Bumming around Mexican Hat and the San Juan.

I checked out two other volcanic necks:  One West of Shiprock near Cove, Arizona and one just South of Mexican Hat, Utah.  Neither was to my liking.  I had to follow bare traces of a track, very rough, around the Mexican Hat volcanic neck.  It was hot, mid-day.  Touchy going and the road wasn't really a road, or even much of a track.  Google maps showed it but it was barely a hint.  On the backside I was forcing my way and ran into three donkeys.  Past them it just evaporated, so I got turned around and retraced my route.  It really wasn't anywhere for a non-4WD vehicle to be picking around anyway.  The neck might throw a great shadow and will have to give it another look.  It has some official name on maps, but have forgotten.

  Ate in Mexican Hat, at the grill at the bridge, bought an extra for dinner and headed out to explore other Google rumors of roads to the East of Mexican Hat. 

There was some of this, but I did see some areas I hadn't.  It was hot.

 Almost to back to Comb Ridge from Mexican Hat I found a turnoff that was supposed to be a loop that went back and hit the pavement nearer Mexican Hat.  It wasn't, but after some picking around I retreated from a useless track to a terrific view over the San Juan.  The turnoff is before a dry oxbow on the San Juan I had always wanted to see.  It was a spectacular point on a place nearly as nice as the Goosenecks State Park.  I parked there overnight.  Nobody around, nobody showed up, nobody had been there in a bit.  Views in all directions.  I'm on the North bank of the San Juan.  I think the river campsites have been closed due to Bighorn Sheep presence through this area, though I never saw any boats on the river, nor sheep, though I spent some time with binocs glassing for sheep.  I could hear a donkey calling to the East but never could locate him.  He called into the night.  I couldn't tell if he was in lust or peril.

I set up and went to work.

Looking West off my parking spot.

East View.

This trip was spent looking for BIG shadows.  Found all I could use.

Picking away at shadows on the river.

Big afternoon rainstorm blew through to cool things down a bit.