Another very long driving day, but there was a stop planned for early afternoon at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park, which was a MUCH NEEDED break. I have pictorial evidence that I made this drive 20 years ago, but around the end of New Mexico, I was thinking maybe it was all made up. Maybe I have never driven this far...How could I drive this far in two days without going crazy? Belle asked us "This road is so long, can't they shorten it?" Magan told me that she believes that time just stops moving when you begin driving west, or somehow starts to go backwards. I remember at one point everyone was sleeping in the car, and the radio was playing "Traveling Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks, and the song got slower and slower...and ARGHHHH! I had to get some audible going, or I was not going to make it. We finished "Beneath the Scarlet Sky" while on this trip, and that was what helped thru this long drive. The unforgettable WWII story of Pinno Lella and his life in occupied Italy.
But then there is was, a sign that welcomed us to Arizona and slightly past that sign was an exit for the Painted Desert. Davis cracked me up when he started asking me how far to the Colored Sands. The painted desert is unique at at this point in the beginning of sights of the West was amazing, upon looking back, it ain't Utah. But regardless, this was the first place in our journey where Ruby saw the national park symbol and said "I can get a badge here!" And at the end of the National Park Drive, you start coming to the Petrified Forest section, which in my mind was the most amazing part of this park. We saw huge areas "forest" of petrified wood, and walked past large trunks of petrified wood. The kids were amazed to find binocular glasses at one part, and they were free! Davis bought a large piece of petrified wood at the visitor center before we left.
Then we left the park and went straight past MIKES PETRIFIED FOREST STORE...free pieces of petrified wood, and seriously there was more petrified wood at this store than the whole national park...hahaha, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it was kinda funny. I was glad we didn't enter the park from this direction, would have made the park a bit less amazing. But regardless I was glad for the stop, and it was much needed.
On the road we stopped at Clines Corners for lunch earlier that day...I am thinking Grandad may have made up a need to make this stop. We also passed the "Big Texan" where you got a free steak if you ate the whole cow, or something like that. We past the Cadillac row of cars...or I think there is a better name for it. And we finally arrived in Flagstaff, which I thought was closer to the Grand Canyon than it ended up being. So we stopped for a good meal at Outback, and probably ate more fried food than we needed, that is a story for tomorrow coming from Sam. But it was a nice break too. But then we got on the road into the Grand Canyon village, and it just never ended. Until it did, at the Bright Angel Lodge on the south rim of the canyon. We were able to park right next to our rooms, but thankful to be able to rest for the next two nights. That is when I overheard Granny say "These rooms don't have AC". And this was also the week of a severe heat wave out west with temperatures expected in the 100s for the next two days. Fortunately, there was a good breeze into our room and Granny's room...as for Sam and Davis...there room was down the hall at a different angle, and little to NO BREEZE. So at 100 degrees, it was a little stuffy. But it was really neat that night after delivering extra fans to each room, I walked out to the rim with the boys and Belle, and while we could not see anything past the small 2 foot wall preventing our death, you could sense a canyon so big, it would be referred to by many as grand.
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