Today we relocate to Flagstaff, AZ. We will take a long-ish
drive of three and a half hours, stopping briefly at the Petrified Forest
National Park. From Chinle, we will head south for about 75 miles to I-40, then turn west
for another 24 miles to the entrance to the park. We don’t know what kind of
services are available in the Park, so just before we leave Chinle, we stop at
the Subway for a couple of sandwiches, some chips and some pop. We put them in
our small cooler and are ready for a picnic anywhere we can find a place to
sit.
The start of our day’s drive picks up where we left off two
days ago. This is primitive land, high desert with almost no trees. Abundant
vistas let us see for miles in any direction as we travel over small rises.
Beside the stark scenery, the drive is uneventful. It is interesting what
passes for a road on the GPS display as we pass by the various turn-offs to BIA
numbered roads.
We reach I-40 and now contend with our first traffic of the
day. The Speed Limit is 75, and that is a minimum for most of the traffic, even
the 18-wheelers that seem to be half of the traffic. Yes, the interstate
highway system was built to spur commerce!
At the turn-off to the National Park, we stop at the welcome
center and check out what is available. We learn that there are 6 or 7 short
trails that we could hike. Petrified Forest Road runs from the north end of the
park, with trails and lookout points over the Painted Desert, to the south
entrance to the Park, just off US 180. The farther south we travel, the denser
the deposits of Petrified Trees. I realize that this is not going to be an hour
or two visit, there is too much to see. We must travel the full distance of the
Road.
A couple of miles from the Park entrance, we park at Tawa
Point and hike to and from the Painted Desert Inn, a convenient rest stop and
curio/snack spot.
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| The Painted Desert |
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| The Painted Desert Inn |
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| Prickly Pear Cactus in Bloom |
We hike back to the car and continue down the road, stopping
at the marker for the original location of Route 66. I must have crossed this
spot when my family drove to Washington, D.C. and New York City in 1964.
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| Studebaker Marking Route 66 |
After crossing south over I-40 and driving a few more miles, we
stop at Puerco Pueblo. These ruins indicate a formerly vibrant community of
several hundred people living here about A.D. 1100.
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| Puerco Pueblo |
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| Puerco Pueblo Petroglyphs |
It is common for people to think that’s a picture of a stork
delivering a baby, but it is thought to actually symbolize a bird eating a
frog.
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| Friendly (?) Lizard at Puerco Pueblo |
So much to see, we will stop six times along this Road and
take hikes adding up to about 6 miles. It’s a good thing that Flagstaff is on
PDT, as we get an extra hour having left Chinle, which is on MDT. Our next stop
is Blue Mesa, 3.5 miles east of the Road. A strenuous, but short, 1 mile loop.
Here we eat our picnic lunch grateful for the sheltered table with roof.
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| Blue Mesa |
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| Pieces of Petrified Wood at Blue Mesa |
The petrified wood does indeed become more abundant as we
travel south. “Forest” is an appropriate term.
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| Petrified Log at Crystal Forest |
Our last stop is the Agate House, a ruin site, and Long
Logs. At Agate House, ancient people built a shelter out of pieces of petrified
wood. An attempt at reconstruction was made in the 1930’s, but the
reconstruction was so unauthentic that such attempts were abandoned. Better to
let the ruins lie as found.
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| Agate House |
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| Cactus Amid Petrified Wood |
We bade a fond farewell to the Forest. I was not expecting
to enjoy so much time here; a most pleasant surprise! We drive another 111
miles to Flagstaff, our home for the next two days, the Holiday Inn Express
on E. Lucky Lane. We walk a short distance, under I-40, to the Silver Pines
Restaurant inside the Little America Hotel, for dinner. A most enjoyable meal
with a great view of the Pine Forest to the South. Amy had Shepherd’s Pie and
Wayne had French Onion Soup and Mushroom & Artichoke Parmesan Chicken. A
great end to a memorable day.
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