As some of you probably know, I like exploring the Southwest for Indian Ruins. Oh wait a minute, they are not called Indian Ruins, but Anasazi Dwellings. Turns out that the term Anasazi means enemy so apparently that term is offensive to the Indians. So in today's wokeness, we now call them Ancestral Puebloans. Whatever. They are old houses where people of long ago and who are now dead used to live. Don't think they'll be offended. Anyway, as we have done before, we went looking for these places in Southern Utah around Cedar Mesa and Bears Ears National Monument. Because there was to be some off-roading involved in finding these places, we hooked up the off road trailer to the 4-Runner and heading out bright and early.
One specific ruin we were interested in has been given the name, Doll House. I have seen on-line posts about it and a YouTube video or two. Directions were either non-existence or lacking in any clarity. All I knew was that it was a long way from pavement on Forest Service Roads going up over 9,000 feet. Finally by doing more research I found some detailed directions that looked like they would get us there.
We set up camp on Cedar Mesa near Sheik's Canyon, which has it's own ruins. We attempted to find one called Yellow House, but never did. We hoped for better luck with the Doll House.
Local Traffic
Camp
First thing the next morning, following my discovered directions and my Gaia Gps on the iPad, we headed out. The directions I found turned out to be pretty accurate. We were soon in the dirt, on some pretty well maintained Forest Service roads, climbing up and between the Bears Ears.
Photo taken from camp
Up in the higher elevations, the trees were tall and the grass was green. A big difference from where we started. We saw lots of deer and a couple of elk, in addition to amazing views overlooking the Dark Canyon Wilderness.
It wouldn't be a true adventure if there weren't some hic-ups along the way. A few days before our arrival, there were strong winds in the area. It turns out we were the first to travel these roads since the storm. We encountered two trees that had fallen across the road. Luckily they had been dead a long time and were light enough for me to move them out of the way.
After 26 miles and 2-1/2 hours we arrived and the trail head. Yes there was some walking involved, down into a canyon to the ruin. Actually less than 1/2 mile. Here are the photos.
On The Trail Down
As you can see, this is a very well preserved ruin. Set deep in an alcove in the cliff face, it has been protected from the elements. It's distance from pavement also protects it from idiots who unfortunately have a tendency to destroy things. It its believed that the building was not lived in but used as a grainery to store corn. It is divided into two rooms, each with their own opening. The ceiling is in perfect condition as well as the ridge polls supporting the roof. It is estimated that the structure is between 900 and 1200 years old. It was great to be able to find and see.
We did a little more exploring of Cedar Mesa, but no more ruins. After three days without a shower it was time to head to town. Here's a link to the place we stayed in Blanding Utah. A great restored Auto Court with a good breakfast thrown in. Stone Lizard Lodge
After a loooong shower and a good nights rest we headed south back to Arizona and the eastern side of the state. Camping near Alpine, we spent a couple of days exploring the high country. No ruins here, just beautiful forest at above 8,000 feet. Some photos.
