Happy 2021!
I wasn't sure if I was going to continue my blog into another year, but here we go again.
Why have my blog posts been so sporadic lately? Well, the answer is simple. I'm staying at home following CDC guidelines and the advice of health experts and scientists. Therefore, if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, life is pretty darn boring.
We did jump in the car and make a quick trip to Arizona last month. Yes, I am one of those people who travelled for the holiday, but we were careful and I mean very, very careful. Our bubble only intersected with other people's bubbles who we knew were also very careful.
We visited a couple National Parks on the way. Our national parks are good outdoor activities if they aren't too crowded and in December they usually aren't crowded.
The first stop was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. I've been here before, but now that I'm an adult who actually parks the car and gets out to do a bunch of walkabouts, I have grown to love this park.
There's an old Route 66 monument in the park which includes this old Studebaker.
The monument is found right by where I-40 crosses over the park road.
Above are some of the ruins from Puerco Pueblo.
The trails take you through the ruins to some of the petroglyphs.
This pueblo was occupied from about 1250 to 1380 AD.
Then we stopped at Newspaper Rock and got out the zoom lens to view more petroglyphs. I'm not going to lie, I love history like this. I like to think about the people who lived here all those years ago. Were they happy? Was life really hard? Why did they leave?
I love the landscape here too. Looks like a different planet.
Our drive continued on through The Tepees where Irv managed to find a geocache.
From there we drove to my favorite place in the park--The Blue Mesa. On the way there we stopped to enjoy the beauty of the hoodoos.
The Blue Mesa is a mile long loop through the badlands and there are all sizes of petrified wood along the route. The hike down into Blue Mesa is a little bit steep, not bad when you're going down, but the hike back up involves a lot of breathing.
I always wonder how many people put a piece of rock in their pocket while they're here. It's not cool to do that, we need to leave the park's resources in place for future generations to enjoy. Also, your vehicle is subject to search when you leave the park so beware.
The next stop was the Agate Bridge. Pretty cool how it connects each side of the wash. Of course there was a dad with his young children on the opposite side who obviously ignored the signs and blockades over the log. Great way to teach your kids, dad.
The final stop was at the Giant Logs. This is the only thing I remember from my childhood visits to the Petrified Forest. It's hard to believe that at one time there were giant redwood trees in this desert. I hope they'll still be there for my descendants to see.
So, that's my first post of 2021. I'm starting my 11th year of blogging. I'll keep posting if you'll make comments. Some folks have been reading my blog from the beginning and have yet to leave me a comment. How about putting yourself out there every now and then just like I do?
Happy New Year!
Comments
The park sure is a lot more interesting when you can get out of your car and go walking a ways.