Needles, CA to Winslow, AZ

Before crossing the border into Arizona we met up with Ellen and Mark, friends from home.  They were headed home from their spring training trip and we were headed out.  We spent a lovely evening catching up on all the goings on in our lives.

This sunset bodes well for the end of their trip and the start of ours.

For those of you who don't believe it, Anna Lee actually drives the RV.  She tries to limit her driving to one hour.

 We mentioned at the start of the blog our hope to new discover places.  We have found our first one, even if it has been here for thirty years.  In deciding where to spend the night, when we have no stops in mind, we usually look to drive about 250 miles.  That distance took us to Winslow, AZ, made famous by the Eagles, “I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see.”  (Title???, Writer???)  Well, unlike the song, our fine sight was not a gal but Homolovi State Park.

The park is where a large Hopi village thrived about 1300 AD.  The mesas were topped with structures housing 1200 people.  All that remain are this kiva that was opened by vandals and a neighboring one that is still covered as well as a few ruins.

Along the walk ways are shards of pottery. 

 Much has been taken from the site but it is still interesting to imagine these people growing cotton, hauling water from the Little Colorado, making pottery and living out their lives for generations.

Long prior to the arrival of humans, back in the Triassic Period, pre-dinosaurs roamed the swamp land that now is dry and desert like.  We took a ranger walk, just us, to a section of the park that has petrified wood from cypress-like trees from that era.

Smaller and less spectacular than the near by national park, in this section we were able to see the former trees as they had fallen.  We also were able to examine the shards that get their color from the iron, manganese and copper.  Stephen, our ranger, has a true love of this land which he shares with his information and his commitment.

Beyond the chance to visit a less popular park was the opportunity to stay in an excellent campground. 

What makes it so great is the wide space between each site and the angle of the sites that let us see the view and not our neighbors.  This really is one of the best public campgrounds we have stayed in.