Arizona to New Mexico
The road trip has officially started! Yes, technically it did start back in October when I left for Oregon, but some of my stuff was still in storage and I needed to finalize some papers for work to officially be considered a digital nomad. I had a wonderful month in Oregon. I saw a side of the US I haven’t had the fortune of seeing a lot of, lush green forests everywhere.
After Oregon, I drove through California visiting friends and family, then headed to Arizona to stay with my folks for the holidays. It was a great holiday season, a little different from past holidays, but it was wonderful being all together after a long, crazy year.
During my time in AZ, besides playing endless games of pickleball with my folks, we took a daytrip down to the Saguaro National Park to see the nation's largest cacti. Read more about my trip here:
Road Trip from Arizona —> New Mexico
Meteor Crater Natural Landmark
Standin on a Corner in Winslow, AZ
Wingwam Motel (inspiration for Cars’ Cozy Cone Motel)
Petrified Forest National Park
No matter how much I think I’m prepped the night before a trip, the morning of always takes me significantly a lot longer than planned. Luckily my restlessness had me up at 5:30am anxious and ready to get going.
From central AZ, I headed north towards Flagstaff and hoped on I-40. In Flagstaff there are no signs of the desert that occupies a majority of AZ. All I could see were trees and snow, and felt a slight fear that Goldie might not make it through the snow, but nevertheless we prevailed! 45 minutes east of Flagstaff is where I turned off I-40 for my first stop.
Meteor Crater Natural Landmark
I mean it’s a massive hole in the ground! It’s over 50,000 years-old and was created by a rock that weighed 300,000 tons. The hole is 550 feet deep (that’s taller than our nation’s Capitol building) and almost a mile wide. The different viewing platforms provide binoculars pointed at various objects around the crater to give context of how big the hole actually is. One set pointed towards the cutout a 6 foot man, who I could not see without the help of the binoculars. All the attractions are open, plus free tours that offer a more detailed look at the creator. They will take you to places along the creator rim that you would usually be able to go. Recommend stopping for 1-1.5 hours if you’ve never seen anything like that.
Standin on a Corner in Winslow, AZ
Cruising along Route 66 takes you right through Winslow, AZ, a location made famous by the classic rock song “Take it Easy,” by The Eagles. A quick fun stop to snap some pictures, do a little touristy shopping, and pose with the famous life-size statue of Glenn Frey.
Wingwam Motel
Continuing down Route 66 you’ll pass the old famous Wigwam Motel, featuring teepee accommodations for weary travelers. It’s said this motel served as inspiration for the movie ‘Cars’ Cozy Cone Motel. Check out Mater’s grandpa below.
One of my goals for 2021 is to visit as many National Parks as possible. So let’s start 2021 off right and visit a new one on my way out of Arizona.
The Petrified Forest National Park is unlike any National Park I’ve visited. The vast desert landscape transports you back in time as you explore trees that have been turned into stone. There is a lot to do and see, so plan ahead! It may not seem like a lot because there’s a road that takes you directly through the park, but there’s enough to fill up an entire day. I arrived at the park in the afternoon and spent half a day exploring the various sites, which felt like the perfect amount of time. I will say one thing….PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ANY PETRIFED WOOD WITH YOU. It is illegal, and you’re not following the ‘Leave No Trace’ rule.
There are two ways to enter the park, the north end or the south end. I opted for the south end since I was driving along Route 66, which in my opinion was the better selection. The north end entrance is right next to I-40 and tends to be more crowded.
Rainbow Forest Museum & Giant Logs Trail
The 0.4-mile loop starts right at the Museum’s back door. The loop contains multiple sections of the trail breaking off to explore different pieces of petrified wood, much of which has turned into solid quartz.
Crystal Forest
One of the best places in the park to see petrified wood. On the 0.8-mile paved loop you’ll get right up to giant, petrified logs.
Blue Forest and Blue Mesa - my favorite area
This do-not-miss four-mile drive round trip detour from the main road takes you to these beautiful blue and white badlands. If you have time, hike the 1 mile loop that winds through the layered hills. Whether you decide to hike the trail or not, make it a priority to drive the Blue Mesa Scenic Drive. The viewpoints are incredible and unlike anything else in the park.
Tepees
Named for their cone-like shape and similarity to Indian dwellings, the Tepees are small stunning badlands dating back 220-225 million years. A quick pit stop on the road will allow you to marvel in their beauty.
Newspaper Rock
Stop here to view more than 650 petroglyphs that have been inscribed into a series of boulders.
Route 66 Studebaker
The 1932 Studebaker brings another piece of history to the park. It may not be as old as the petrified wood around it, but the car marks where Route 66 used to cut right through the park.
Painted Desert Rim Trail - Lacey Point, Chinde Point, and Tawa Point
There are many more viewpoints than the ones I stopped at, but each bring a unique view of the painted desert. At times I seriously thought I was on another planet and couldn’t believe the colors I was seeing. At Tawa Point you have the option of walking the short 1-mile trail that walks right along the rim of the painted desert and offers breath-taking views.
In total I spent about 5 hours at Petrified Forest National Park. The one thing I did not get to is off-the-beaten-path hiking. If you want to explore true Petrified Forest magic, step off the beaten path and explore the hundreds of miles of unmarked trails throughout the park, all leading to different landscapes.
From Petrified Forest National Park I continued east for 210 miles and landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first leg of my 2021 road trip.
