Day Three
Drove back up to Utah and camped out near the town of Bluff. This is the town that was founded by the Mormons who were sent from the town of Escalante down through the Hole In The Rock above the Colorado River near what is now Lake Powell (a.k.a. Reservoir Powell, Lake Foul). They couldn't make it work there so they kept going and founded Bluff. This was around 1890.
Anyway, the roads had some drying time and we got some information from the nice folks at the Kane Gulch Ranger District. They suggested Kane Gulch since we could hike right from a paved road.
There are two ruins in the first five miles so we hiked down the canyon to check them out. Mileage for the day: 10.
Typical waterfall scene in Grand Gulch.
Kiva at Junction Ruin. Note the wooden beam. This is typical of kivas and are used to support the roof. The roof would typically be dirt packed around some wooden supports.
Adrian and Betsy at Junction Ruin.
Another kiva at Junction Ruin. The wooden support for this one was cut during an excavation in the early 1900's. Bummer.
A kiva was a room dedicated to worship. It was typically underground but could be above ground also. It is rare to find fully intact kivas.
Turkey Pen Ruin. This is a really cool ruin. There is an upper and lower part. This is the upper part set on a thin ledge.
Turkey Pen Ruin.
Turkey Pen in black and white.
Typical scene in the canyon. It really is beautiful hiking, some of the best I've seen.