Alkali Ridge - Ruins and ATV Trails

Good news, we found the entrance to the actual Alkali Ridge National Historical Landmark.  Bad news, I'm not going to write about it in this post.  Good news, I am going to tell you where to find more of the ruins, and also some ATV trails for you four wheelers. If you refer back to my first post about Alkali Point Road and the Ridge area, you'll see my map, and I've added a few details.


Once again, I'm starting this adventure from the junction of Mustang Road (CR 207) and Alkali Point Road (CR 204).  Since we found the cliff dwellings by a trail on Alkali Point Road, we figured they were located on the cliff walls off of Mustang Road.  Now we wanted to find these mesa top ruins we'd read about and needed to estimate a comparison between both roads.  That didn't go so well; between miles 1 to 3; the land is open for hiking, but the canyon is fenced off.  Miles 4 to 6 is all private land, so no hiking at all.  Remember those instructions from the "Visiting the Ancients" site I quoted in my first write up about this area; yeah, still laughing over that.

 




It wasn't until we reached mile 10 that we hit pay dirt; literally!  There is a graded gravel road leading down into the canyon and when you've traveled only 1.1 miles along it, to the north you can make out ruins in the cliff walls.

The big question is, "How do we get up to the mesa top from the gravel road?".  We drove on further and noticed that the road split into three separate trails.  Two of the trails dead end at pump jacks; the third trail goes past the oil company buildings and becomes ATV trail CR 265 which primarily ends at Perkins Road (CR 206) with a side trail here and there along the way.

So, back to the mesa top question; that's when Roy says to me suddenly, "Hey, I noticed a dirt trail that split off from the gravel road before we saw those ruins.  We traveled back to the split which is 3/10ths of a mile from when we first turned off Mustang Road and onto the gravel road.  ATVs and 4-wheel drive vehicles will have no problem with this trail, or the trails that branch off from it.  The first trail that branched off was at 1/10th of a mile, but it only looped back around to the main trail.  At 3/10ths of a mile, a trail went up a steep incline and then balanced out; we went as far as we could and walked out towards the canyon we could see beyond.  Oh what a sight to see, and Eureka!, we found the ruins we'd seen from the gravel road.

First the scenery of the mesa top; it is quite similar to an alien landscape.  Open areas may have piles of rubble and this is possibly what may be left from some of the original ancestral ruins.  Pottery shards and cutting/scraping tools made from agate can be easily found; be careful to watch where you're stepping, so they don't get broken or crushed.

View of the gravel road

The climb down to the ruins is not difficult; watch out for loose sand and stones though.  The walls of this granary are completely intact; the opening in the rocks at the side of the granary allows you a further look inside than just the window.

Now here's a mystery we encountered; carvings on the wall that simply looked like lines going this way and that.  We are clueless as to whether they were made by the ancestral Puebloans, or is it vandalism by "modern day would-be artists"?

I cannot resist taking photos of the local plant life; delicate plants and flowers thriving in sandy soil and amongst the boulders along with the cacti.

Silvery Townsendia (sunflower family)

Woodsia ilvensis (rusty cliff fern0

Wooly Marigold (aster family)

Prickly Pear Cactus with Red Bloom

When I do my next write up on the Alkali Ridge and Canyon area, it will be about the National Landmark itself.

Mary Cokenour

Riding Mustang Road to the Home Stretch.

In our attempts to explore the canyons between Monticello and Blanding, we often need to go back to a particular road to be able to finish it. Such is the case with Mustang Road (CR 207) and if you click Here, it will bring you to the map of that road (highlighted in purple). 


The day we did this we also intended on finishing up Alkali Point Road (CR 204) and find the ruins along it.  Driving down to Blanding, we picked up a bagged lunch at the A&W again and began our adventure along Perkins Road (CR 206).  Mustang Road is only 8.8 miles from Main Street in Blanding; one mile east is Mustang Wells Road (CR 286), but it is closed off to the public.  Oh, while we were on CR 206, we drove past the Elk ranch and happened upon two bull Elks sparring with their antlers.  Their coats were beginning the shed of winter; spring fever called for a show of dominance.



Looking North.

Driving along Mustang Road, the landscape is flat and full of sage brush; most probably why Mustang Flat is named as such.  Looking up the road is the same as looking back at where you came from...flat and sparse, but a great view of the Abajo Mountains.



Looking South.



About 3.6 miles north there's a curve in the road and a large wooden gate with the name "Wimachtendienk" on it.  The only information I could find on the name was that it is from the Lenape language and means "brotherhood".  This word is associated with a group that is part of the Boys Scouts of America, "Order of the Arrow"; founded 1915 by S. Umer Goodman and Carroll A. Edson.  The troops which follow this path maintain Native American traditions and ceremonies.






This road parallels Mustang Flat and most of it is closed off due to being privately owned.

11.3 miles north we found an abandoned homestead; personally I enjoy photographing these types of buildings as they tell a definite story behind the settling of the southwest.

At 11.5 miles we reached the junction to Alkali Point Road (CR 204) and that started a whole new adventure; good thing we had that bagged lunch with us!  Till next time...

Mary Cokenour

Carroll's Mustang Rode to Indian Canyon.

The title is a play on three areas I'm writing about today: Carroll Road, Mustang Road and Indian Canyon which are between Blanding North and Monticello. Now I am still writing that series about Montezuma Canyon and how it seems that all roads lead to it. Carroll and Mustang do, just in another of those convoluted ways which I'll write about in sections and then connect.

Remember, I'll keep giving you a map with the road highlighted that I'm writing about; Carroll Road is in green, Mustang Road is in purple, but I'm concentrating on the section that goes north towards Monticello.

Carroll Road (CR 215) is across from Recapture Reservoir; the entrance is on the right just before going over the bridge; that's coming from Blanding and traveling north.  If coming from Monticello and traveling south, make the left after going over the bridge.  This is only a two mile, graded dirt/gravel road that is well maintained and a smooth ride; there are private homes and plenty of no trespassing signs.  The canyon down to the left is Bullpup Canyon; the mountains in the distance are the Abajos.

At two miles you'll reach a junction, this is Mustang Road (CR 207); making a right will take you past the Alkali Ridge Historical Marker (there's your tease); but this write up is taking the left for about two miles to the next junction.  The landscape on both sides of the road is mainly sagebrush or low growing plants; you can walk out to see the canyons on either side.

Two miles is a theme for this post as you'll come to another junction; to the right is Alkali Point Road (CR 204); make the left to continue north on Mustang Road.  While Bullpup Canyon will be stretching upwards on the left of Mustang Road; Indian Canyon will be along the right.  Now we'd only gone about a mile (Ha, fooled you about the two mile theme!) up the road when I made Roy pull over by an electricity tower; the landscape was clearer there for easier walking and I wanted to get some shots of that beautiful Indian Canyon.

I love the zoom lens on my camera; if I had not put it on and started scanning those cliffs, I would not have found the Native American ruins.  Then again, I also have to wonder why I made Roy pull over in that particular spot when I did; guess they were meant to be found.  There is a granary and just a small piece of wall over a ledge; finding them was a thrill.

Continuing north on Mustang Road will bring you out on Route 191, almost directly across from the entrance to Devil's Canyon Campground which is run by the National Forestry Service.  This was just a short little jaunt to give you a breather from the rather large posts I've been doing about Montezuma Canyon.  Don't worry, I'll tie up the loose end and get you there...eventually.

Mary Cokenour