House on Fire Ruin

Spirits of the Ancients Special Collection
Mule Canyon, Cedar Mesa
Bears Ears National Monument
San Juan County, Utah
Anniversary Trip – Memorial Weekend – 2017

I remember first seeing a photo of this ruin in an archaeology book about the four corners area, and I never forgot the emotions it elicited in me. I had no idea where the ruin was located, as the information provided was sketchy at best, so I spent several weeks searching the internet (before photo search was available) until I found some reliable information on where the ruin was located. Later, my husband and I planned a trip to the new Bears Ears National Monument for our silver wedding anniversary to hike to Moon House Ruins. During that same trip, we also made it a point to check the dirt and slick rock hike to this ruin off our bucket list. What makes it so spectacular is that if you reach the location of this ruin at just the right time of day, the overhanging rock lights up like it’s on fire. In addition to the impressive colors you are rewarded with, the hike through this canyon takes you on a journey more than 800 years back in time to when the Ancestral Pueblo people inhabited the area. In retrospect, this image captures the last long hike we were able to the ruins I so love photographing.