Here's a cool house made from adobe...
...and a wonderful old hacienda.
As we were pulling out of town, we saw some hot air balloons setting off as well.
The next couple hours were spent looking at petroglyphs and earning another Junior Ranger badge. You can click here to see the pictures.
After that, it was a quick lunch at McDonald's. This is an old one, and made with stucco south-west style!
Next it was off to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. It was both cool and disappointing (in that several exhibits were closed for repairs...). You can click here to see those pictures.
After the museum, it was another long, lonely drive through the southwest desert toward our destination - tomorrow would be the Petrified Forest! The views were desolate, and beautiful.
On a whim, we went off the freeway 10 miles to see the El Malpais (badlands) National Monument.
Unfortunately, they were on winter hours, and had closed 10 minutes before we got to the visitor's center...
Anyway, more freeway through the badlands.
This was a far different continental divide than the mountains we passed through Colorado!
Still more beautiful, if desolate landscape.
We stopped at dusk for a bathroom break right at the Arizona border. As we were coming out of the building, the sky lit up for the post-sunset. I really didn't get a good picture of it - this was my best...
Another state for the kiddo's list. Tonight we stay in the little town of Holbrook - closet place we could find to the park. Another early morning tomorrow...
Quick Stats:
total mileage so far - 4223
hours driving - 74
States - 15 (111 counties, 7 state capitals, 5 Indian Nations: Cherokee Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Sac and Fox Nation, Caddo-Delaware Nation, Navaho Nation)
sites/parks/monuments - 24
Junior Ranger badges - 9 (& 1 Junior Paleontologist badge!)
letterboxes - 33 (3 Blue Diamonds!)
Meet & Greets - 5 (26 Exchanges, 25 PTs)
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