04-29-2025 Trail Run/Hikes

Woke up after the coldest night on this trip, wore a beanie and gloves until I took the gloves off in the early morning. Got up to pee in the night and then in the morning a little after 6:00. When I got back, Ann was getting up too, so we broke camp without eating breakfast and were on the road by 7:30. We had a long day ahead. I drove, uneventfully. Stopped for coffee west of Albuquerque, Ann got some when I checked the oil level and added a quart, a little more than we needed. Then we drove to Gallup, got gas there, and went on to the northern entrance to Petrified Forest NP. On the northern side is the Painted Desert. The visitor center was nothing to look at, but we ate an early lunch, knowing that driving through the park was going to take time. Stopped at nearly all the vista sites on the way. On one, I did a short trail run up to the Painted Desert Inn and met Ann, who drove from the previous site. The array of colors and geological strata was amazing.

Avg pace =9:32/mi

Total distance = 0.43 mi

Elapsed moving time = 4:07

https://www.strava.com/activities/14325165915

We finished with that part of the park and drove south, across I-40, to where the Petrified Forest section was. I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. The colors in the wood sections, and the sheer amount of petrified wood, were both incredible. At a couple of stops, there were petroglyphs from the Pueblo indigenous people, and at the Newspaper Site, the amount of petroglyphs was staggering and very interesting to see, albeit from such a distance that we used my binoculars to see them up close (no pictures would do them justice). We hiked down into the badlands by Blue Mesa as well. I wasn't sure Ann was going to try it, since the paved path was very steep. But she did, and the walk around the loop down there was a treat. We also did loop hikes around Crystal Forest and Rainbow Forest, by this time the clouds had rolled in and the wind picked up. I was a little chilled and getting tired, especially at that last stop. But from there it was only another half hour to the KOA campground in Holbrook. Ann had reserved a deluxe tent site, and it was nicely appointed, with electricity, WiFi, a nice tent pad, and trees. It was still windy when we arrived, but the fence surrounding the site made putting up the tent go quickly. No vestibule. As the evening came on, the wind died down, so we had a nice calm evening again. Ann made stew and then we baked biscuits on top using the Dutch oven. This was a keeper recipe, although I think I liked it more than she did. Did the dishes in the kitchen sink, then sat by a fire using wood left by the previous occupants (that was nice of them).