The day started off with the car being repaired:
The fuel pump was replaced, but the great thing about it was that it was free. We walked out of the dealership with a bill for zero dollars and zero cents. Apparently when they inputted the part into the computer to see if they had the part and to see how much it cost, some kind of flag came up indicating the part would be replaced at no cost to us (it was like a recall, but not actually a recall). The mechanic said otherwise, we would have been looking at an $800 bill. So if any good was to come of our stop-over in New Mexico, this was it. Oh, and the other good thing was the super friendly and personable staff at the dealership. Incredibly nice people that definitely made the ordeal smoother.
Saw this sign traveling through New Mexico anyone know how to pronounce this town?
In New Mexico, all the highway construction or repair projects had signs posted informing the public of the contractor and the cost of the project.
At the divide:
The final state of our journey, and apparently you can’t park here:
Just off the highway was the Petrified Forest National Park, so we took a three-hour detour and did some sightseeing since we had time to.
The Painted Desert:
Etchings from past inhabitants of the area:
“The Teepees” rock formations:
Petrified wood — although it looks like regular wood, the wood has turned into stone. The trees lived some 225 million years ago:
We hiked a trail down into some rock formations and forest remnants. We were the only people down in the area, which was pretty far from the road. The setting was amazing not only was the scenery awesome to look at, but there was absolutely no sound anywhere. Dead silence. The only sounds we heard were the ones we were making. Incredibly peaceful and serene.
In this particular sample, the rock has crystalized:
Local wildlife:
Back on the road, we saw this dog enjoying the ride:
Northern Arizona has a forest-like climate, much different than the desert Phoenix area:
Almost there:
The saguaro cacti are finally in view:
I almost missed this sign coming in on the highway, but you get the idea:
Overall, the drive was very good. Definitely not as boring as I thought it was going to be, probably because I’ve never been through any of the places we drove through. I’m glad we arrived safely, if only a little late, but that allowed us time to spend at the national park.
Now it’s time to settle into my new home.
