Lunch at Hotel Rock
The title for this post is true, but may be misleading. Hotel Rock is a ruin site in the Butler Wash off-road area west of Blanding, Utah. We did eat our picnic there after a 3+ hour fairly extreme jeep ride. Terry and Don had invited us along again and we jumped at the chance. Their friend Brian, Fire Chief from Medicine Hat, Alberta had also joined us in Bluff, Utah with his grandson Dane and his Wrangler Jeep. We all hopped in the Jeeps shortly after 9 AM and off we went.
We entered the Butler Wash road a short way south of Bluff which was secured with a gate.
First task was to air down the tires for the off road terrain to come. Brian uses a handy new off roaders tool while Terry and Dane observe with interest. The tool takes the valve core out and has a pressure gauge built in all while the tool is screwed onto the valve stem. When the pressure is correct, the core is reinstalled and voila the tire is aired down very quickly.
The first attraction was an interesting rock formation that our friends called Turtle shell or Lizard Skin hills. Brian, Terry and Don head up the interesting hills. Dane is out front leading the way!
Terry, Gari and Don explore the strange surface.
There's Gari down below by the Jeeps.
Turtle Shell, AKA Lizard Skin by our own naming.
The whole crew up on top.
We are ready again to head out to Hotel Rock.
The rocky road is just starting.
We met a group of nine Jeeps coming back, so we pulled off the road and let them pass by. Our group is standing on the rock.
Parade has passed, Don spots for Terry as he takes his Rubicon up a hill section.
Dane at the top spotting for his Papa Brian (Grandpa). I never would have guessed that a Jeep could drive up that!
The last few feet are hard going!
A view through Terry's windshield. See where Brian is taking us now?
Don spots below as Terry reaches the top.
Hotel Rock is in sight!
Nearing the parking spot we can see some of the ruins.
We had our lunch in the shade below and got right to exploring. Dane could fit through some of the the small kiva doors.
There is not a lot of room inside the kivas.
Gari and Dane marvel at the construction.
We decide to explore around the other side.
We round the back corner and see another bluff line.
Closer in on some of the interesting rock formations in the bluff below.
Gari continues to pick a way and passes a ruin example. There were more natural caves on this back side and we found less man-made construction.
Gari squeezes through a tunnel in the path,
Terry and Don join up after coming around the rock from the opposite direction.
The whole crew up on top. L to R Brian, Terry, Don, Gari and Dane.
Dane was small enough to take a short cut through a short cave tunnel.
Steve stands at a point of no passing. Rock climbers could keep going, but that won't be us today. We didn't come here to get hurt. Our number one rule is safety first!
Another example of a small ruin site on the backside of Hotel Rock.
After descending at the back of Hotel Rock, we look back up from below.
Gari pauses at an interesting balancing rock.
Steve had to climb back up for one last look at the front side ruins.
And out we went... the return trip was mostly down hill.
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