Trip Out West: Day 3

We started the day (9/18/17) before the sun came up and we were jolted wide awake because Ryan decided he could win a race against a train. Red lights flashing, the arm dropping down and the train's whistle wasn't enough of a clue to Ryan that a train was racing our way. Very Dukes of Hazard.

Our first stop of the day was Petrified Forest National Park. The colorful hike was a little over 2.5 miles and I had never seen anything like it. There are what looks like regular tree logs from a distance but they are really made of beautiful glittery quartz. The second hike, Crystal Forest, was about a mile and a bit more hilly.

The next stop was the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site where we got another stamp and patch. It is the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. It was a nice little quite stop with horses and little kittens. I think the kittens were Jess's favorite part of the trip. 

Our final stop was the gorgeous Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The canyon itself was all different shades of reds, oranges and browns. There are bright green tree and grass and the views are amazing. The main site to see is definitely Spider Rock a huge that is 750 feet tall and apparently is used in a lot of TV commercials. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving on very curvy and winding roads. The elevation reached 8500 ft at some points! No matter what the speed limit was, it felt like it was way too fast because we were VERY close to the edge of cliffs and to a lot of unfazed cows. The winding roads got to me towards the end of the drive and had to have Ryan quickly pull over so I could throw up on the side of the highway in New Mexico. It wasn't my finest moment, but I did feel better afterwards and was able to enjoy a lovely meal at Sonic. 

Ryan and Jess's blog:  http://ryanandjessandstuff.blogspot.com

National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov

Passport to your National Parks: https://www.eparks.com