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Trek to retrieve our new RV and back -- 11/05
Part 5-To the Petrified Forest & some close encounters:
We headed
south from Vermillion cliffs area and stopped at the Sunset Crater Lava
Flow where the blackness of the soil creates a striking contrast to
these silvery trees. 
We
went to the south end of the Petrified Forest National Park. Love
our Golden Age pass that let's us in for free, because it was late in
the day and the park was only going to be open for two more hours that
day.
Again the late afternoon light provided great shadows and highlights, but the photos don't reveal the millions of tiny, sparkling reflections.
The Petrified Forest is the answer to the riddle, "Where can you stand in the middle of the forest and not find shade?"
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The
ancient forest was covered by volcanic ash and lava so no oxygen got to
the wood and it didn't rot. Over millions of years, silica and
other minerals seeped into the spaces held open by the wood, so the
resulting rock has crystallized in the shape of the wood, with the
annual rings, knots, and bark.
We stopped at a rest area for a famous >> Arizonian sunset and for some dinner. Wow! What color and of course the Joshua Tree made for a classic Arizonian Sunset Photo!
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Notice our reflective safety stripe and we get ready for a refried bean wrap with some red wine in celebration of the sunset and just because. The plastic bag in the sink is our fruit bowl. On the next trip we'll be better outfitted. It would have been impossible to bring all we wanted to have with us on the planes. (Now that we're home, Dean's working out the setup details.) After camping at Lyman Lake State Park, we head to New Mexico. |
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We found more lava half way across the state at the Valley of Fires near Carrizozo. A huge lava flow 45 miles long out in the middle of a very flat plane. Sotol, a relative of Yucca in the Lily family, prickly pears, and grasses manage to survive and even look beautiful in the lava-rich soil.
Note the alien eyes on the street lights. Even a McDonald's billboard coming into town had Ronald in a space ship!
Then we headed into Roswell, NM before turning
south. A strange little town which makes use of the only thing that makes
it famous: Alien sightings and landings!
