Day 15

This morning I said goodbye to the red rocks and made my way into Arizona by way of winding roads and rocky cliffs.   It was a beautiful morning but really windy.  The first place I came to in Arizona was the Giant Tee Pee Trading Post which sits on the state line.

I know the people over 50 should remember the show F Troop, right?  In Houck AZ sits Fort Courage and some of the set was utilized in the faux fort!

In Sanders there was a 1923 bridge that use to carry Route 66 over the Rio Puerco until 1931.

Today I visited the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert!  I took a lot of pictures because it was just so beautiful.   Some pictures are panoramic because I wanted to try to let you see what I was seeing so you may want to tap on the picture and make it larger at times.  LOL!   I am also using my phone as my camera but I think it takes pretty good pictures.  The Welcome Center at the Park is very nice and has everything you need.  Take extra water if your planning on hiking as it is very dry and hot.

These next few pictures are of the Painted Desert Inn which is now a museum. 

This is the ceiling above the staircase.

There are many overlooks throughout the property 28 miles you drive from beginning to end.

This 1932 Studebaker sits where Route 66 went through the Park.

Puerco Pueblo is where ancestral Pueblo homes and village once were with a few petroglyphs.

Look very closely at these two big rocks for petroglyphs.  Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rocks surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. 

Once again at Newspaper Rock there are more petroglyphs.   Like I said you may have to tap on the picture and zoom in to see them.

This next set of pictures are from the Blue Mesa.  Absolutely amazing geology.

This is a 110 ft petrified log spanning a gully called Agatell Bridge.

Jasper Forest was where I first saw petrified wood.  In the distance it looks like just another rock but I assure you it is not.

Welcome to the Crystal Forest where petrified wood was in every variety and plentiful. 

Leaving the National Park.  I was truly amazed beyond words of the beauty of this gorgeous preserved land.  I am a huge supporter of preserving our State and National Forests.  I did stop at the gift shop and get a few pieces of petrified wood.  You cannot take anything from the park itself as it is illegal.

Welcome to Holbrook AZ!  It has everything from Route 66 motels and diners of the past to dinasaurs.  My favorite was the Wigwam Motel which is still owned and operated by the original family that built them in 1950.  

I’m a-standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona 

Such a fine sight to see

It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed slowing down to take a look at me

Ha!  I couldn’t resist.  Love the song and love the place!  I hope you enjoyed the Petrified Forest and the rest of my adventure today.  Night all ♡