Postcard from the Painted Desert

The Journey Continues…

When we last visited, I had just photographed the Little Painted Desert and purchased warmer clothing at the Wal-Mart in Winslow, AZ. Now fully prepared for the weather, I got back in the van…the next destination…the big Painted Desert in the Petrified Forest National Park.

Now, realize that for the next few weeks, I am in all new territory, at least for me. Every mile is a new experience. What a great way to start a new life! It wasn’t a long drive along I-40 to the park. So, I still had good light when I got there.

The Painted Desert is the very north section of the park. I-40 divides the Painted Desert from the Petrified Forest. There is a very convenient circular road that takes you through the Painted Desert and affords some beautiful views of this magnificent country.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the Painted Desert covers much more than what can be seen from the park road. In fact, it covers an area of 7,500 square miles and runs from the very northern part of Arizona down to where I took the above photo.

As mentioned, this part of the Painted Desert is in a national park. But most of it is on Navajo land. Other than the national park section of the desert, it is only accessible by dirt roads or by hiking…and to explore the desert requires a permit from the Navajo Nation.

You should know the Navajo Nation is quite large. In this part of Arizona, it begins just east of Flagstaff. I noticed when I was in Winslow that the majority of the people I encountered were of the Navajo Tribe. Further ahead in this journey I would have many more experiences in the Navajo Nation.  But that was yet to come.

Now, back to the Painted Desert. As I mentioned above, the road into the Painted Desert is circular, although it is not a complete circle. It begins at the National Park entrance station, then circles gently north and west, eventually winding up back on I-40, but this time to the west of the park entrance. In other words, when I finished my photo shoot, I was back on I-40 driving where I had already been. No matter.

As you can see from the photo above the colors are spectacular! I have a few more you can see by visiting my Web site. It’s a place of great beauty. It reminded me of the Painted Hills in Oregon. If you recall, I visited the hills on the first part of my journey.

I left the park and once again headed east on I-40, deeper into the Navajo Nation. Stay tuned…

Postcard from the Little Painted Desert

You probably thought I had stopped writing this blog. Actually I did…but only because I was a sick puppy. I had a nasty head and chest cold that turned into a serious sinus infection. It lasted several weeks before the prescription drugs kicked in. The worst part was how it affected my brain. Long story, short: I could barely look at a computer, much less write anything. But all is well now…well mostly. So I will pick up where I left off on my 2008 journey between divorce and a new life…

The Journey Continues…

When last we were together, I was photographing the wonders of a Yosemite Autumn. After a couple of days and any number of photos, I knew it was time to leave as the clock was ticking towards winter and I had much more to see.

I left Yosemite heading west towards San Francisco to spent a couple of days with dear friends and to sleep in a real bed. I had spent enough time on the ground in a sleeping bag and just wanted a real bed and a shower before continuing on my journey.

Leaving Yosemite Valley, I decided to stop briefly at Hetch Hetchy, that once-magnificent replica of Yosemite Valley that now is the site of a large dam and a huge lake. I knew it would be my last chance to see the place that provides the city of San Francisco with its water. I won’t recount the sad tale of this valley as I already did so a few years ago here (Click here to read about it and see the photos…before and after).

I won’t describe my short time in the Bay Area (it was great) and long trip from there down to Yuma. Suffice it to say I moved quickly to get to my son’s home in Yuma as quickly as possible. For those who don’t know, Yuma sits on the border of Arizona, California, and Mexico. My son is a Border Patrol Agent there.

Besides seeing my son, my goal was to drop off all my belongings that I brought from Washington for future use at my new residence (where ever it may be). Then, convert my van from a moving van to a bedroom. No more camping in tents and sleeping on the ground. Needless to say, the tent was put in storage at my son’s place.

Everything went according to plan. The rear of the van held the camping supplies such as propane stove, eating utensils, ice chest, clothes and other supplies. further up and behind the driver and passenger seats was my air mattress and sleeping bag. Everything fit perfectly, just as I planned it before the trip. I could now sleep in comfort. There was also a camping chair so I could sit outside comfortably while camping. I had everything worked out, or so I thought.

I left Yuma early in the morning, heading Northeast towards Flagstaff. After picking up I-40, I continued heading east to Winslow. Not far from Winslow is a road that heads north to an little known area known as the Little Painted Desert. I got there towards sunset, there perfect time for photography, and took a several shots. Afterwards, I found a public campground a few miles south of the site and after eating dinner and reading for a while by lantern light, l settled in for my first night in a van.

Here is where I made my first miscalculation. Most people thing that Arizona is hot and dry and at a low elevation. In fact, Winslow sits at 5,000 feet, and in late October and Early November it gets very cold. That night, the temperature dropped into the low 20’s…and I froze. I thought I had enough warm clothes for cold temperatures, but I was very wrong!

Before sunrise, I was up and after a cup of coffee, I headed back to Winslow and found their Wal-Mart. I purchased warmer clothes, an extra thick blanket, a ski mask for my head and face and other items to keep me warm. I also found a propane heater that was safe to use in an enclosed space. I vowed to be warm for the rest of my journey…and I was.

I continued my trip east along Highway 40. My first stop that day was to be the big Painted Desert, part of the Petrified Forest National Park.

More to come.