During our search for the exact trailhead location, we came across a few other features located very near us in Blanding. We stopped by both on the way out of town. First up was the Nations Natural Bridge, a small rock bridge extending across the edge of a wash. Very nearby were the Blanding Ruins.
Nations Natural Bridge. You have to look hard to see the gap on the backside of this rock bridge.
Blanding Ruins tucked into the rock wall
Moon above the ruins
After our quick stop, we were back over to Hwy 95 and right back out to Mule Canyon. Some hiking notes we discovered through our internet searches said to go farther down one of the dirt roads we looked at yesterday. It said it was just 0.2 miles to the trailhead, but yet again we didn't see it. I drove almost two miles down the dirt road and as usual for southern Utah, the dirt road deteriorated quickly. We again traversed some things that pushed the limits of a Chevy Impala before we turned around and navigated them again on our way back out. There were other people looking for the trailhead too and we noticed one of them had parked along the edge of the road in a small bottom. The road was wider here so I pulled over thinking maybe it was wider for parking. Then we saw a signpost in what I thought was the ditch. Sure enough, there was the trailhead. If you ever want to do this hike, start your directions from the Mule Canyon Ruins. Drive east on Hwy 95 from those ruins and turn left on the first dirt road. Go to the bottom of the first downhill and park where the road is slightly wider. The trail goes in on the left. You can barely see the marker even if you know where it is. It is now labeled in the accurate location on Google Maps, but is titled "Mule Canyon Trailhead" rather than "South Mule Canyon Trailhead." The Mule Canyon Ruins and South Mule Canyon Trailhead seemed to be confusing to most internet maps so just be aware if visiting.
Heading up South Mule Canyon
Old benchmark near the trailhead.
We made it to the first ruin after 1.3 miles of hiking. The first one was the best one, the House on Fire. It was still a little shady when we arrived, but we stayed long enough for the morning sun to get into the canyon and light up the rocks. There was another couple there when we first arrived, but they left after a few minutes and we had the ruin to ourselves to take photos as the orange color came upon the rocks. It was definitely the best ruin I have ever seen and a highlight of the trip for sure.
Coming up to the House on Fire ruin
Shannon grabbing pictures
House on Fire when the morning sun lights it up.
We continued hiking for another mile, looking for other ruins that were supposed to be deeper into the canyon. A paper I found obout the trail said there were eight ruins in four miles and gave mileage markers for each one, but we only found one more out of the first five. We finally had to turn back as the clock was ticking on us making it through Denver before the storm. We ended up hiking 4.5 miles total. We finally completed our mission of finding the House on Fire!
Another ruin up in the rocks
Water pocket in South Mule Canyon
The trip to search for South Mule Canyon took us in the opposite direction for heading home, so we had to go back to Blanding and then continue north on Hwy 191. That took us through Monticello, UT, where we stopped to check out the Monticello Utah LDS Temple. There were some good fall colors that were extra bright on a sunny day.
Momticello Utah Temple
Bright colors in the back
The next stop was Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument near Canyonlands National Park. We have been into Canyonlands before, but only on the north side of the park, which only connects to the south side with 4x4 roads. You have to drive all the way around Moab and nearly all the way south to Monticello to come into the south side on a paved road. Newspaper Rock is another petroglyph viewpoint, this panel being more protected by the weather. The pictures and carvings are much more preserved and more easily read. They also cover the largest time period of any single set of petroglyphs known. The earliest carvings date back about 2,000 years ago. The later ones being by European settlers.
Rock along Hwy 191. It had a hole in the side big enough to drive a car through. Wonder what's inside...
Newspaper Rock
Not sure what that guy is at the top or what he is doing.
First flying squirrel I have seen
Double suns attract lizards.
We made one more stop before reaching Moab. We stopped by Wilson Arch, which is right along the highway. We dropped off our Farmington Rocks rock we found the day before at Sand Island. Hopefully, it is found soon and moved along to somewhere else. Outerbike was going on in Moab this weekend so there were even more bikes in the area than usual. I wanted to ride so bad, but it was already after lunch and we had to get moving now to get through the mountains before the winter storm.
Wilson Arch
The drive home on I-70 was the first time I have ever been into Colorado. We made just one stop for dinner at the Eagle Diner in Eagle, CO. I wanted a bison burger before we headed home where bison is hard to find. Otherwise it was hammer-down to get through Denver before the storm. The gorges and mountains were beautiful in the afternoon sun.
Gorges along I-70 in Colorado
One of several long tunnels on I-70 in Colorado
We got to Vail before the rain began. As we climbed over the mountain passes, the rain turned to snow and quickly started to pile up on the road. But the road crews were out and plowing the roads well. We had a few sketchy moments descending, mostly from the traffic rather than the actual conditions. It was a mix of sleet and snow as we passed through Denver right at 9pm, then heavy rainfall for about 30 more miles east. The wind was insane for the rest of Colorado and into Kansas. There were literally hundreds of tumbleweeds blowing across the road. It was so cool!
We drove all night to cross Kansas, stopping for breakfast in Kansas City just after dawn. The trip home was a smooth one until we stopped for gas in the middle of Missouri and I got my finger jacked by a door. I was trying to go into the bathroom. The door had a looped handle that pulled open from my side. Right as I reached my first two fingers around the handle, a guy came bursting out of the door. I don't know what he did in there, but he was definitely fleeing the scene. My fingers got bent around the handle into a really awkward position and I could feel some cracking in my proximal phalange, which is the longer of the three bones that make up your finger. It hurt so bad I could barely relax enough to pee even though I was about pee on myself as I got out of the car. It was already swelling by the time I got back to the car. I told Shannon what happened and that I was pretty sure it was fractured. There was no point in stopping by a hospital though. All you do for a broken finger is splint it. We just kept driving and I tried not to use it. It looked straight so I wasn't that concerned with it. Mainly I was just thinking about whether it would effect my braking on the mountain bike as it was only a few days until Race to the Canal at LBL.
It was a weird way to end the trip, but it in no way put any sort of damper on this vacation. It was awesome from start to finish. The weather got us a few times while at Gma's, but considering it was October, I think we lucked out for the most part. This was one trip I will never forget. I never thought the desert could be so fun!
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