Petrified!

(All pictures at bottom)

The drive to the Petrified Forest (PF) was not eventful.  I40 was lightly traveled with little construction and the weather was a nice 60 degrees with blue skys.
The scenic high plateaus and snow capped mountains were off in the distance as the continental divide was crossed.
Several calls were made to ensure the Harvest Host(HH) first come first serve free campground was open and had a spot for the wayward Smitanic.  While connections were stable on the I40, reservations were also made at the next 2 destinations of Grand Canyon and Lake Havasu.
The Crystal Forest museum gift shop advertised free camping with HH as well as the general public however, boondocking was a requirement as no hook up nor dump was available.  There was a 4 night max stay here as this location was just feet from the south entree to PF. The store and parking area was surrounded with large petrified logs that immediately impressed Theresa.


Theresa checked in at shop and asked if a sign in was necessary. The lady replied ‘don’t need anything, just park anywhere in the lot.’
The lot had several ‘sites’ with cement pads and picnic tables.  Kevin and Theresa selected a central one that would be easy in and out.  

After set up, an expensive trip to the gift shop scored petrified wood and crystal geode bookends.  More than paying for the 2 nights ‘free’ stay .

As the chairs were set up outside Kevin shouted at a lady just coming back to her RV. “ Come on over. “ without hesitation she joined the site gathering and was offered beverage options.  Susan was a AZ local and had great knowledge of roads leading into Flagstaff and into Grand Canyon.
She reassured Kevin that the route to those upcoming destinations were not that daunting.  Two other campers were also invited, brought beverages and joined in on the comradely.
Plans for the next day included a strategy to visit all notable PF sites including a 3 mile hike in a single day.  The time change and excitement of the day made for an early evening.
Before the first night of boondocking, the inverter feature to auto start generator when the batteries reach 12.2 amp was implemented.   Once it kicks in it runs for 2 hours to recharge the house batteries. The night was quiet until 5am when it kicked in waking up everyone in the camp.  It then lulled everyone back to sleep for a few more zzzzzs. This feature would be leveraged as next day’s tour would take all day and the batteries would be ready for the evenings usage..

PF 1 day tour

The entry fee into the park was free with Theresa’s senior pass!  Love it!
The days tour started at south visitor center just 1 mile from the ‘free’ camping site.
A initial tour through the informational displays gave a great overview of the history of the area dating to beyond the Jurassic era, dinosaurs, forests (how they became petrified) and early human inhabitants.

Several trails explored various wood features as well as entire logs still mostly intact. Across from the visitor center were 2 more sites on a 3 mile trail with more petrified logs and an ancient house that was constructed with petrified logs.

It was after one o’clock and Theresa needed some nutrition before any more hiking.  The only option for food was at the north visitor center, so the many Points Of Interest (POI) were swiftly passed as a beeline was made for the cafe.  
Finally energized with food, the return trip took in all the missed stops.  The Painted Desert Inn which had been restored to its 1920 grander, Painted Desert vistas, petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock, colorful layers of stone at Blue Mesa and a 1 mile hike into the depths of the Blue Forest.
Exhausted after 7+miles hiked and nearly 30 floors climbed, the two explorers landed back at the RV before the 5pm park closing.  What a day! This is a must see! The national parks do an excellent job of making the experience educational, informational, unique and awesome.  Being able to explore the trails and touch and see the sights is truly a life experience. One never forgotten! Bucket List checked!