A Petrified Day of Driving

   

After ALL we have been through…Tornado in NE Arkansas, high winds, rain, hail through other parts between here and there…so today we had to have the most Petrifying Drive of all times….

Yes indeed, after driving by it so many times, finally drove through the Petrified Forest National Park.

    

Actually, we did have some slushy snow, but no heavy rains, and light winds.  And we had to cross through one of my favorite borders…Arizona-New Mexico I-40 border where the mountains are wonderful, and you get to see all the trinket shops that you don’t dare let your wife wander into.  The top picture of the three pictures above actually has some teepees along the ridge, you can just see the white dots left-center.

 

    

Coming in on the northern side of the park off I-40, it was a bit rainy, so the Painted Desert was more like a sopping desert…but still full of color.

      

The road loops around, then heads south, under the Interstate.  Another 3-4 miles and you come to what they call the “teepees” (pictured above).

On the road leading to Blue Mesa, there are some interesting rock formations.

      

It is on the mesa that we find the first Petrified Logs.

    

Looking down to the east from the mesa you can see area where the Petrified Logs have landed after falling from the higher points where the high water had left them many years ago.  Eventually the rains and storms wash away the land under them, and they break and fall to the floor below.

      

The views from the mesa are wonderful (as shown above and below), despite the light rain and overcast skies.

Before exiting the Mesa, I had to take this panoramic shot (above) looking out to the west.  The storm was headed towards us again…time to get.

We both agreed that we need to drive back through when the sun is out, when it is warmer (but not hot), and when we can do the “log walk” at the south end of the park.

We exited the park at the south end and headed northwest on highway 180, bypassing the $10 per night, electric only, RV camp at the non-park gift shop as you exit the park.  There is no overnight anything in the park except for tent hikers by permit only.  We drove up to I-40, then headed to Winslow Arizona, where we stood on the corner for awhile, but no flat bed Ford drove by, and if one did with a woman in it, Marcia would have killed me.  (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trNW-GAClUM for you non-Eagles fans)

In reality we are just northeast of Winslow in the Homolovi State Park, where for $25 we have water, keeping warm with electricity (it will be 41 tonight), and it is so very quiet...no storms, no wind, no car noises, it is so nice with only the occasional faint noise of train far off in the distance.  Had a long talk with the camp host Dave, who worked for the railroad out of southern Missouri…one heck of a nice guy.  And this sunset was so nice to see outside my window as we ate dinner.