It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This

Warning—long blog, lots of photos!!

Friday was another day of riding and yes, I am getting a touch weary—--and so is Emmi!  It was another great ride—up to the top of Comb Ridge--a linear north to south-trending monocline nearly 80 miles long in southeast Utah and northeast Arizona. Its northern end merges with the Abajo Mountains some eleven miles west of Blanding. Wikipedia

We’ve done this ride before with Larry and Geri but it was new to Tom, Sandy, Mike, Cathy, Mike and Eileen.  Geri instructed all of us to bring our cellphones as once on top of the ridge we would have phone service in the “phone booth.”  It’s a rough, narrow trail all the way to the top but the views are so worth the bouncing!

While at the “phone booth” some of us were making phone calls and checking messages while others were working on Eileen and Mike’s RZR—they had been hitting rocks with the undercarriage and Larry showed them how to tighten the spring adjustment to give them more clearance—worked like a charm!!

Right before lunch we hiked down a very steep trail into the canyon for an up close view of Tower Ruin.  Lucky for us there were three very knowledgeable people all ready at the ruin—one an archeologist!!  We learned so much about the structure—it’s a two story structure and each story was built during a different era of the Anasazi time period. 

These deep grooves were from sharpening tools--and isn’t this the coolest petroglyph--

On Saturday we rode a new to all of us trail—Arch Canyon View Trail—we stopped at several overlooks which gave us a whole different perspective looking down on the canyon we rode through on Thursday—breathtaking views!!!  But geez was it windy, so windy in fact that the cowboy was afraid his hat was going over the edge--

chilly and gale force winds—not the kind of weather conducive to standing on the edge of a 500 foot cliff!!!

 Now, remember the photo of the guy standing on the top of that huge rock in the previous blog—we were thinking he was an industrious fellow to have climbed all the way up there????--

Well—when you are on top of the ridge, that climb out to the edge of the pinnacle rock isn’t so hard—someone even built steps for you to use!!! (see the red arrow below) And, no, I did not go out on the pinnacle! 

As we were eating our lunch it began to rain—we all donned rain gear—and the rain stopped!  Back at the bottom of the trail the cowboy and Larry talked the gang into trying a trail we flunked in spring, 2014 when still riding 4-wheelers.  YIKES!!!  It is amazing what these side by side ATVs will climb—see for yourself—it’s a short video. 

OK—I’m up to date now.  Tom and Sandy headed north to Minnesota Sunday morning and we left Mike and Eileen behind to finish their original plans as Larry, Geri, Mike and Cathy joined us as we headed north to Moab.  And oh, boy is Moab ever busy!!!  The boondocking location we’ve always used is full to the brim with toyhaulers and ATVs!