It's About the (RV) Journey....: House on Fire.................

One of the places I really wanted to see was the "House on Fire" in South Mule Canyon. I have seen many pictures of it, and really wanted to check it out for myself. We did have to go down a dirt road for a bit, but others have told us its ok in a car if you go really slow. You do have to go slow:)

The hike is very pleasant, through the canyon with no big height issues at all! Yeah! Its a bit steep getting up to the actual ruins, but not scary steep. No ledges! The ruin is visible after about a mile of hiking in the canyon.

parking on the dirt road

heading down the trailhead

I see green grass! And its not a golf course!

Good one!

a little chilly this morning (40's)

walking down the sandy wash

much easier walking on the slickrock

how pretty is that?

so dainty

a lot of the trail goes alongside the stream

Of course, its all about the light! When the sun shines at a certain time of day (late morning, early afternoon-depending on time of year), the ruins appear to be on fire. Check it out below! We made it to the House on Fire about 10:30, and a bunch of us waited for about an hour to see if the flames would get brighter. We did stick around, and ate our lunch while we were at it, but then proceeded further on down the canyon to enjoy more hiking and to see more ruins.

House on Fire

OMG!

House on Fire

having a bit of lunch while waiting

actually this is a group of well preserved granaries

the streaked rock glows when the sun is just right

woah...flaming!

Once past the House on Fire, the trail is really empty, though we did pass a few other hikers during the course of the afternoon. It was a really nice hike....lots of greenery around, and flowering plants. The ecology was so varied...pine trees, pinecones and cactus all together in the same area! There was also an actual stream with water in it! We are not used to that anymore since we've been in the desert environment for several months now. We love looking at the rocks and how they "fall"...wondering if that happened millions of years ago, or recently. Who knows?

hiking a bit further

this was a really enjoyable hike!

how long have these boulders been there?

and where did they come from?

hiking through trees

and past water in a stream

Wait!! You still have a 25 pound restriction!!!!! (Doesn't he look fantastic)?

feet still dry?

interesting foliage mix

bushwacking (j/k)

looking for more ruins in the canyon

still with me Susie?

A little over a mile down the canyon, we spotted another ruin in the canyon wall, but it was high up and we did not go up to explore further. Some people do, I think, but you really need to be careful with ruins so that eveyone can enjoy them. There was a set of "houserules" at the beginning of the hike!

oh look

this one is well preserved too

this one is harder to climb up

cool!

A lot of the hike was on very fine sand, which can make it more strenous and make you really appreciate dirt and slickrock. We also "bushwacked" through some dense brush, which we haven't done in a long time either. The desert usually has just flat, low lying plants, cactus, etc. so it was actually fun!

continuing up the canyon floor

still looking for ruins

are we still in Utah?

so cool...the shadow of the bug...see the bug on the left and the cool brown shadow in the water?

It was a beautiful day... not too hot and not too cold....and the colors all around us were so vibrant. The flowers, the sky, the rocks. Nice!

lots of color on this hike!

blooms

heading back now

more blooms

Another group of hikers came along, and they had some cute dogs with them...all set with extra water. It is still the desert environment and carrying extra water is highly recommended. Aren't they just the cutest?

getting ready to cross the stream

what a good boy...carrying extra water

still heading back

sandstone cairn

this hike is great!

another cool shot! (gotta love digital)!

pinecones, cactus, trees, grass all in one square foot

We turned around after another mile or so, and headed back out of the canyon. As we passed "House on Fire", we decided to climb up once more to check out the "flames" in the afternoon light. It was just awesome. I think the light may have been better a little later in the afternoon! Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed our day hiking and checking out the "House on Fire" for ourselves.

heading back up to House on Fire

its a bit steep....but not scary steep...no ledges

seems to be burning brighter now

not too close there Tom!

good one!

What a fun day!

just a bit steep for this segment of the hike

the car is right up this sandy hill!

have to go slow....watch out for sharp rocks....don't need a flat tire now!

Once back on the main road, we stopped at Mule Canyon Indian Ruins, which is accessible to all. The parking lot is paved and there is a sidewalk around the ruins themselves. There are signs explaining the ruins and giving interesting information about the area. These ruins were reinforced, and looked to be in pretty good shape. The view beyond is very nice as well. Again, there are just so many ruins in this area! (Comb Ridge, Butler Wash)