10/18 We left Chinle and tooled down 191 back the way we had come to 264. When we past through on 264 several days ago, we passed by Hubbel Trading Post, a national historic site. So we had to throw out the anchor and came to a stop.
For some reason we didn't take any photos of the trading post itself so you will have to look at two images I pulled off Google.
After the trading post we drove down 191 to I-40 the land go real flat.
The first part of the park is the Painted Desert. Bear with me, there is petrified wood coming.
Route 66 originally ran through the park but was realigned when route 40 came through. They put this old car where the road bed used to be.
All day rain skirted around us giving us a nice light show and on occasion a few sprinkles.
Remains of a 100 room village on the River Puerco (Puerco Pueblo). There is a 1/3 mile walking path that I easily navigated myself. Once you have seen an ancestral Pueblo ruin, you kinds seen them all. That doesn't stop us from going so there will be more, pay attention, there will be a pop quiz.
The road rises and falls on a ridge and there are magnificent and sweeping views all over the place.
We turned onto Blue Mesa Loop and FINALLY PETRIFIED WOOD! I've been driving for an hour in this park and finally, scared wood! Okay, how does wood turn into stone? Well the trees fall over in a swamp, they get buried so that no oxygen can get to them to cause decomposition and slowly the wood fibers soaked up volcanic ash and silica and over time crystallized into quartz.
Now you may ask, "what kind of chainsaw did they use on them thar logs?" Well, none, the ground erodes and the tree becomes unsupported and cracks along the quartz lines. It sure look like someone chunked up that tree for the fire. "Ma, where's the log splitter?"
Next is the Agate Bridge with sweeping views of a 110 foot petrified log laying over a ravine. Sometime during the 1930s they built the concrete supports under the log. Eventually the water will erode all around the bridge and it will collapse. Better hurry!
Jasper Forest
They look like little chunks but those are trees that are two-three feet around. Chunks all over.
A paved .75 mile loop winds through the badlands landscape in and around many beautiful intact trees. If you only have limited time at the PF. I suggest that you do this trail. If you are in a w/c you will need a pusher but it is worth it.
Next stop was the southern entrance visitor's center. A joke over heard,
Two trees were talking in the forest, one said "Aren't you scared of getting older?" The other tree said "Nah, I'm petrified!" I think that my late Grandpa Ed would have liked that joke.
This is "Old Faithful" measures 35 feet in length and weighs approx. 44 tons. In 1962 lightening struck the tree and cracked it. The park service cemented it back together and put up a retaining wall to prevent erosion.
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| He's a dork. |
Saw this cool rig in the parking lot. It had Dakar Rally stickers on it and European plates and stickers. Looks like a fun rig.
We ended up at OK RV Park in Holbrook. It was close to dark when we parked. Dark at 5:30 sucks. Anyhow we walked over to a little Mexican place and had decent food.
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