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Sandstone Spine: Canyons of Comb Ridge

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.

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Comb Ridge and the Borderlands of the Bears Ears

Borderlands of the Bears Ears Country IV | Saturday – Monday, January 17-19, 2026

While I was originally hoping to take Diane out to the Pahranagat Valley over this extended holiday weekend, we found ourselves needing to stay closer to home for the time being, but I still wanted to go somewhere where Diane would be able to join me. She has recently started Radiation Therapy and is still not allowed to do much hiking, but after a little bit of thought I figured we could return to Comb Ridge and the surrounding country to go on some shorter and easier hikes in the area. This would also give us the opportunity to return to the Bluff International Balloon Festival since we haven’t been back to the event since 2014, which was shortly after we first started dating and I believe it was also our very first weekend trip away together! These are some photos of what we saw this weekend.

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Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2025

Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 15 | Thursday – Sunday, November 27-30, 2025

Back before Diane even knew she had a meningioma and would be having surgery in October we were hoping to return to the Dinétah in New Mexico this Thanksgiving, but with everything going on lately we switched gears and decided to return to the Bears Ears region instead since it’s a bit closer to home and a more important place to us. Up until about two weeks ago Diane was still planning to join me this holiday weekend and we were planning to stick to easier hikes like we had done at Bryce Canyon National Park earlier this month, but unfortunately she has had some setbacks with her recovery and is not allowed to do any hiking right now, so she would be spending Thanksgiving with a friend while I spent the extended holiday weekend below the Bears Ears on my own since I was really feeling the pull to get back down there one last time before the year was over. I’m really hoping that Diane will be able to get over these setbacks and can get back out hiking again soon.

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Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 14

Friday – Sunday, February 21-23, 2025

After returning home from northeastern Arizona on Monday, I decided to take it easier this weekend and return to the canyons of Cedar Mesa to walk a few sections of the canyons. While I was hoping to find a few new ruins and rock art sites along the way, I also took the time to return to a canyon I have hiked many times before so I could revisit some sites that I hadn’t been back to in over a decade and wanted to see again. The weather was very nice all weekend, perfect for hiking and camping, and I had a nice time walking in the canyons. These are some photos from my weekend on Cedar Mesa.

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Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2024

Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 13 | Thursday – Sunday, November 28 – December 1, 2024

This year for the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend Diane and I returned to the landscape surrounding the Bears Ears and spent all four days wandering a selection of canyons and rims carved into Cedar Mesa and beyond. Our time was split between searching for new sites and revisiting sites that I hadn’t been back to in over a decade but were mostly new to Diane. We saw quite a bit more rock art this time around with only a few ruins scattered throughout our hikes. In the end we had another great weekend exploring one of our favorite places together and look forward to returning again and again. These are some photos of what we saw.

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Tag: bears ears country

Sandstone Spine: Canyons of Comb Ridge

Comb Ridge and the Borderlands of the Bears Ears

Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2025

Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 14

Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2024