START: Silver City, NY TODAY: 278 Miles
END: Holbrook, AZ TOTAL: 2,312 Miles
CAMPGROUND: OK RV Park
A shoutout to all the
grandkids on their last day of school today!
The resident campground
jackrabbit greeted Ron first thing this morning - boy these things are big!
Just outside Silver City we
crossed the Continental Divide where the Rocky Mountain Range ends. Hwy 180 was a steady climb in
altitude; scrub brush, cactus, sawgrass and an occasional cedar tree completed
our vista. Small homesteads were spread
miles apart, but cattle grazed the wide-open spaces.
Just 30 minutes down the
road, the view changed completely.
Light-yellow grass spread across a huge prairie with a few rounded
hills. We were now in Apache
territory.
By one o’clock we entered The
Petrified Forest National Park.
We left the Visitor’s Center well informed of the history, geology, and nature of this park. During the Triassic Period, 217 Million years ago, this area was a tropical rain forest, where early dinosaurs and reptiles roamed. Giant trees and flowing rivers inhabited by the predecessor of the crocodile were abundant because at that time this area was near the Equator. The 2,100 mile northeast migration to its present location on the earth's surface was caused by the forces of plate tectonics.
The resident campground
jackrabbit greeted Ron first thing this morning - boy these things are big!
Just outside Silver City we
crossed the Continental Divide where the Rocky Mountain Range ends. Hwy 180 was a steady climb in
altitude; scrub brush, cactus, sawgrass and an occasional cedar tree completed
our vista. Small homesteads were spread
miles apart, but cattle grazed the wide-open spaces. 
Just 30 minutes down the
road, the view changed completely.
Light-yellow grass spread across a huge prairie with a few rounded
hills. We were now in Apache
territory. 
We left the Visitor’s Center well informed of the history, geology, and nature of this park. During the Triassic Period, 217 Million years ago, this area was a tropical rain forest, where early dinosaurs and reptiles roamed. Giant trees and flowing rivers inhabited by the predecessor of the crocodile were abundant because at that time this area was near the Equator. The 2,100 mile northeast migration to its present location on the earth's surface was caused by the forces of plate tectonics.
The artist rendering of the
Triassic Period defied recognition as we peered across the arid, rocky terrain
when we left the center.
The colorful sedimentary rock formations and painted desert completed our adventure for the day.
The temperature hit 95 – and even though a dry air, it was hot! I bet it wasn't this hot when the Ancient Pueblos were here in the 1400s!
This is what we would have seen in the painted desert had we waited for the perfect lighting.
Ron and I both noticed the
plumbing under the rear of the trailer seemed lower than usual. Upon inspection, a hanger strap had broken
and the entire assembly was loose. Thank
goodness Ron is a handy man!
The colorful sedimentary rock formations and painted desert completed our adventure for the day.
The temperature hit 95 – and even though a dry air, it was hot! I bet it wasn't this hot when the Ancient Pueblos were here in the 1400s!
This is what we would have seen in the painted desert had we waited for the perfect lighting.
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