Wanderings and Side Trips travel blog

 

The Painted Desert

More painted desert

Wes at a lookout point

The Badlands of the Petrified Forest

Another view of the Badlands

Wes on a large petrified log

Large petrified log at the Crystal Gardens. Crystals formed inside the log...

Little Foot (from the Land of Time movie) is alive and well...

Lots of neat petrified logs

The Giant Logs area

Good view of the crystals

The entrance to Norma's RV Park

The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook. The guest rooms are in these teepees.


On Friday, we headed west. We had intended to stop in Gallup and boondock overnight at the Walmart, but when we got there it was only noon. So, I went inside and bought some camera batteries which I had been looking for. It was a clean and friendly store, but the parking lot and some of the people there looked a little frightening. I was glad we didn't need to spend the night there. We decided to drive on to Holbrook, AZ. We stopped at the Arizona Visitors Center just over the state line to get some information on things to visit and see in the area. This is the most unwelcome "welcome" center we have ever been in. Will look for another one on down the road.

We surveyed our choices for a camping spot and came up with the Cholla Lake County Park in Joseph City, just west of Holbrook. When we arrived in Joseph City, we could not find the park and so we stopped and asked for directions. The residents told us it had closed down, but there was a very nice RV park in town called Norma's. So that is where we went. No frills, just a good level quiet place to park with hookups. And only $15 per night. If you have the Trailer Life campground directory, mark off the Joseph City Cholla Lake entry.

We spent three days here in the Joseph City area, visiting the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert National Park. We were not able to see it all in one day, so we went back on Sunday afternoon to finish it. We were able to attend the Snowflake Temple which was just south of here 25 miles. It is a small temple, but the grounds outside are fantastic with fountains and pools etc.

All in all, a good place to visit, but it is time to move on.

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