10-13-16 - Heat Escape - Day 63

                                                            Ready to ride

We went to the Petrified Forest National Park today.  It was not exactly what we expected.   Who would have thought petrified wood in a desert would be so pretty???  We were pleasantly surprised!

                                                  a little Mother road therapy first

We again waited for the temperatures to rise out of the 30’s this morning before taking off on Amber.  We took the back roads through the Indian reservations.  We passed very few vehicles on a nice two lane road on a gorgeous day.  It was a very enjoyable, peaceful ride.

We stopped for our picnic lunch at the south end of the park and headed north.   The petrified wood here is a lot prettier than the petrified wood in Mississippi.  The wood appeared to be cut with a chainsaw displaying the multiple, beautiful, colors of the wood.   The ranger told us it is the natural petrified process that breaks the wood in pieces.  Mother Nature again amazes me.  After the 28 mile drive of gorgeous scenery, we headed home.

                                                       some route 66 through the park

It took us almost 3 hours to get to the park today; it took us a little over an hour to get back home on I40.  Interstate travel is not our favorite, but we had a choice of coming home on the back roads after dark or getting home before dark.  A no brainer.

                                                                      I40 eastbound

We sat outside for a little while and watched the sun set behind the big red rock.   The temperatures dropped as fast as the sunset did so we are inside with the heater on. 

Tomorrow we plan to make a southerly relocation.


Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/EFsA3mF48yhnW89M6