Utah Moto Day 3

Note to self: don't buy a motorcycle battery from Walmart. iPhone charging system is having problems due to the failed battery in my bike. So basically this means I'm not uploading gps coordinates as often. Not a huge deal considering were pretty much out of any coverage area most of the day. Just a side note, Van is carrying a sattellite phone in case of any unexpected emergency.

Day started with a ferry ride across Lake Powell to Halls Crossing. The Colorado river is definitely a geographical obstacle inside our state. No riding through the middle of it like muddy creek.



A few miles down the highway we stop at Castle Creek ruins which I've never seen despite the fact you can pull over in your air conditioned car and walk right up to them.



Now a good 60 miles of pavement to the Kane Gulch ranger station at the head of grand gulch where we are supposed to pickup a permit to visit the spectacular but hardly known "Moonhouse" ruins. But of course the ranger station is closed so we proceed anyway and pay our fee at the start of an old pioneer Mormon trail heading east into comb wash.



The moonhouse is considered the largest Anasazi ruin complex on the entire cedar Mesa. Consisting of approx 49 rooms in a quarter mile, this site housed many ancient people. The white paint and dots in the photo below is where it's name originates.









I'm sure the reason they aren't more popular is because of the location. The road itself would not be good for the mini van and the hike down to the canyon floor would not be suitable for the elementary field trip. Definitely an experience to check off my bucket list.

We then descended into comb wash which gets it's name from the huge comb ridge to the east. This entire ridge is loaded with Anasazi ruins which I've yet to see. Here's a photo of Van resting as we head north along comb wash.


We then crossed hwy 95 and rode our bikes up the posey trail to the top of butler wash where we ended our day hiking down to the tower house ruin. This was my 2nd time to tower house. I took Allison and the kids a couple weeks ago while the weather was still spring like. Here is a photo of tower house with a rare candelabra cactus which I've only seen here in Utah.



Tomorrow we head north through beef basin and enter the needles district of canyonlands national park on the south end. We hope to make Moab tomorrow night via the lockhart basin. Stay tuned.

Total Miles for the day: 139
Total Miles since home: 582