March 30th, we hit the road again. John thinks it is time to start heading back east. I think it's too early.... spring rain and storms.... but since he's the driver, off we go. The day did not start off very well. We went to a gas station to fill the tank and had to wait for 45 minutes until the computer came back on line to take our debit card. After an hour driving the wind started to pick up and we were subjected to 20 - 35 mile an hour wind gusts. In addition some parts of the road were extremely rutted and we jiggled quite a bit. As a matter of fact the latch that holds the outside awning jiggled loose and one of those gusts of wind decided to open up our awning as we were driving down the road. Luckily, we were able to pull over, get the awning back in, latch it and then "Magiver" fix it (masking tape around the poles) so that it wouldn't jiggle loose again. We saw another fifth wheel RV who had a flat tire, and didn't realize it until the tire caught on fire.
Our destination was north and east of Cottonwood along route 40. It is the Painted Desert National Park and Petrified Forest. We arrived mid-day and spent the night in the parking lot of the gift center at the entrance to the park. There is no camping in the park but the shops allow RVs to stay free of charge over night. Early the next morning we entered the park. The drive through the park is about 28 miles long but it takes about 2-3 hours with the many pull-offs and vistas. These pictures just don't do it justice.
I was able to collect some petrified wood samples at the gift shop. Picking up anything in the park is forbidden and strickly enforced.
After leaving the park we continued along route 40 to New Mexico... Tijeras to be exact... just east of Albuquerque. We couldn't fight the wind any longer and decided to stay at a campground here. We were going to leave today, but decided to stay put another day or two because we are now watching snow flurries out the front window.
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