Today we did the Comb Wash Trail and were once again immersed in such incredible history. We entered the lower part of Comb Wash and were greeted by a sign that gave a brief recap of the difficulties faced by the Mormons and their scouts in getting across the massive sandstone obstacle that the Comb Ridge presented. Further down the trail was another sign at Navajo Springs. This sign described the situation on December 27, 1879 when the starving Mormon scouts used an ancient Pueblo trail and made it over this ridge and to food and shelter in what is now the town of Bluff. We followed sign posts along the trail painted with a wagon. This trail followed the same one taken by the early pioneers. We came to the infamous San Juan Hill where these Mormon pioneers decided was the most feasible place to try to cross this rugged ridge. It was a most brutal crossing and documented in several texts.
As we continued along this trail we came to an area called The Rincome. In 1885 a trading post was established here at the point that was the most popular for crossing the San Juan River. All that remains are a few stone walls from one of the buildings.
Further down this trail we came to the River House Ruins. These ruins were by far the best we have ever seen. As you can see from the pics it is still fairly well preserved although is fragile. There were about a dozen rooms and a circular kiva which is some sort of a religious structure. There were pictographs on the walls and handprints but I did not see any of these. I am trying to convince John that he should take me back there so I can see all the things I missed the first time. There was also an area of petroglyphs that I didn't see as well but the desert varnish is apparently supposed to be slowly reclaiming them and some are difficult to see. I really need to go back there!! This trail, like so many around here was a spur trail so we made our way back to the start and of course headed down another one.
The Lower Butler Wash Trail was one that consisted of a bit of rock but mostly sand. Being a wash, you could see clear evidence of the force of the flash floods that are so prevalent in this area when it rains. There were supposed to be cliff dwellings along this trail as well but it soon became obvious that one had to hike to see these. John did mention that we would probably be dead by the time we got to any ruins!! I, of course, said that we probably would NOT be dead but would probably wish we were by the time we got there!! Needless to say, we stayed in the truck -- we have two boys to think about and we are not done irritating the hell out of either of them yet!! Lower Butler Wash travelled the east side of the Comb Ridge and once we finished this trail we accessed the upper section of Comb Wash Trail and travelled down the west side of Comb Ridge. We travelled on much the same type of trail on this side of the ridge and saw some wild life (cows) along the way!! We saw no real wildlife other than birds and a few little rodents scurrying across the trail. Nice trails today, nothing crazy and not once did I have to pray to any higher powers!!
Turning back onto the Valley of the Gods road, John noticed a grave site so had to stop and check this out. This was the site of a tragic bus crash on January 7, 2008. A bus carrying 51 people returning from a ski trip in Colorado failed to negotiate a turn on this narrow road and went into the deep ditch and rolled several times loosing its roof in the process. Nine people died and the rest suffered injuries. Some people on the bus were as young as 5 and 6 years old. The accident was discovered by a second bus carrying the rest of the skiers. The site is actually a mini shrine to those that died with personal items from the victims as well as pieces of the destroyed bus lying at the base of the monument. It was very sad, especially when I saw a child's shoe lying among the items. In April of 2009, the National Transportation and Safety Board released their findings and said the bus was traveling between 88 and 92mph and that driver fatigue was likely the "root cause" of the crash. The driver was 71yrs old and had a clean driving record. It is believed that he suffered from altitude sickness while in Telluride, Colorado with the skiers and consequently did not get much rest. He received minor injuries in the crash. So here lies yet another example of tomorrow being promised to no one.
The remaining pictures are a few of the bus along a red rock cliff and a few of Hogan. He is loving this life. Then, there is the lovely sunsets we get to experience. What a life!!
