Natural Bridges

	Just off Parrot's Ferry Road between Columbia and Angel's Camp is Natural Bridges State Park. Coyote Creek cuts through the karst region of Calaveras County. A karst is a limestone area where erosion has carved caverns, sinkholes and underground streams. Natural Bridges is a spot where the stream runs underground in a cavern forming bridges overhead.
	It's a great place to take some of the actors from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on a warm June day. We parked our cars and took the steep trail 300 feet down to Coyote Creek which meanders through the canyon. Just a few miles down the road it empties into New Melones Reservoir.
	It's a beautiful spot for a picnic, before our swim. The water is cool, ok, maybe it is cold but it is just perfect for a warm day.
	Just upstream from our picnic spot is where the creek emerges from the upper Natural Bridge. Water is constantly flowing over the top from a spring high up on the hill that forms the bridge.
	It's hard to tell how large it is until Tim stood at the opening of the cave. From here you can swim through the cave to the other end. The cavern gets high as you swim in and the water gets deeper as well!
	We found a few little fish that liked the crackers from our party plate.
	With the sun out, we warmed up before climbing out and heading home.