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Published: April 14th 2009
Blue Mesa
Blue Mesa was one of my favorite areas of the park. I don't know what mineral creates the blues and lavenders of this area.CHAPTER 14 NORTHERN ARIZONA
March 18: I got a late start leaving Albuquerque and didn’t reach Arizona and the Petrified Forest until early afternoon. The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park was fascinating. I thought I would spend a couple of hours there, but wound up staying about 5 hours! I couldn’t believe all the petrified logs strewn everywhere, looking like they had just been cut last week. I had to touch some to make sure they were really stone! The whole park has some of the strangest land formations and colors I have ever seen. Blues, purples, reds, pinks, browns and grays run in uniform stripes across hills, gullies and little mounds shaped like teepees. I thought Blue Mesa was the prettiest part with its white, gray, blue and purple stripes. I also saw “Newspaper Rock” with some of its many petroglyphics--ancient Indian drawings. It is illegal to pick up any rocks in the park, but let me tell you, I was very tempted.
It was getting dark when I left the park, so I found an RV park in a nearby town to spend the night. I have been dry camping the last two nights and
Newspaper Rock/Petrified Forest
The rock is named for the numerous petroglyphics on it--messages left for others to read. These have to be viewed through a telescope (or zoom lens on a camera) since the public is not allowed to get close enough to do harm. was ready for some running water, electricity and wifi!
March 19: Cali and I took it easy this morning. I got some much need laundry done and she enjoyed having me around to play with. On my way back from the laundry I found a beautiful piece of--guess what? Petrified wood! I just looked down and there it was, perfectly legal and waiting for me. So I got a wonderful souvenir of my trip to the Petrified Forest after all!
Note: Need I say Cali discovered toilet
Petrified Log
Just one of the thousands of pieces of petrified wood in the Park paper? I picked up all the little pieces stuck to the rug and hid the roll behind the laundry detergent bottle!
After finishing the laundry and cleaning up the bathroom from Cali’s “fun”, we hit the road again. It wasn’t long before I saw a faded image of snow-covered mountains painted on the sky ahead of us. The longer we drove, the bigger the mountains got, but they still looked like they were a painted backdrop. We started seeing fir trees and getting that sweet evergreen smell. We arrived at Flagstaff at the foot of the San Francisco Mountains. What beautiful country! There were patches of snow in the shadows of the trees and the air was fresh, but not really cold. I elected not to stop in Flagstaff, but continued on a scenic mountain drive toward Sedona. It twisted, turned and climbed through a canyon which followed Oak Creek. At the top, there was a National Forest area with picnic tables, restrooms and visitor’s information center. I stopped for a break and some pictures of the canyon area. While there I met Genine. She is originally from Germany, now a US citizen, working in the info center. When
Painted Desert Formations
More of the wonderful formations of the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. The red stripes are formed by the iron minerals in the earth. she found out I was traveling in my RV, she almost went bonkers. It seems I am living her dream. She took a break to see my RV, declaring it “perfect”. We talked and talked--her asking questions about traveling alone, hints on ways to save money, the problems I had encountered, etc. She just bubbled with enthusiasm and I enjoyed talking to her. Another interesting, very nice person I met on my travels.
After wishing Genine much luck with her dream, I drove the twisting road down the mountains toward Sedona. And I do mean twisting! Sometimes I think I met myself coming! I took a picture of part of the road so you could see it. Even as curvy as it was, though, I would recommend anyone taking it. It is a breathtaking drive. There were several places I would have loved to stop, take pictures and/or camp, but the places were all full. As I neared Sedona, there were more and more cars, until we were at a standstill. It took almost a half an hour to get the last three or four miles into Sedona. I later found out it was spring break and Sedona is
Highway 89A
This scenic drive between Flagstaff and Sedona is one curvy, but beautiful road. a very popular destination! As I spent time there, I could understand why.
Parking everywhere in town was free. The angled street parking on the main drag was big enough to accommodate the RV, so when a car in front of me started backing out, I took instant advantage to wait and get that spot! After that I walked up and down the shopping area, taking in the sights and plotting the next couple of days I planned to spend in town.
When I got back to the RV there was a message waiting for me on my phone. The airplane/helicopter business I had called to see about flying over the Grand Canyon had called to say they had a flight going the next morning and was I still interested? Silly question! I returned the call to confirm for 8:00 am and got directions to the airport. I drove up to it to check it out and found some good places to book-dock for the night. The Sedona airport is located on top of a mesa about the center of town. Not only was it a great place to dry camp, but also proved to be perfect
Sedona Cowboys
These guys and gals worked for a jeep tour company in Sedona. They were so much fun to talk to, I think they are probably great guides. for viewing the sunset (and sunrise, if I so chose.)
March 20: It proved to be a long night. I was too excited to sleep. Cali had fun, since I was up and down all night. She thought it was a big game! I think I slept 3 or 4 hours and since I woke up at 6:00 am, I decided to check out the sunrise over the red rocks. Bummer! It was cloudy, so I missed out on that plan. At least I had plenty of time to eat breakfast and get ready to be at the flight office at 7:45.
The pilot’s name was Ernie, and there was a couple from Washington state also flying. The airplane was a six passenger, single engine plane. He circled around Sedona and some of the surrounding scenic areas scenic areas before straightening out north. We passed the peaks of the San Francisco Mountains by Flagstaff, which still had some snow on them. Then we flew over a field of old volcanoes, some of them perfectly formed. Our pilot told us the last eruptions here were about 1000 years ago. He circled around one of the perfectly formed cones so
Sedona Shopping
One of the many attractive shopping areas in Sedona. we could get some good pictures.
Then he pointed out a small crack in the earth ahead of us. Guess what it was??? I started snapping pictures like crazy. Actually, it turned out to be the part of the Canyon formed by the Little Colorado River. This river was muddy from a recent snow storm (I
could have told him about that, huh?), but was generally blue colored as opposed to the regular Colorado which is green. I took a lot of pictures of that part of the canyon which naturally got bigger as we flew closer. It was absolutely huge in my opinion. Then we turned onto the part where the Little Colorado joined the big Colorado (We could actually see the colors blend and change in the rivers.) and the beginning of THE Grand Canyon! Words won’t express the experience or the view. Neither will the photos. What a sight. Brings me to tears to remember. What a Creator we have! Ernie banked, circled and flew around as long as he could while we looked, exclaimed and took picture after picture. (I love my digital camera!!!) I do plan to go back and see the Canyon again
Volcano and Lava Flow
One of several 1000-year-old volcanos in the desert between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. from terra firma so I can have the whole experience. (I’ll take some more pictures, too!)
We got back to the airport about 10:30. It seemed like another world away. I thought no matter what I did it would be an anti-climax to the morning. Nevertheless, I decided to explore some more. I went to another big tourist and shopping area of the town and this time, had trouble finding parking. There was a lot of highway construction here which also made negotiating turns tricky. The shops and restaurants here were higher caliber than the main street area. (Translate high prices). I decided to go back there. I visited the Red Rocks School of Art gallery and wished I could take some classes there. I talked to some of the staff at a place that does jeep tours around the area. They were all dressed in cowboy outfits and one man was doing lariat tricks. They were a hoot! I might have to revisit Sedona and take one of jeep outings!
Finally I decided to head back up to the airport mesa to watch the sunset and dry camp again. One problem--the traffic was backed up again and
Rafters in the Canyon
The tiny colored dots you see on the river are rafters. I do have difficulty with blind spots when backing the RV from an angled parking spot. I spotted a police officer on his bike and asked for help. He was so nice! He stopped the traffic for the to back out and waved me off with a big smile. I really like this town!!!
Watching sunsets is serious business in this town. I parked in a large lot on the way up to the airport. It seemed it was built purposely as not only a general lookout spot, but one to see the sunset. People kept coming and coming until there were probably about 200 there. The actual viewing area was set apart from the parking area, so cars didn’t block the view. I took pictures of the sunset and of people taking pictures of the sunset. It was beautiful and a perfect ending to a wonderful day!
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Danette
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Grand Canyon
When I was scouting for a Mountain Bike commercial years ago I took an airplane tour (4 seater) over Glen Canyon National Park in Utah. The aerial views are so amazing, and I am so glad you got to experience that first hand! Your photos are beautiful! Can't wait to see more of your pictures in person.