FOUR IN ONE DAY

 It was cold again this morning, 27 degrees.  Brrr.  I left after having a horrible breakfast at the hotel heading for Walnut Canyon National Monument.  I got there about 8:45am and had to wait until 9am for them to open.  The road into the park had dozens of elk feeding on the sides of the road and a little bit of snow, too.

The Visitors Center was perched on the side of the canyon.  I walked through to the far wall of glass and looked out to the canyon. It is a spectacular view.  On the far canyon wall you can see the dwellings built into it.   

When I left the center I took a short walk along the rim.

There are stairs going down into the canyon where you can get close to the ruins of the dwellings.  This sign is at the top of the stairs.

And then it was time to move on to the next park, Sunset Crater. I arrived at the Visitor Center at about 10am.  

A small doll display

Sunset Crater is a volcano that last erupted about 1000 years ago.

There is no access to the crater, but there are lots of beautiful hikes to take in the area.  I took a short walk through a lava field.  Its kind of creepy, and you wouldn't want to fall down on the rough lava.

I took a short walk around the lava fields.

Then it was a long drive to the next park, Tuzigoot National Memorial which preserves a 2- to 3-story pueblo ruin on the summit of a limestone and sandstone ridge. The pueblo has 110 rooms and was built by the Sinagua people between 1125 and 1400 CE. Tuzigoot is the largest and best preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo ruins in the Verde Valley.

I arrived at about 12:20pm and stopped in the Visitors Center to stamp my passport, buy some postcards, a magnet of the park and an info brochure.  Then I walked up to the monument.

It was hot outside but amazing very cool inside.

Back in the car I headed to the next park which was not a long distance away.  I arrived around 2pm.

Montezuma Castle National Monument.  Montezuma Castle is attributed to the Southern Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian archaeological culture that may be closely related to several ancestral indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States. Evidence suggests that the dwelling was constructed as early as 1125 AD and occupied until as late as 1395 AD.

It has been a long day with lots of miles.  There was one more stop to make very close, Montezuma Well.  I drove to it, but was just too tired and worn out to walk to the well.  So, I turned around and headed to Julie's where I will be spending the next few days.

HOLBROOK ARIZONA

 After leaving the park I headed into Holbrook where I'm spending the night.  I had noticed a quilt shop on my way through this morning.  So, I stopped at Painted Desert Quilts.  I found some old Alexander Henry prints that I had to buy.

Then I visited one of the many Rock Shops that I've seen all over this area.  They all have dinosaur statues in front, but this one had more than most.

Inside the yard there were piles of petrified rocks, from large to small.  I looked through one until I found two more rocks to take home.  I asked about where they come from and was told they come from private lands.  I had noticed a lot of homes in the area have lots of petrified tree rocks in their yards as decorations.

Holbrook is a small town.  There is a great old motel that features teepee rooms with vintage cars parked in front.  You just don't see these kind of places anymore.  They were fun.

I bought a salad (and ice cream because I earned it) for dinner and went to the hotel where I had reservations.

PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK

 I woke up eary in Tucson and set out on the road to the Petrified Forest National Park over a 300 mile drive starting in the dark.  But I was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.

I arrived at the park about 10:30 am and stopped at the Painted Desert Inn Visitor Center first.  I got maps and advice and, of course, my passport stamped.  I set out on the 22 mile drive through the park, stopping at points of interest.

Painted Desert Inn Visitors Center

My first stop in the park was the Painted Desert Overlook.

Next stop was Puerco Pueblo with ancestral homes and petroglyphs.

Next stop was the Blue Mesa.

Then on to the place I've wanted to go since I was young, the Crystal Forest.  It has a short loop walk through an area where the petrified trees lay all about to see.  They are a marvel.  The colors!

I stopped at the Visitors Center at the other end of the park and visited the gift shop where I bought my own little piece of the park to take home.  If you didn't know, I have been known to pick up rocks on our vacations in other places to bring home, and it's illegal to take rocks from the park.