Our inaugural trip for the year was a
massive trip to Arizona. Spanning over 1,100 miles in six days, we
completed an enormous circle of the state, including the Petrified Forest,
Painted Desert, Canyon De Chelly, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, The Navajo
National Monument, Monument Valley & Finally the Sonora region and back to
Phoenix to visit with friends. Prepare for lots of pictures of Rocks and
Panorama Shots of Nature!
One interesting item to note was that we
did not consider the effects of Altitude before we left for this trip.
Richmond sits at 190 Feet above sea level. In the span of ten hours, we
were at over 6000 feet. We all felt the effects of the increased altitude
for days, which significantly effected our hikes. Luckily, it was freezing
cold (we didn't really consider that either) and we did not want to stay out in
the weather for too long a period of time.
The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert -
Altitude Approximately 1100 and 5500 Feet Respectively
Tonto National Forest - The 'Forest' is
made up of Cacti!
"teepees" in the Painted Desert
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Our First, but not Last, Cactus
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Note Stew's Clothing - It was still Warm Here.
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We Discovered an Ant-Lion Nest!
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Big Cactus
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View from the Desert Road
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A Group Shot - Don't Touch the Cactus!
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In the Petrified Forest - It was COLD Up There!!!
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All that Petrified Wood Lying Around
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A Natural Petrified Bridge - Supported by Modern Concrete, Just in Case
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Our First Glyphs
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The Tepee Hills - Gateway to the Painted Desert
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At the Top of the Mountain in the National Park - Elevation XXXX
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The Petrified Forest Park - Everything on
the ground is Petrified Wood. No Wonder NASA uses this area for Mars
Testing!
