A Windy Day in Petrified Forest National Park

It was sad to say goodbye to our third Holiday Inn Express, but it was time to visit our first National Park (prior we have visited National Monuments and a Trading Post). So we loaded up the car and backtracked a few miles east to Petrified Forest. We started our visit at the north end of the park near the Painted Desert Visitor’s Center. We introduced ourselves to the park service personnel and watched the 20 minute introduction video. Fueled with knowledge, we got to business. We confidently assessed drinking water spots, a vending machine, a store and restaurant for our project. After some lunch, we made our way into the park for a little exploration.

          We learned a great deal about what makes Petrified Forest such an interesting place. About 225 million years ago, in the Triassic period, fallen trees were covered with sediment from volcanic ash and the cellulose in the wood was slowly replaced with silica. This “petrification” process mineralized the wood, forming quartz crystals. When the Colorado Plateau was pushed upward, there was increased erosion and exposure of the layers of sediment and petrified wood that comprise the park today. Lots of the petrified wood was removed by visitors prior to being protected by the National Park. Many signs in the park warned about fines and/or imprisonment if petrified wood was taken from the park.

It looked as if the north of the park was painted with red and orange hues, whereas the south was splashed with grays, blues, and purples. We stopped at many scenic vistas, including the Painted Forest Inn which was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. At points on our drive we were in disbelief that we were actually still on the planet Earth since the scenery looked so unusual. After walking around the Blue Mesa and Crystal Forest, we ended at the Rainbow Forest Museum on the south side of the park. Here we found a small snack shop in a gift store and a few water points to evaluate. During our visit, we met a charismatic store manager who insisted on showing the beauty of the petrified wood in the sun and providing us with unsolicited advice about how to play roulette in Vegas. It was an amusing end to a blustery visit.

On our way to Flagstaff, we passed the Historic Route 66 and raced freight trains across the massive stretches of land while listening to a Glee soundtrack.

Final Note: Ode to the Chevy Aveo

Albuquerque (5/4) to Flagstaff (5/8)

We had to say goodbye to our trusty Chevy Aveo since a significant crack in the windshield has been “growing” over the past few days. Although reassured that the windshield would likely not implode, Aly was able to negotiate a replacement car since we are in the largest town since Albuquerque. While at dinner in cute downtown Flagstaff eating delicious Thai food, the trade went down. Welcome to the team, Chevy Malibu! Here is a final haiku for our little Aveo.

Great turn radius.

Thanks for getting up the hills.

We will miss you so!