So many things cross my mind while driving across this wonderful country we call home.  I'm fascinated by all the surroundings, the hills, mountains, lakes, streams, rivers, washes.  Washes?  Yes, I said it, apparently, in New Mexico and other states that I may have missed, what we call a dried up creek or stream are called washes or dry washes.  Obviously they are the same but there are signs all over, just about every bridge out in the desert hills.  And yes, some were even a little wet. 
Another funny thing I noticed was that in about 5 or 6 states, whenever I saw a deer crossing sign, someone had places a big sticker behind the deer's behind that said "Woofoo"  or at least that's what I think it said.  I saw it enough but the eyes just aren't that fast anymore!

Another thing that caught me kinda funny was that when you enter the Texas panhandle, you won't see a rest area for over 80 miles!  And when you do, you'd better stop because it's the only one off of I-40.  Then when you get to Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, you will see "rest areas" with no facilities, just garbage bins and sometimes picnic tables.  Do they really think you can stop in the middle of nowhere and not have to go?  It beats me on that one!  Also, I passed 2 fairly new rest areas with facilities but they were both closed.  Have we just completely run out of money to hire a couple people to watch over these places?  You know, vending machines alone could help pay the bills!
And finally, after I crossed over into Oklahoma, I was driving through the wind turbine fields, I saw the sign " Hitchhikers may be escaping inmates"!  I have never even thought that could be the case but that one phrase has kept me laughing for a couple days now!
I hope you have enjoyed reading my journey across the country.  By the time you read this, I should be back home with my family and friends!  Shh, if you read this ahead of time, my kids don't know I'm coming yet!  ;)  It has been fun writing about all the encounters along the way and I look forward in going back to reread some as well.  Til the next trip, safe travels to everyone!

One of the last destinations I had planned to see was the Petrified Forest National Park.  I had heard of the park and read about some of the things that were there but I had no idea how vast and extensive the area was.  I entered from the lesser known south entrance and proceeded into the park without much knowledge other than the map they gave me at the gate. 

Let me stop here and say how much I am a fan of the National Park systems Annual pass!  This pass that I paid $80 for has gotten me into every single national park I have entered for free.  Yes I know I bought the pass but it has paid for itself and then some.  Today's park for example was to have been $25.  Grand Canyon was $35 for each side and Yellowstone was $30.  I have been to other lesser know parks too so the savings is invaluable.  This pass not got me in but if I had my family with me, they would have been included too for the same pass!

Ok, back to the Petrified Forest NP.  This place is so barren and full of mounds and hills.  The "forest" has long been gone but you can see the remnants of the trees everywhere!  Some look like they were cut for cord wood many millions of years ago and left laying on the ground.  It was mesmerizing! 
There were many places to turn off the main path and go trail hiking for a bit.  I could have explored the area all day.  Then I came to the painted hills area that was like nothing I have ever seen before.  Now throughout this whole trip, I keep seeing things that amaze me and this didn't disappoint.  Hope you agree!  Next up... Eastbound and down!

While I've been touring the country, I have had little to know issues other than the fires on the west coast.  I have been able to see most everything I had planned to see until today.  For the last 30 years, Labor day to me meant a day off from teaching, spending it with family and getting my mind set for the big push through the next few months in the classroom.  This year, I am traveling through Arizona and having a blast seeing what I can see.

Today I had planned to go to Sedona, AZ to the Red Rock State park and see some scenery that I had read about but apparently most of Flagstaff, AZ had been told there was a party at the Sliding Rock State park.  It seemed as though every person from a 100 mile area was there.  The roads going in and out were like the road from Blowing Rock to Grandfather Mountain.  And there was a void of parking so everyone was parking on the sides of the road, up onto the road.  Very narrow driving my truck camper that sticks out on the sides.  Luckily I didn't have any issues, but I did travel about 11 miles down into the mayhem before I was able to turn around and call it a day.

I did catch a glimpse of the river and the banks were like Myrtle Beach at the Forth of July, elbow to elbow.  How much fun they must have been having but not my cup of tea.
The fun part of the day was getting to drive on Route 66 and even camp for the night.  The funny part is they are quick to tell you it's the historical Route 66 but it's not really a road anymore and all cut up and given to other roads, mostly I-40.  Tomorrows quest, rock solid wood...

Making my way from the eastern entrance area and the Desert View Tower, I got to see what that attendant was talking about this place being "Disney Land".  People were everywhere but it wasn't too awful bad.  I made my way to my next campground just outside the southern entrance and as I was passing the gate, I saw the long lines of cars trying to enter the park.  I hadn't seen that much traffic in days, including the North Rim or the eastern entrance.

After getting the camper all setup, which takes me about 20 minutes now since I've had a lot of practice.  I made my way to the main road by foot to wait for the shuttle bus.  This is another similarity of being at Disney.  I'll say it was pretty cool to let someone else drive for a change.  The bus ended up being pretty full and as we drove around all the gate traffic this was already a win.  On the way, I finally got to see a herd of elk in the woods close to the road.  I had seen one huge elk the day before but he seemed to have a following of people with cameras and a park ranger in tow so I didn't stop to add to the madness. 

After I arrived at the visitors center, or the main hub.  I watched an 8 minute video explaining how the canyon was formed over the millions of years and how to distinguish what the lines in the earth show.  It was pretty cool as it was shown on a huge video sphere.
Heading back out, I figured I wanted to go to furthest part of the park that I could go but you couldn't drive there in the summer months.  I boarded the first of 2 buses with ease.  The second one not so much, apparently this was the main attraction so I stood in line for a bit.  As I was standing there it started raining and we could hear thunder in the distance. 

The bus was the way to go, I wanted to go hiking up part of the rims edge along the way but the one time I got off the bus and took a few photos, it started raining again and there was lightning.  I quickly boarded another bus and road to the top to try again.  At the top, known as Hermits Rest, there were many people sitting around not doing much of nothing.  I took a few photos but could feel the weather picking up again.  I found my way back to the same bus I had just gotten off of.  The driver, her name was Mo was very entertaining and sometimes you wondered if she was just talking to herself. 

She would constantly ask what people thought about things but mostly no responses.
After we got back to the interim terminal, I decided to take a walk around the village rim and see what I could see.  If you look in one of these photos, you can see the many people filling the various paths and levels around the cliff side. 
Being such a nasty day, the lighting wasn't what most photographers enjoyed.  I did my best efforts in taking some HDR type photos, multiple shots of the same image at different settings.  I am still learning this technique but I think it has promise.  Hope everyone is enjoying the blog and the photos.  (** By the way, if you didn't know it, you can click on any of the photos to make them larger for viewing)  Tomorrows blog, well I'll just say it won't be much and was the biggest bust of this journey so far, stay tuned...

As I was getting ready to leave the North Rim area of the Grand Canyon, an attendant asked where I was heading next.  I told him I was driving in the direction of the South Rim.  He said, "Oh, you're heading to Disney Land"!  At first I laughed and said yeah, I guess so but as I was driving, I figured out what he meant.  The North Rim is an area without many extras, no ice cream shops, just a couple of places to eat and then you have the campground and lodge.  Without all the frills, you also notice the absence of children.  Yes, there are some but not many.  This is a more natural area and it's surroundings.  "Disney Land", or the South Rim, has many frills.  Shops, restaurants, ice cream shops, shuttle buses, etc.

Driving the 180 miles to the South rim, yes, I could see it from my hike only 8 miles away from the North rim but the roads don't exist between the 2.  You have to travel through the Vermilion Cliffs, or as I figured out, the side walls of the canyon as it spread out in distance from each side.  The cliffs were tremendous and everywhere.  When I finally reached an elevation of about 3,000 feet, I passed over the Colorado River that runs through the  Grand Canyon. 

After the river, you are mainly in the Navajo Indian reservation.  It's mostly barren with some tattered shops thrown in along the road with the Navajo were selling their crafts.  I had driven from over an hour and finally saw a sign for a McDonald's.  Now I was looking for a bathroom, the closer I got to the sign, I finally saw that it was advertising for a store another hour down the road.  I could only think of all the locals whom lived around there and had to see that sign everyday and not even have one close by.  lol
After I stopped to fill up the tank, the prices weren't as bad as other places due to the Navajo not having any taxes on fuel,

Colorado River

I entered the Eastern side of the park to the South Rim.  The park ranger at the entrance gate asked where I was headed and I told him I was in search of a camping spot for the night.  He politely told me there was one that had about 15 empty spots still not far away.  I had actually planned to drive through the park to the other side to find a spot in the National forest but this was a treat, at at $12/night, was a bargain.
I ended up in the campground next to the Desert View Watch Tower.  I had never heard of it but glad I made the 3/4 mile hike to find it.  It's views were extraordinary. 

A woman named Mary Colter designed the tower.  She hand picked every stone's placement and each and every mural inside.  It was amazing to go inside and climb the tower for it's views.  I however enjoyed more the views I made of the tower with the canyon in the background.  Next up, Hermits Rest...

Growing up, I had always envisioned the Grand Canyon as a barren place.  Not much life or growth around.  I had heard of people riding mules down some of the trails and others hiking on various parts.  After arriving at the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim, I can say, I had it all wrong.
There was trees, mostly pine and evergreens everywhere. 
The wild life was actually more abundant than what I witnessed just few days earlier at Yellowstone.  Buffalo and deer were abundant and easy to find, including the 2 deer that I walked up on while heading back to camp.
I had heard from several people that if I was going to visit the Grand Canyon, I must at least see the North Rim. 
The North Rim is the sometimes forgotten cousin of the South Rim.  The views were anything but forgotten.  I ventured out behind the park lodge towards Bright Angel Point.  It was a paved path, but sometimes narrow with many places to wander out of the rocks and boulders. 

I have to admit I wasn't prepared for the magnificence of what I saw and was mostly overwhelmed.  All the colors and shapes could take you in and keep you occupied for hours on end.  Some places where I took photos were up on ledges with no railings and it a long ways down.
After I got checked into the park campground, or basically a parking spot with not hookups, I decided that I wanted to take a hike.  I asked the rangers about several trails and they all seems great.  One trail caught my attention that you could travel down 2,000 feet in elevation to find a tunnel that was created many years ago. 

What they didn't tell me was it was also the trail the mules went up and down as well.  Let's just say it was an adventure within itself trudging down hill on a path that mules had constantly relieved themselves on.  The views however were worth it.  Yes, you could see the same things from above but to walk down the side of the north rim and see the sides from different angles was the payoff.  The views were one thing but all the people you met going and coming back up was great too.  I met people from just about all parts of the US and other parts of the world. 

I swear that one man my age and his son had to be from the Netherlands as he and I kept encouraging each other on the way back up as his barefoot son went up like a billy goat.  Others I met had actually started out on the South Rim early that morning and had made the 8 miles hike down, across and then up when I met them.  Others I would pass would ask if I had everything I needed like water and snacks as it seemed like everyone was helping each other along and wanted everyone to succeed.
I knew that the journey down was going to be easier than heading back up. 

I hiked 3 miles down before heading back up.  At times, I felt like I was on the beach because the soil was sandy but mostly rocky and very uneven.  I am very happy to say that it only took me 20 minutes longer to hike back up than what it took me to go down.  The altitude at the top was 8,300 feet and where I found the tunnel was 6,200 feet and the temperature changed about 12 degrees from top to bottom.
I haven't hiked that much or hard in 30 years since college.  I surprised even myself in how well I did and it felt like a major accomplishment and and extra big check mark from my bucket list.  Next up, lets go find "Disney Land"...