I made it back safely after a lovely time of wallowing in the beauty of Joshua Tree, but it’s late and I’m for bed. Here’s an initial look back after entering the park at the north entrance (for those of you familiar with the the park.). I’ve also run out of storage on my iPhone, probably due in large part to the well over 3,000 photos on it, so I have to tend to that tomorrow so I can share more with you. 😉. I confess that as I hadn’t planned a trip here, I didn’t have my Nikon, just my phone. But it and I did our best.
And by the way, happy spring of you live in my hemisphere.
Humans have a compulsion to let others know they’ve been there, to make their marks, in this case literally. Hundreds of years separate the bighorn petroglyphs from the Spanish inscriptions, yet the desire to be known remained the same. Why did the ancient Pueblo dwellers portray the bighorns? We don’t know.
Here’s a closer look at some other petroglyphs. Below and to the left you can see a church, some stars, crosses, and a cavalry flag.
“R. H. Orton became adjutant-general of California after the Civil War. In the early years of the Civil Was, the California Column, as it was known, was set to New Mexico to reinforce Federal troops expecting Confederate Hostilities. Orton held the rank of captain when the First Cavalry was mustered out from March to October of 1866.” ~from the park guide
Imagine all these people through the centuries, first spying these massive rocks, getting closer to find the gift of water. There’s no spring feeding the pool. Rainfall and melting snow create an almost 12′ deep pool holding about 200,000 gallons of reliable water. The first people took time to find a way to the top to build where enemies could be spied from great distances and defended against, a place with a hidden pool of life-giving water. Later, Spanish, Mexican, and Americans were attracted by that same pool. What a shock these horse-riding strangers were to those first people, now living in pueblos in Zuni and Acoma! With the treatment most of them received, the shock probably continued.
The oldest non-Indian inscription is that of Don Juan de Onate, the first governor of New Mexico, 15 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Considering the age of many of the inscriptions, you can realize what a job it can be to try to keep them intact.
Rounding the corner into the shade, the cold hit me in full force, The sun doesn’t reach here for much of the day so there was still snow but there were more inscriptions, so I soldiered on (as had so many before me.)
By the way, happy Valentine’s Day to anyone who celebrates. But don’t wait until one day a year to tell people you love them. Practice saying it often!
I thought you might enjoy a few details of the insides of The White Dove, Mission San Xavier del Baca, that I highlighted in yesterday’s post. So without further ado, let’s start looking a bit closer.
I like the brightly colored border that you can see beneath the well-worn carving. It adds a feeling of brightness and joy. Church should be a place filled with joy and light. In the Southwest, where we have lots of sunshine and many interiors have lots of white, the color is a perfect contrast and keeps the whiteness from being overwhelming. Outside it doesn’t matter. The blue sky makes the white building stand out.
More border and an attractively shaped border surrounding this statue, which has it’s own niche. The depth creates interest.
I really enjoyed the designs on the ceiling. At first glance, they appear almost childish but after looking more closely, some at least reminded me of some Grecian designs.
Again, there’s a colorful border with interesting shapes and lovely details but not an over-abundance. I like the simplicity. it’s not too busy.
Finally, I imagine you don’t normally imagine angels wearing this sort of outfit but after all, you’re in the Southwest United States. I think the decorations and designs should reflect the area where you find them.
Thanks for spending a bit more time enjoying the treasure that is The White Dove and I hope you’re also having a wonderful day!
It was a short walk from my room in The Big Texan motel to the restaurant of the same name…minus “hotel” of course. 😉. I’d already looked at the menu online and for once decided what I’d order before I got there. But I wasn’t going for the free 72-ounce steak! Free? Yes, if you can eat it and all the accompaniments in one hour.
You do not need to make reservation for challenge attempts. When you’re ready, we’re ready! Challenge attempts available during all regular business hours. 72-ounce Steak Dinner Challenge Includes: Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Potato, Salad
There are a number of rules that you can find here but even without anything else, 72-ounces of even the best steak would be a challenge…a Texas-sized challenge!
The restaurant is enormous, filled with all sorts of Western decorations.
Everything on this trip runs along or nearby Route 66. There are museums, souvenir shops, and sections of the actual route everywhere, even in The Big Texan.
While I was there, a two-man musical group came on, playing guitar and singing.
I ordered a Whiskey Barrel Stout to go with…
…my meal of smoked BBQ beef brisket, side (salad for me but there are lots of other choice), and two rolls for only $14 plus $7 for the pint of beer. There was so much meat that I finished the rest of it tonight at the motel with one roll while the other was part of my breakfast. Pretty good deal. The meat you can see here was just the meat on top. There was just as much underneath. I did NOT eat the jalapeño!!
I know I haven’t told you about the motel yet but I will. Today’s trip took me through hundreds of miles of endless deciduous trees all changing colors. It was gorgeous. I arrived early and have spent the afternoon and evening watching “Midsomer Murders” and “Hart to Hart”, plus did a few other things. Nice to relax a bit. Tomorrow it’s on to Naperville.
4 AM was the time I’d set to leave but as I woke up earlier than my alarm, I left the house at about 3:30 AM. The good part about leaving at that time and in the dark is that there are very few people on the highway. The two bad things about leaving in the dark are you miss all the really beautiful scenery in the first part of the drive and you really have to pay attention to the road to be sure no elk, deer, or other wild animals come charging out into the road. So I’d been the road for 2 1/2 hours when the sun began peeking over the horizon.
I ran into an issue with a detour that immediately added half an hour to my trip, a trip where because of time zones, I lost two hours on the first day. Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings time so when I got into New Mexico it was an hour later, then another hour later when I passed into Texas. But an unexpected issue made itself blazingly obvious when I turned east—the rising sun was directly in the middle of the road just over the horizon. I could barely see. I Jerry-rigged an additional sun visor by putting a CD envelope (not a case) in the bottom of the mirror on the sun visor so I could just see the road but not have the sun directly in my eyes. This is a little of how it looked without that. Bad photo but taken with great care which is the important thing.
When things improved, this is what I saw.
However, the detour that I was unhappy about, turned out to be the high point of the entire day. I drove through a part of New Mexico that was beautiful. I plan to visit it on the way back.
Out of the window…
And then there was snow!
And another from the van.
Despite the early start, attack by the sun, and detour, I arrived on good shape in Amarillo, Texas where I checked in to The Big Texan motel. Well, I didn’t actually have to check in. I was sent a room number and the code this morning and email so I just went to my room and went in. After a bit of a break, I walked over to their restaurant.
But all that’s another story. That’s it from the road today. Tomorrow I’m on my way to Rolla, Missouri. It’s a shorter day so I don’t have to leave so early. But as I wake up early, we’ll see what happens. As Scarlet O’Hara famously said, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Jasper Forest, originally called First Forest as it was the first part of the park accessed from Adamana, a town the railroad tracks passed through, has a high concentration of wood. To prevent full-scale looting, the road that once ran here was closed, but you can now take a nice long walk among hundreds of piece of petrified wood, some full-length although in sections. Remember that I told you they fall apart in piece due to their weight? And as I’m sure you now know, the Jasper Forest isn’t made of jasper but of…what else? Petrified wood, which is actually a fossil.
The variety of minerals make beautiful colors. There are so many beauties here that I found I finally had to stop taking photos. Each one looked as good or better than the last, finally causing a feeling of burnout. I did continue to marvel at them, though.
Everywhere you look you see more petrified wood and who knows how much lie still covered?
Friday will be our last day in Petrified Forest. Not much walking but some lovely pieces of petrified wood. Still having fun?
Independence Rock in Wyoming along what might be considered the Route 66 of the day, the Oregon Trail, is a giant, mounded rock filled with names of those passing by in their covered wagons. Newspaper Rock might be considered the petroglyph version of Independence Rock. Thankfully for the preservation of the markings, the rocks are down below the lookout area and in a place where it would be difficult to go. It was far enough down that I went back to the van for my telephoto so I could get some decent photos.
Petroglyphs last longer than rock art paintings because there’s nothing to wear off. While there isn’t a story as such, there are spiritual meanings, family meanings, as well as calendar events, as interpreted by modern American Indian groups.
The archeological site known as Newspaper Rock is neither a newspaper nor a single rock. The site boasts over 650 petroglyphs covering a group of rockfaces within a small area. High concentrations of petroglyphs like this mark a place as hugely significant. Many generations of people saw these markings and contributed their own. The petroglyphs were created by ancestral Puebloan people living, farming, and hunting along the Puerco River between 650 and 2,000 years ago. Some of the ancient artists may have lived at Puerco Pueblo, located less than one mile north of this site. ~The NPS website
Next up on our route is one of the most historically popular attractions, Agate Bridge, which of course isn’t actually agate but petrified wood, now supported now by a concrete beam. It’s about 100′ in length, 4′ in diameter, and goes across about 40′ of the chasm. In the early days of the park, many people had their photos taken on the log and the railroad finally paid to have the first supports put in so that the log wouldn’t collapse.
Finally there were some bits of bright yellow to offset the cloudy day. This first plant is the perfect example of plants being able to grow almost anywhere, even when it seems there’s nothing to serve as a growing medium.
Tomorrow we’ll be wandering around Jasper Forest so bring sturdy shoes even though there won’t be the steep slopes there were earlier in the trip at Blue Mesa. And be ready to see a lot of Petrified Wood!
We’ve seen lots of interesting and beautiful sights so far but this is the Petrified Forest, so let’s get to the wood. Blue Mesa’s trail is only about a mile but it’s definitely not a horizontal one. Don’t get too close to the edge and yes, we are going down there. But look. Right in front of you is a petrified log.
Here’s another view from this point before we head down.
The way a tree becomes petrified is that the tree dies, then loses its branches and bark. It falls into the water where sediment begins to cover it. By this rapid burial, the bacteria and oxygen are sealed away so it doesn’t decay but groundwater full of minerals deposits those minerals as it works through the log. The log weathers out of the surrounding rocks where further erosion snaps the brittle fossil into sections. As you can see below, it often appears that some manic creature tossed logs everywhere. Look that big one perched atop the peak in front of you.
Looking a bit closer.
Just as there are Badlands in South Dakota, these are examples of badlands with their striations and color variations, variations due to minerals deposits. The blueish color that gives this area its name comes from bentonite clay.
Here are some colorful examples of petrified wood. No one broke or cut these but they’re both heavy and brittle so snapping is easy. Petrified wood is composed mainly of quartz. But, you may say, quartz is colorless. True, but trace amounts of other elements such as iron mean you’ll see a variety of colors. Manganese, copper, chromium, a/o combinations of them are present in the wood.
Petrified wood is found all over the world but the largest concentration is here in the park. You can buy petrified wood at various places around the park but all of it comes from private land. The petrified wood in the park is protected.
Have a drink of water, take another look around at where you’ve been, then into the van and off to our next stop. Sorry, no cake available but you can rejoice in the calories you burned off and didn’t replace. 🙂
When most people hear/read the word “pueblo”, I’m sure they imagine the more famous pueblos of New Mexico. This pueblo is different, perfect for those with a fear of heights or who don’t care to climb ladders. 🙂 If this were built where we live now, it would be called a “multi-family building” AKA apartment building. From the park website:
A series of droughts in the 1200s, during the Pueblo IV period, led ancestral Puebloan people to move away from small, scattered hamlets and instead build large pueblo communities. The Village on the Rio Puerco (or Puerco Pueblo, for short) is a 100+ room pueblo site located near the Puerco River, a major drainage that bisects the park. The river would have been a reliable source of water for crops. Farming of corn, beans, and squash took place on the floodplains and terraces along the river. The river also made a natural travel corridor, meaning travelers and traders frequented Puerco Pueblo, carrying new ideas as well as goods.
To most pueblo people, a kiva was a large circular underground room used for religious/spiritual ceremonies and rites as well as for meetings.
Again from the website:
At its largest size, around 1300, Puerco Pueblo may have been home to about 200 people. The one-story high village of hand-shaped sandstone blocks was built around a rectangular plaza. The rooms were living quarters and storage, but most activity, like cooking and craftmaking, took place in the plaza. There were also several underground rooms, called kivas, where ceremonial practices took place. There were no doors or windows in the plaster-covered exterior walls of the pueblo. Entry into the village was by ladders over the wall and across the log, brush, and mud roofs of the room blocks.
Ok, they had ladders but nothing like the ones in the New Mexican pueblos or the cliff dwellings.
The sun at the summer solstice hit the marker for a short span of time. Marking the changing of the seasons was important as knowing when to plant and when the rains might come was vital to staying alive in the desert.
Finally we come to my husband’s favorite part: the petroglyphs. Think of petroglyphs as early precursors of scratch boarding, as the top layer of rock was scratched off to reveal the lighter rock beneath it.
Unable to adapt to the climate change of the late 1300s, the inhabitants of Puerco Pueblo systematically abandoned the pueblo in search of a more suitable area. It was all but empty by 1380. Only the sandstone bricks, potsherds, stone tools, petroglyphs, and other artifacts and features remain to tell the tale of these ancient people.
Where will we be next? I guess you’ll just have to come back and see, but be sure to wear your hiking books or good athletic shoes. It’s cool so you might get away without bringing water but be sure to have some in the car. We’ll be taking a break for Six-Word Saturday and One Word Sunday but then I’ll actually have a Monday walk for Jo, although she might be taking a break. We’ll find out.
There are many amazing sights in Petrified Forest but I don’t imagine you were expecting this one!
This 1932 Studebaker sits where Route 66, dubbed by author John Steinbeck as “The Mother Road”, cut through Petrified Forest, giving it the distinction of the only National Park to still contain part of the iconic highway that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles. Bobby Troup and his wife Cynthia drove along US highways 40 and 66 but when he contemplated writing a song about US 40, his wife suggested he write instead about Rte 66 and also suggested what became the title of a song sung by a variety of well-known artists, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”.
If you ever plan to motor west Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best Get your kicks on Route 66
It winds from Chicago to L.A More than two thousand miles all the way Get your kicks on Route 66
Now it goes through Saint Looey Joplin, Missouri Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty You’ll see Amarillo Gallup, New Mexico Flagstaff, Arizona Don’t forget Winona Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino
Won’t you get hip to this timely tip When you make, when you make, make that California trip? Get your kicks on Route 66 Get your kicks on Route 66 Get your kicks on Route 66
I’m not sure this driver got his/her kicks here, unless kicking the car in frustration, but it makes a great thing to see as we travel from the Painted Desert Inn and views of the Painted Desert, to the rest of the park. Route 66 no longer exists as an actual highway, although there are sections of it scattered throughout the west and Interstate 40 runs in some of the same spots. But Route 66 still conjures wide open roads and the romance of travel.
I’m guessing there weren’t a lot of creature comforts in this baby and certainly no air conditioning, GPS, cruise control, and the like. If you’d like to take a look at what one looked like before sitting in the desert for years, click here. It was a rather classy ride!
I did have a moment or two of “Mad Max” thoughts as I circles the car taking photos and I’m grateful for the clouds adding atmosphere. Of course as they’re in the atmosphere, perhaps they can’t help themselves.
In the first two years we moved here, 2020 and 2021, the monsoon season that’s supposed to bring most of our yearly rain didn’t. Thankfully we’ve had quite a lot of rain this year, extending even past the usual end of the season. Although over-grazing took its toll on the West in general, the park lands haven’t been grazed for decades and with the rain, that meant a lot of green to be seen, although you mustn’t imagine the green grass of the Midwest. This is after all a desert. But as you can see, the rain brought its share of beauty to the park in the form of flowers and vegetation.
Ok, you haven’t had the promised hikes yet but tomorrow we’ll start out easy by taking a stroll around Puerco Pueblo, although it might not be exactly what you expect. Be sure to bring along water. Whoops! I lied. Tomorrow is Thursday, so we’ll take a look at some doors while still staying in the park. We’ll walk on Friday so you have an extra day to get in shape. 🙂
This, that and the other thing 