I got up at 5:25 AM and managed to get to the BNSF mainline just as the Southwest Chief was leaving on time this morning. I returned to the room and went back to bed. At 7:10 AM, we went to the Turquoise Room and I had Silver Dollar Pancakes, bacon and sausage plus an orange juice. After that great meal, we packed up the room and I took the luggage to the car while Elizabeth checked us out of the La Posada Hotel. We headed east on Interstate 40 and went by the site of yesterday's BNSF derailment. We next drove into Holbrook where Elizabeth photographed the former Santa Fe station there. We then took US 180 to the Petrified Forest National Park where I purchased an America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass. Our first stop was the Rainbow Forest Museum and Visitor Center to see the giant log and other things.
Elizabeth, my beautiful wife, at our first stop.
Petrified logs as we walked to the main attraction here.
The Giant Log.
Another long log.
More views on the way back to the car.
Elizabeth at the first photo location. We used the portable bathrooms before we left here and drove to our next location, Crystal Forest.
The Crystal Forest.
Elizabeth at the Crystal Forest.
One final picture from the Crystal Forest.
Views from Jasper Forest.
Elizabeth at the Jasper Forest.
Me at the Jasper Forest.
More views from Jasper Forest. We then drove the short distance to Agate Bridge.
Agate Bridge.
Elizabeth at Agate Bridge. We continued on but had a short wait due to bridge construction then drove to Blue Mesa.
Views of Blue Mesa.
Elizabeth at Blue Mesa on this windy day. We drove around the loop to Blue Forest.
Views abound at Blue Forest.
Elizabeth enjoying her first visit to the Painted Desert. I drove us to the next lookout point here at Blue Forest.
The second viewpoint of Blue Forest.
Elizabeth at the second viewpoint here. It was then down the road a very short way to the last viewpoint here at Blue Forest.
The unique views here at Blue Forest, millions of years in the making.
Elizabeth at this viewpoint on a windy day which kept the heat from being oppressive. We then drove to the Tepees for our next pictures.
The Tepees of the Petrified Forest.
Elizabeth at the Tepees. We continued up the road to Newspaper Rock.
Views at Newspaper Rock.
Elizabeth at Newspaper Rock. From here we drove north to the Painted Desert part of the Petrified Forest National Park.
Views from Lacey Point.
Elizabeth at Lacey Point, her first introduction to the Painted Desert.
Views from Whipple Point.
Elizabeth at Whipple Point.
Views from Nizhoni Point.
Elizabeth at Nizhoni Point.
Views from Pintado Point.
Elizabeth at Pintado Point.
Chinde Point views.
Elizabeth at the Chinde Point.
Kachina Point views.
Elizabeth enjoying the views at Kachina Point.
Views from the Painted Desert Inn viewpoint.
Elizabeth at the Painted Desert Inn viewpoint. We then drove to the penultimate viewpoint, Tawa Point.
Views from Tawa Point.
Elizabeth at Tawa Point. We drove out of the park and down Interstate 40 East to Navajo where we stopped at Subway for lunch which we ate in the car. We then drove to Chambers where we took US 191 north.
Before Round Rock, I photographed this interesting mountain. We continued on US 191 to US 160 which took us into a very small corner of New Mexico, a state we had to avoid due to a fourteen-day quarantine order if you came into the state. We took this road in order to visit the Four Corners National Monument which, to our surprise and disgust, was closed. The website that we had checked just a few days ago, made no mention of the closure. So we continued east to US 191 which we took to Cortez where we gassed the car. From here, we took CO 127 to Dolores where I had a surprise for Elizabeth.
Rio Grande Southern Galloping Goose 5.
The replica Rio Grande Southern station in Dolores. We arrived at the Dolores Mountain Inn and had to call the owner who gave us the code to the room and then came down to see us after we had unpacked the car. After we settled with her, we went to the Depot Restaurant where I had a plain hamburger and a chocolate malt. We returned to the inn where I made the trip page and converted the pictures before Elizabeth typed the story as I dictated. We also watched NCIS while we were working. The story was then uploaded before we called it a night.
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