Day Five - Time Warp

We set out from Roswell today and headed north through the middle of no where. Out of sheer luck, we happened to stumble upon a sign for the actual site of the Roswell crash. Taking a bit of a detour, which seems to be the theme of this trip, Carl and I took off down a dirt road, and off into the wilderness. It was here that we encountered our first mammals of the Southwest. Jack rabbits leaped and sprang across the road and through the bushes as our rambling home crunched over the desert terrain. (No plants or animals were harmed in this excursion)

Finally we decided that to turn back, due in part to the fact that we had seen nothing but a watering hole and pump. Back on the highway, we continued our trek North passing each mile by counting the number of free roaming cattle, horses, and antelope we saw.

We decided to pick up Route 66 in Albuquerque, and were surprised to see how well the town has treated their historic downtown district. The greatest treat of all was that we were able to have lunch at "Lindy's" diner. The resturant has been there since 1929, and of course I HAD to get a picture out front. :)

With both our stomachs and gas tank full we moved on towards our destination for the night, Holbrook, AZ. We made one more stop along the way, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park, located just outside of Holbrook. Carl and I didn't know what to expect, but we ended up spending almost three hours roaming through the park.

The scenery was breathtaking and the petrified wood absolutely blew our minds. It is hard to believe that thousands of years ago a tree fell, was covered up, replaced by mineral deposits, became stone, resurfaced due to erosion, and today is littering the wilderness or sitting on someone's mantle as a souvenier.

Former Rt. 66 also passes through the middle of the park. All that remains is a marker and a string of telephone poles. But of course, if there is an old car anywhere within a 10 mile radius, Carl will find it; even if it hasn't run in 50+ years, has the hood welded shut, and lacks tires.

We finished out our day with a bit of confusion. Apparently Arizona runs on Mountain Time but does not observe day light savings. The result? We gained an hour and didn't even know it. This entire trip we have thought little of days or time except for in relation to this blog and making campsite reservations. Tonight we were actually worried we might not make it to the campground on time, but due to the extra hour we had plenty of time to spare. Realizing we had another hour we didn't anticipate was completly mind boggling.

We've finally made camp for the night, and are now planning tomorrow's journey. Looks like we'll be able to spend the morning exploring some more ghost towns, and then experience the Grand Canyon in the afternoon. There should be plenty more pictures and stories to come after tomorrow.