hard to photograph, but it was lovely to watch and listen to.

I decided to try long exposure water shots on the way back. It turned out pretty well, although I would have needed a tripod to take professional long exposures. Still has some nice blur here.

I love this picture! The sunlight illuminated a length of this rock before the deep green water blotted it from view.

Another peek above and below the surface: a floating leaf travels above a sunken log.

Despite the day’s warmth, the tall cliffs kept some areas so shaded and cool that icicles hung from the sides. So neat!

Besides pretty flowers and water, there were also lots of old trees full of character. My favorite!

We’ll end with a shot taken on the way up the 130 or so steps to where the visitor center stands. It was a good excuse to stop and catch my breath, haha.

I hope these photos could convey at least a little of the peace, beauty, and grandeur from our walk. It was a refreshing stop and one I’d highly recommend. I still have plenty of pictures from the rest of our vacation, especially of the Blue Ridge mountains, so stay tuned for part 2 of this series! 🙂

Which pictures were your favorites? Have you been to Natural Bridge?

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D7200 and a 35mm lens, plus my phone for a few of them. Edited with Lightroom.