Friday – Sunday, March 13-15, 2026
Since Diane finished up her Radiation Therapy just about two weeks ago, we decided to get out on her first camping trip since she had surgery back at the beginning of October. We chose to spend the weekend mostly around Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument so we could keep the hikes shorter and a bit easier for Diane if we needed to, but she really needed to get in some mileage and elevation during these hikes to help her get back into the swing of things since she is supposed to be hiking down into the Grand Canyon with me in just under a month. At the last minute I ended up taking off from work on Friday so we could have a little more time in the outdoors together and we left home on Friday morning and headed down to Comb Wash where we found a nice campsite for the rest of the weekend. These are some photos from our weekend around the Sandstone Spine.
A scenic drive along Comb Wash Road on Friday afternoon.
Diane taking a break in the warm sun after going on a short hike to some ruins from camp.
Highway Canyon Ruins
Comb Ridge
Our camp in Comb Wash.
Comb Ridge at Sunset
Cook Pan Ruin
A closer look at the old cook pan.
The other side of the ruin.
There were some designs carved into the stonework of the structure.
These small tracks in the mortar are very unusual and not something we have seen before…
There more tracks and other small designs in the mortar inside the structure, too.
Potsherds
Black Cave Ruins
Leaning Wall
A small sheep pecked into the back wall of the dark smoke-stained alcove.
Black Cave Ruins
We found a lot of potsherds this weekend, which is good since it’s one of Diane’s favorite things to look for.
A very nice handle.
We stopped to visit this sandstone formation that is similar to the Goblet of Venus, but not the Goblet of Venus.
A nice high petroglyph panel we climbed up to for a closer look.
That thin slab of rock that the ruin is built on sure doesn’t look too stable.
A historic petroglyph of a horse pecked over an older and faded anthropomorphic petroglyph.
Yellow & White Pictographs
Doorway
Walking the rim of a shallow canyon.
The second sunset from our camp in Comb Wash.
Before heading home on Sunday we visited the Double Stack Ruins since Diane had never been here before and I hadn’t been back in over 15 years.
Hands
Big Spiral
Handprints
Upper Double Stack Ruin
Comb Ridge Canyon
Sweat Lodge
Finding this large projectile point was certainly the highlight of our weekend!
Point On Black
Ancient Projectile Point
Wow! What a cool point! The structure you described as a sweat lodge looks like it might be a male, forked stick hogan to me. Hard to tell scale from the picture, but sweat lodges are typically 3-4 feet tall and forked stick hogans are about 8 feet tall or so. On the right hand side of the image, I can see two upright posts which would have been where the doorway was, facing east.
It was definitely taller than 3-4 feet, so I guess it was probably a male, forked stick hogan, then. Thanks for the info!
I never tire of your beautiful images!
Thank you, Judy!
I like you. It’s wonderful that you share your photos and adventures. Most of us will never get there again.
Amazing point! Great to see Diane getting back at it!