Stunning vistas, multi-colored crystals, an old Trading Post
OH! And let’s not forget Route 66 and Dinosaur Fossils! That’s what we experienced here in Holbrook, Arizona. That, and hunkering down, staying an extra day (5 nights instead of 4), waiting for I-40 west to Flagstaff to open after the snow storm. As we write this, I-40 westbound, Holbrook to Flagstaff, is still closed. Hedging our bets, we booked another night in Holbrook about noon.
Visits to 2 new National Park Sites:
- Petrified Forest National Park (#284), apparently best known for its Triassic fossils, we spent most of our time focusing on the surreal landscape of the Painted Desert and the multi-colored crystals in the fallen trees of the Petrified Forest. We spent 2 days time (actually visiting a little over 4 days). We visited all the museums and drove from the North Entrance to the South Entrance twice, eventually stopping at every overlook, trail, historic site. Truly stunning. It is also the only National Park which preserves a segment of the original Route 66!
YES…LOTS of Pictures, but still just a fraction of those we took
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert-Tiponi Point View 
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert Inn 
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert Inn-one of many Murals inside 
Petrified Forest-showing the original underlying structure of Petrified Wood at “back door” 
Petrified Forest-Dinosaur Teeth & Poop 
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert-Katchina Point View North 
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert-Katchina Point View Southeast 
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert-Whippie Point View 
Petrified Forest-Painted Desert-Lacey Point View 
Petrified Forest – Mark on original Route 66 with 1932 Studebaker 
Petrified Forest – Newspaper Rock 
Petrified Forest-Blue Mesa, approaching from the north 
Petrified Forest-Blue Mesa, entered from south-looking into the canyon 
Petrified Forest-Blue Mesa, hiking into the canyon 
Petrified Forest-Blue Mesa, hiking in the canyon 
Petrified Forest-Blue Mesa, first really colorful petrified wood seen 
Petrified Forest-Blue Mesa, looking back into the canyon 
Petrified Forest-Crystal Forest 
Petrified Forest-Crystal Forest 
Petrified Forest-Crystal Forest 
Petrified Forest-Agate House 
Petrified Forest-Fossils 
Petrified Forest-Fossils
- Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site (#285), in Ganado, Navajo Nation, where Hubbell’s has been selling goods and trading Native American Art since 1878. JL Hubbell and his sons and grandchildren after him were successful, because they were honest and fair. Wóshdę́ę́, please come in where the squeaky wooden floors greet your entry into the oldest operating Trading Post on the Navajo Nation. We learned a lot about the history, checked out the Trading Post and the farm around it, and got an excellent tour of Hubbell’s house and a bit of Navajo history from a volunteer who is Dinę́. That included learning about the collection of “Red Conté” drawings, also known as “Redheads,” by artist Elbridge Ayer Burbank, depicting Native Americans, with about 180 of them displayed in the Hubbell Home, including Geronimo.
We also had a beautiful 2-3 hour drive through Navajo Nation to visit Hubbell.
FINALLY off for Flagstaff (I-40 westbound to Flagstaff opened ~1:00)
For more pictures, see (in-work) Adventure Album: Thru Arizona
PREVIOUS Traveling Where Now? . . . . . NEXT Traveling Where Now?
…after Standing on the Corner
2 Comments
Gretta · March 15, 2025 at 4:21 pm
Great pictures as usual. Hopeyou are both safe from the crrazy weather happening Southwest and South.
Gail · March 15, 2025 at 6:09 pm
Thanks! We do hole up, when bad weather hits.