Another crystal clear 55F morning. After a walk around the Fool Hollow Lake we headed off to the Petrified Forest National Park. By end of day, we were pretty tired having put in over five miles in desert air. We entered the park from the I-40 side so came to the Painted Desert portion first.
There are numerous view points and walks back to pueblo sights, petroglyphs, and so many changes in geology that is it unreal.
On one stop we got to walk beside a 100 "apartment" room ruins of an ancient pueblo. The rooms were in a large square with a center court. All that is left of the ancient river is a dry bed. Once the river dried up, the people had to move on.
There are amazing petroglyphs all around this site. Later we stopped at "Newspaper Rock" where there are over 650 glyphs.
I'd hoped to walk down into Blue Canyon. After all it is a paved path and only a mile round trip. However at 5,700 feet in altitude I just don't do that well with the up portion. We did get about half way down before looking back up and realizing - it's up again. At least we did get to see some petrified wood.
This looks silly but cover us is pretty necessary.
We stopped in Gallup, New Mexico at the Ford dealer where Joe got the brush/cattle guard last year. Needed DEF fluid and the service manager remembered us from last year. Walked to "Jerry's Cafe" for a late lunch of southwest native food. We were the only non Hopi Indian patrons at the time. If you are ever in Gallup, go. It's not what we in the north think of as "Mexican" food but has very different seasoning which we enjoyed a lot.
Tomorrow we head through Albuquerque, the Sandia Mountains and towards Los Alamos.
1 comment:
Five miles is a pretty good hike, I'm not sure I could have made it. I know what you mean about altitude having experienced that myself on our trip out west last year climing up to the peak on Grouse mountain.
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