Still Chasing Stamps

Traveling from El Paso TX south west to Flagstaff, AZ took us about 8 hours. As we crossed the TX and New Mexico mountain ranges we noticed the temperature gage climbing. When the warning sounded, we would turn off the air conditioner and the temperature would slowly go back toward the normal range. That’s how we crossed the mountains.

As we neared Flagstaff, we drove through the Petrified Forest National Park which includes portions of the Painted Desert. Again, we were “chasing stamps,” at national parks.

The Petrified Forest is a Tapestry of Time. Countless colors, hues and shades paint this tapestry that stretches as far as the eye can see. Shaped by wind and water, this land holds vital clues to the past.

ANCIENT ARIZONA: Hot. Humid. Lush. Green. It may be hard to imagine the desert grassland in the petrified forest as a prehistoric rainforest. During the Triassic Period, 225 million years ago, this was a tropical landscape with abundant vegetation. Early dinosaurs and reptiles roamed; fish, clams, snails, and crayfish moved through rivers; and giant, 180-foot conifer trees reached to the skies. Evidence for these prehistoric conditions exists within the petrified forest. 

Over the past 200 million years continents moved, regions uplifted, climate changed, and the river system, along with its plants and animals, was buried by layers of sediment. Wind and water have continually molded, sculpted, and peeled back these layers, giving a glimpse of the once tropical land we know today as Arizona.

The names, faces, languages, and stories of the prehistoric people who lived here are unknown to us, but remnants of their life--like pottery and messages in stone--help to piece together their story.

                      

Early families wandered searching for food and water. As time passed they settled in the area and began farming. They built pueblos and traded with distant people. Around 1380 they started moving away; it is likely years of drought forced them to leave. It is believed that the villagers moved northwest and joined with other people. Over 1,000 archeological sites have been found in the park, from one-room shelters to multiple 100-room pueblos.

The Painted Desert is a United States desert of badlands in the Four Corners area running from near the east end of the Grand Canyon National Park southeast into the Petrified Forest National Park. It is most easily accessed in the north portion of The Petrified Forest National Park. The Painted Desert is known for its brilliant and varied colors, that not only include the more common red rock, but even shades of lavender.

           Pictures from the 

          Petrified Forest,

          Painted Desert, 

           and Pueblo homes

We arrived at the campground at Flagstaff on Monday, June 4 and took the motorhome to the Freightliner shop on Tuesday. We had to wait 4 hours before any service agent would even look at it.  Finally, it was determined that an oil pump leaked on the radiator and caused the radiator to heat up.  As requested we brought the motorhome back the next day at 7:00  AM and expected it to be repaired and ready for pick up at the end of the day.  It wasn’t.  Luckily, we anticipated that possibility, so we packed a bag just in case we needed to stay in a hotel that night.  That was Wednesday, June 13.  We are still in the hotel!!! At first, the hotel was a nice change, but now it’s getting old.  Hopefully, we will get on the road tomorrow for our next destination, Las Vegas, NV.  

Pictures we took of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 

 

Thankfully, we did have the truck to get around in. We drove 

to the Grand Canyon one day. It was a beautiful day for the trip. Clear skies with a nice  breeze. The Grand Canyon was just that –absolutely breathing. I’m borrowing a short description  from the Grand Canyon National Park brochure.

A Land to Inspire Our Spirit

Grand Canyon—one of earth’s most powerful, inspiring landscapes—overwhelms our senses. Its story tells of geologic processes played out over unimaginable time spans as a unique combination of size, color, and dazzling erosional forms: 277 river miles, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep. Its rugged landscape hosts a fascinating variety of plant and animal communities, from the desert next to the Colorado river deep in the canyon to montane forests atop its North Rim.

Humans have played parts in the story for thousands of years. Broken spear points, split-twig figurines, decorated pots, abandoned mines, and historic hotels suggest some who have called the canyon home. One can enjoy the views, discover the history, and learn about the plant and animal stories. Today is just the latest page in a history still being written. Grand Canyon National Park is a gift presented to us. Our responsibility as good stewards is to pass on this gift, pristine and preserved, to future generations.