Yesterday was a rest day. After our adventure on Saturday we needed it. The fact that it just happened to be Mother’s Day was not lost on us. So we had breakfast downstairs and relaxed by the pool for the rest of the morning. Grabbed some lunch at Moab Brewery and I worked on journaling and pictures in the afternoon. We found a restaurant around the corner for dinner (Spokes) that was very good. Bob said he may have had the best fish tacos of his life there. That’s impressive. Walking back to the hotel we found some gelato at the food truck court that was calling our name. Back at the hotel we packed up and prepared to get moving early in the morning.
This morning we were on the road by 8am to Holbrook, AZ by way of the Petrified Forest National Park. It was less than five hours but a longer drive in a day than we’d had in a while. We got to the park around noon today. I did not realize the Painted Desert was inside the national park. The road through the park is only 28 miles and it really doesn’t take long to go through it. The first part is the Painted Desert. There were some gorgeous white fluffy clouds in the sky which while beautiful sure wreaks havoc on the ground image because of shadows. Nothing to do about it though. I managed to get a few shots that aren’t bad but not great either.
The next part of the park is called the Blue Mesa and is known for the stripes of blue, pinks, grays and purple colors. The last part of the park is the petrified forest.
A section of the original Route 66 is preserved right here in the park marked by a 1932 rusted out Studebaker. It’s pretty cool.
I gotta say, we both we a little underwhelmed with this park. Maybe it was the lighting, or our mood, I don’t know. But while it was pretty, it certainly didn’t provide the drama we expected. It just kind of hit us flat. And the petrified forest? We saw more petrified wood as we left the park that was for sale than was inside the park. Anyway, another national park box checked. Now we know.
Went to a restaurant across the street from the hotel (LaQuinta in Holbrook) for dinner. Another “it was okay” meal – nothing to write home about. Tomorrow we head to Page and the Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon Dam.
It's a Wonderful Life! 