A Road Less Traveled: On the Road Again

On the Road Again

April 18, 2014

We're on the road to New Mexico…once again. We're nearing the border and back to the destinations we had hoped to see….minus Utah. Oh well…another year perhaps. I have to pat myself on the back; I made it through Salt River Canyon! I won't say it was easy, but I fared much better than I had imagined.

Salt River Canyon

Today was our first cloudy day. We left Globe, AZ at 6am, heading up Arizona Hwy 77 and we were in Showlow, AZ by 8:10. The universe answered my prayers and I didn't hold up any traffic going my snail pace. In fact, most of the time there was no one behind us. The canyon is like being able to drive down into the Grand Canyon.

It was spectacular. Going into the canyon we were at about 3300 feet and driving up and out to an altitude of 5300 feet. I put Buddy (the Saturn Vue) into low and kept going up keeping my eyes on the yellow line.
This road had guard rails and in many places, shoulders that eased my crazed psyche.

With a quick stop in Holbrook to fill our water tank we were off to the Petrified Forest. Neither of us had any idea of what to expect and found ourselves in awe. We were also extremely grateful that this national park loves dogs. They

are welcome on all the trails.

Wigwam Motel on Historic Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ

Before entering the park there is the Crystal Forest Gift Shop on Hwy 180 which offers free camping! Perfect for our one nights stay. No hookups, but our batteries are charged and propane tanks full. We set up camp and off we went for an afternoon of hiking amongst massive trees more petrified than me on the mountain roads.

Can you pick that log up Gerard?

200 million years ago, Arizona was located near the equator. The tropical climate and environment then couldn't have been any more different than it is today. Imagine a large basin of numerous rivers flowing through the lowland with coniferous trees up to ten feet in diameter towering almost 200 feet into the sky. Over time trees died or were knocked down by wind or the action of water. Rivers and streams carried the trees downstream. Many tree trunks came to rest on the banks of the river while others were buried in the stream channels, many trees decomposed, but some of the trees petrified. Petrification happened by volcanic ash being carried and missing with the sediments that created a solution that filled the cells of the trees, crystallizing as mineral quartz. Iron and other mineral combined with the quartz creating the brilliant rainbow of colors!

One of my favorite sites today was hiking the Blue Mesa, my photos just don't capture the feeling of the place.

Inn at Painted Desert

Painted Desert

There has been nothing but sun since we arrived in the southwest, but as previously mentioned, along with the cloudy day today, came our first rainstorm. Hoping this is it, because the roads into the Bisti Wilderness need to be dry. The Bisti is just a bit over 200 miles from here. We continue to agree that we won't push to make it someplace. Tomorrow we will overnight on a Navajo reservation a bit east of Gallup, NM. But first this morning we will drive through the national park as it is the way to I-40 and at the other end is the Painted Desert to wander through. Then Easter Sunday it's into the wild.