Moments in Dirt and Ink

Bears Ears National Monument Click for map. The "101 Ways to Experience San Juan County, Utah" brochure seemed to think that while going up the south fork for a mile was a can't miss, anyone spending more time in Mule Canyon would be rewarded for their effort, so today I'll try the north fork. I would have done it just after the south fork except for the whole losing my lens thing. While my hiking permit ($5 per person per week which can not be covered by an America the Beautiful pass) is still valid, I'll get in this one last hike in the covered area. There is a parking area just short of the bridge and it barely has enough space for me to squeeze in. Trail is marked on the other side of the road to go up the canyon, which isn't much more than a shallow ditch here. Start by the bridge for the north fork of Mule Canyon. I take a moment to find the benchmark on the far side of the bridge since that's how I roll, then start following the tra...

Bears Ears National Monument Click for map. Another suggestion from the "101 Ways to Experience San Juan County, Utah" brochure is Mule Canyon. They settle for slightly obscure directions instead of outright wrong ones which helps explain why I had a chat earlier with a couple who were trying to find it in Comb Wash. Well, they were trying to find a specific ruin within it, one pictured on the free map BLM hands out for the area. "That's it!" they shouted and I found myself gazing at an unremarkable ruin. (We figured out that they needed to go west of Comb Wash like it said, not search the west side of Comb Wash. There's a sign when you get there and everything, which ain't that common around here. There's no sign for the roads in Comb Wash. You just turn and hope you're there.) Clearly I have no judgment on such things because that unremarkable ruin is apparently the reason why I should totally visit Mule Canyon. It adds that if I have...