Day 6 - Having a "Nice Trip!"

We woke up at 7:30 am PST this morning to the soft red glow of light through our teepee's very red curtains- which we all agreed was a bit of a twilight zone affect (especially during middle-of-the-night pee breaks). Our teepee, although a little small, was very cozy. The beds were comfortable, the temperature was just right, and the showers were, well, short and slanted following the roofline of the structure.





After grabbing some breakfast at the supermarket across the street, we headed into the south end of the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. This area of northeast Arizona is a mixture of desert areas mixed with lava beds. Apparently this area was once a lush forest much like Colorado... water came in and covered some of the area while volcanic lava covered other parts. The trees in the forest died quickly but were preserved by the pressure of the substances (water and lava) that covered them and the lack of present air. The water seeped into the logs and deposited silica, replacing the space taken up by the tree's natural matter. This turned to stone after thousands of years. The land proceeded to dry up and winds and sun wore away the outer layers of the petrified logs, exposing the gorgeous petrified wood underneath. It was a beautiful beautiful place.







We left the park and drove on to Meteor Crater, the gigantic hole left by the meteor that killed the dinosaurs... we opted out of this one because of outrageous admission charges. We were disappointed, but thought our dollars would be better spent later in the trip.

Next on the list of tourist attractions today was Winslow, Arizona. First we stopped at the legendary Jack Rabbit Trading Post for a little shopping.





Then we navigated to the actual "corner" and got our pictures taken with the Don Henley statue and the sign that says, "Standin' on a Corner." For all you non-Classic Rock listeners, this is a spot mentioned in the Eagles' song, "Take It Easy" (Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see... etc.). It was a cool stop.





We left Winslow and headed on towards Flagstaff, AZ... next destination being Walnut Canyon National Park. WCNP is a big canyon (not as big as the Grand Canyon, but still very steep and rocky and full of beautiful southwest vegetation and wildlife.) It is most well known for its preserved cliff dwellings that are a thousand years old. We bit the bullet in the 100 degree heat and decided to hike down to see the ruins.

The hike was a series of winding trails and steps and quite strenuous in the heat of the day. Marcia and Kristina opted to change shoes (from jellies and Kinos to actual sneakers), but this didn't help like it should have - Marcia still bit it at one section, falling down two stairs and scraping up her knees and elbows. She was on her cell phone with her mom at this point and shouted, "Pam, I've gotta go!" as she hit the bottom of the path. Luckily she fell at one of the few places where there were guard rails or this threesome would have quickly become a twosome. The cell phone was also spared a certain untimely death because she managed to hold onto it and not drop it over the ravine. That's a first.







We checked out the ruins (very cool) and learned about the environment in the canyon. Because of the way the sun hits the canyon, the south side is lush and green like a forest in Canada (so the trail guides say) and the opposite side of the canyon is like a desert landscape. Pretty remarkable to see all this variation in one small place.





After a butt-kicking hike, we loaded back into Sammy and went into Flagstaff to eat lunch. After lunch (Chick-Fil-A and pizza), we drove northwest to the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking and powerful and larger than life. Words cannot describe this place.





We left the Canyon (minus scrapes and bruises, thankfully) and headed to Laughlin, NV to our little casino town. This place was a weird rip-off of Las Vegas. We arrived around 10:30 pm PST and sacked out early. L.A. tomorrow!




Love,
Emily, Marcia & Kristina