CANMT Trip: Petrified Forest and Wigwams

 Another early start and another hotel breakfast. Good thing we got an early start because we had a lot of things to see today! It helped that when we entered Arizona we gained an hour. I can't believe we were at the Petrified Forest Visitor Center by 8:30am.

Once again we stamped our passports, got a Jr. Ranger packet and then Melodie was able to learn a little bit about what we might see on the drive.

Its a 28 mile drive through the park. We stopped a several points along the way. First we stopped at Kachina Point. From here we could see The Painted Desert.

This is also where we saw The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark. This used to be a popular place for people traveling on Route 66 to stay. We walked around inside for a little bit. In the rooms there were pictures showing how it looked in it's heyday.

Melodie working on her Jr. Ranger packet at the Inn

 We stopped briefly at a Route 66 sign that showed where the route went through the Petrified Forest.

Our next stop was the Puerco Pueblo Trail. This was a little 0.3 mile trail. While we walked we saw the ruins of a pueblo and petroglyphs.

What was better about seeing these petroglyphs is that there were signs, so we knew what we were seeing were real petroglyphs. Plus, they were fenced off, making them more difficult to get to than the ones we saw in Albuquerque. And, there were pictures of some in Mel's Jr. Ranger packet. This made it much more enjoyable to look at the petroglyphs.

We drove through Blue Mesa

and then stopped at the Agate Bridge.

It's unfortunate the in 1911 and 1917 they added support to it. It would look much better without it. People used to be able to climb on it. No thanks.
 We ended at Rainbow Forest Museum (which was like a Visitor Center) at the other end of the 28 mile road. This is also where the Giant Logs Trail was. We walked the trail to see the petrified wood first.

The colors in some of the petrified wood were beautiful.

Then Melodie finished her Jr. Ranger packet (some of the answers needed to be found in the museum) and received her badge.

We then drove 30 min. to Holbrook, AZ to see the Wigwam Motel. This is such a classic Route 66 sight that we had to see it.

Love the cars!

When we told Melodie this was a motel, she was very disappointed that we didn't stay there. I told her I didn't think there was a bathroom inside each one, so then she didn't think it sounded like such a good idea. (I just looked it up. There is a tiny bathroom inside each wigwam.)