Comb Ridge

Comb Ridge is about 15 miles west of Blanding, and there is BLM land where camping is available.  It is a great location for visiting Natural Bridges National Monument and the many Puebloan Ruins in the area.

This was a dry wash when we arrived, but after several days of rain it was a raging torrent.  It really did meet the criteria of "too thick to drink, but too thin to plow".

This was at the camping area when we arrived.  Someone said there had been a pickup seen there, but for the week we were there we saw no one.  I guess they didn't want to deal with a wet sleeping bag and shoes.

On the rainy day, Max and I headed over to Halls Crossing on Lake Powell.  It was a long drive, about 75 miles one way, but it was dry and hot at the lake, not rainy.

There are ruins everywhere in the area.  These were off the side of the road on the way to Halls Crossing.

 The next day several of us headed over to Natural Bridges National Monument.  There are 3 natural bridges in the park and numerous ruins.  Most of the ruins are not noted on their literature and unless you have heard about them elsewhere or asked the ranger specifically, you won't know how to find them.

Sipapu Bridge, one of the largest natural bridges in the world.  There are paths to hike down to the bottom of each of the bridges, but due to time, we chose to only hike down to the 2nd bridge, not this one.

Horseshoe Ruins can be seen from the rim. It is located between the 1st and 2nd  bridges in the park.

Kachina Bridge, is one the youngest bridge in the park.

We hiked down the 600 feet drop in 3/4 of a mile to the bottom.

There was water in the wash, so we had to be careful or we would get our feet wet.

We wanted to hike down here because of the petroglphys and pictographs and ruins.

Both along the bridge walls, as well as the cliffs nearby where the ruins were located, there were lots of pictographs and petroglyphs (old time graffitti is what I call it).

These hand prints were all over the walls in the Kachina Bridge Ruins.

The Kachina Bridge Ruins were older than many we have seen.  Instead of just using rocks and mud as a morter, they plaster the mud over the rocks in these ruins.

There were several butterfly pictographs.  The info on these ruins speculate it might have been a symbol of this clan.

Looking through the bridge from the bottom.

You have to look close to see this bridge.  It just blends into the background.  This is Owachoma Bridge, the oldest in the park.  The bridge is only 9 feet thick.