Day 2: Petrified National Forest

We rolled into the beautiful Painted Desert early on Tuesday morning.  We really wanted to be in the Petrified National Forest when they opened at seven, and to our surprise, we were actually on time!  But there was a hitch: the gates were still closed.  Oh well, we thought, they must be opening late this morning.  After waiting for a few minutes it hit us that we were in Arizona, where it was only six!  If you know us, you know that we're late to everything everywhere, so this was a major accomplishment. :)

We decided to eat breakfast in the parking lot while we waited for the gates to open.

A friendly hippie--I wish we had a picture of his van-- took our picture in front of the sign.  I guess we'll have to credit him for our Christmas picture this year!

Four of the best brothers in the world: James, Samuel, William, and Thomas

Taking in the view

Miles upon miles of no signs of civilization=breathtaking

We took a short hike (or run, for the little boys) along the edge of the cliff.

I love my beautiful sisters--and the background as well!

We took a hike through a "forest" of petrified wood, some of which was huge.  Delie took this picture of George next to this log for scale.

After spending five hours in the Petrified Forest (and wishing we could live there), we ate lunch at a cute diner on Route 66.  The restaurant was a family business and the food was delicious--and there was a lot of it!

Then it was on to Grand Canyon, where we planned to camp for the night.

Posted by Joy