The next day was supposed to be drier, so we broke camp and drove to our original destination. There were two ways to get there, and the ranger warned us that our large rigs would struggle to make a couple of turns and a "large ledge". So, we took the much longer "easy" approach.
We found a sizable area where we could set up camp, which was only 200m from a trailhead. We maneuvered all three trucks into place and set up. as it was still morning, we then set out to hike into the nearby canyon. The Anasazi located most of their structures in a fashion that provided optimal warming of the sun as well as protection from enemies.
This gives us many clues when looking for ruins. After an hour or so of walking down-canyon, we came across a great tower and granary that was fairly visible from the canyon bottom. After some exploring, we continued to hike further down canyon until we realized it would take a couple of hours to get back to the trucks, so we turned around and headed back. Once we got to the trailhead, we decided to walk the "short way" to the paved highway. Turns out it would be an easy drive for any of the trucks, as well as about 30 minutes faster.
The next morning Neil and Lori took off for sunnier and warmer places...heading closer to Lake Powell and Hanksville. We dropped back into Bullet Canyon in hopes of getting to Perfect Kiva. Our hike started with an interesting twist, we bumped into a small rattlesnake on the floor of the canyon.
It was as happy to avoid us as we were him, so we went our separate ways. Within a few hours of hiking, though, we realized we'd started too late to get to Perfect Kiva and back before it got too late, so we reluctantly turned around and headed back to the trucks. After we returned, I saw there was single track leading from where we were camped along the canyon rim. It took me 15 minutes to reach the tower, which had taken 90 minutes of hiking from the bottom of the canyon. From that vantage point, I could see another granary, that was hidden from the canyon bottom. Clearly, there is a ton to explore here.
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