We were all not really thinking about the Petrified forest after yesterday’s scare, but Lily researched the roads, and the safest way home was going right by the forest, so we kept our original plan to see the forest. And I’m so glad we did!
We started in the visitor’s center, and the kids had a great time digging for dinosaur bones in a display they had.
After the visitor’s center, we walked along a path just outside of it.
Then we all saw an amazing video that taught us about the park and in the gift shop, Lily bought a silver ring with petrified wood, and each of the kids got a piece of petrified wood. Then we explored the park further. We hiked a path called the Crystal Forest. One of my favorite parts was jogging on it with Lydia and Mary. We also got some amazing pictures.
Also, there was this amazing sign at the end of the trail that succinctly described how the wood petrifying process happens. So interesting!
Then we took a scenic drive on what was (I think) called the blue mesa trail loop. Here are some pictures:
We then drove to the Painted Desert and ate in the car in a parking lot (since it was cold and windy outside). Thank goodness for Lily’s foresight to buy lunch in advance from Whole Foods!
On the way out, we saw a famous Route 66 Inn that was refurbished and then we hit the I-40 (used to be Route 66) and headed East to 191. Once we hit 191, it was miles and miles and miles of this until about an hour before hitting the Utah/Arizona boarder:
Lily and processed the near disaster more together. I thought of going over the Price Canyon pass so we could get home at a decent time, and Lily was upset that I considered that without researching it first given what we had just experienced the day before (and the fact that she suggested that we always research passes going forward). She was right and I felt awful. I had not fully internalized the lessons I needed to learn from yesterday. I did a lot of thinking on the ride home and later codified some new family rules to help us be safe in the winter.
North of home October through April, and south of home November through March:
1. No overnight trips will be planned
2. No summits will be crossed unless specific summit is explicitly researched and it is confirmed that driving conditions are predicted to be good at time of driving. (I later played around with the UDOT app that makes it really easy to research Summits, and it is awesome.)
3. No highways without stoplights or interstates will be traveled unless it is reasonable to believe skies and roads will be clear.
Lily did research the pass and found that it was OK, so we went over it, but not before stopping at (arguably) our all-time favorite family restaurant, Pasta Jays!!
We also enjoyed listening to Stardust in the car and I pulled into our house right around midnight.
We were very very very grateful to be home safe and sound.