LAS VEGAS TO DEATH VALLEY TO LOS ANGELES!

We found a friendly campground called Riviera RV Park in Las Vegas, Nevada.  As soon as we went into reception to check in, the lady joked with us saying that it was not possible to stay there, as our steering wheel was on the wrong side (poor Nessie!)

There was a lovely pool there so the children took advantage once more and met up with some new friends. In the evening Phil fell asleep in the chair outside and he was surprised that when he woke up a couple of hours later -the sky was lighter than when he had gone to sleep! The city and lights of Las Vegas had come alive for the evening shift!

The next day we took the bus into town which made life very easy and we went down ‘Las Vegas Boulevard’ affectionately known as ‘The Strip’ (or Casino alley!)  in the centre of Sin City!

“Circus Circus” was a great place to get a taste of this life, as it allowed children into some sections and had a variety of games for them to do. There were even live circus acts every half hour or so, which showcased a variety of circus talents, from unicycles to limbo dancing! Phil just had to chance his luck at the big time (where the children were not even allowed to linger) – a very new experience for him! He was playing for 200,000 U.S Dollars and a Ford G.T Mustang car (in red!) I was concerned at what Phil thought he was going to do with it – after he had won it! But alas -not to be this time although Phil was quite happy after a good few hours of entertainment –he came away 49 bucks up-what a result!!

We had a fantastic time at XTREME MAGIC starring Dirk Arthur at the Tropicana. Without giving too much away, this show involving Dirk and his team of female dancing assistants producing a variety of tigers from out of nowhere and then a helicopter onto the stage! We left the show dumb-struck and confused as the explicable was no longer explicable! This was indeed extreme magic, not to be tried at home but definitely recommended to go and see! I don’t think that any of us will be satisfied with a card trick again! This makes us realise once more how lucky we all are to be having many extreme experiences on Macswayround.  It was interesting and encouraging to be able to watch a TV clip that showed us how these animals are not just used as a tool to make a show. Dirk talked about how he is dedicating his life to these monstrous cats and is involved in a number of breeding programmes and projects around the world to help promote the ever deceasing number of these creatures in the wild. During this show we also got to see the only ‘Ligar’ in the States (so we believe)– and he is half lion and half tiger! What a combination!

We tackled the busy streets by sitting on the bus and went ‘Downtown’ to see the Fremont Street Experience! The light shows run at regular intervals throughout the evening on the biggest screens in the world and neon lights shone all around us as we wandered through the street. We saw the Neon Cowboy that has become a famous symbol of Las Vegas and a motorbike stunt show called the Thunder Dome - where as many as three bikes whizzed around a ball cage, only narrowly missing each other at any one time!

We needed a day to recover from the buzz and fast pace of life around Las Vegas! So when our batteries were re-charged we took off across the Nevada desert and mountains over to the Death Valley National Park. We travelled through the Armargosa Desert and were intrigued by Area 51 along our journey too.

We camped at Texas Spring in Death Valley and the children set to work collecting information to become Junior Rangers for a third time! Death Valley is known as the hottest, driest, lowest spot in North America. As its name suggests lives have been lost here due to the extreme summer heat.  Its harsh desert climate results from a rain shadow effect created by mountains which are uplifted to the west.  We saw the view from Zabriskie Point which was a colourful landscape of gullies and mud hills at the edge of the Funeral Mountains. Badwater is a salt flat land (5 miles across) and at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere.

Death Valley has more abandoned mines than any other National Park, all of which remain dangerous today. There were warnings, especially for Keane Wonder mine which was one of Death Valley’s most successful gold mines. So much rock was mined there that the entire area became unstable and began to collapse and there is also signs of toxic waste from cyanide and other toxic chemicals which were used to extract the gold from the ore. This area is closed to the public until it can be made safer as breathing this contaminated air is not a wise idea.

It was good that the children had to work hard answering questions about all the other National Parks that we have been to so far – to be awarded their 3^rd Junior Ranger badge! We drove out of the valley with the China Lake Naval Weapons Centre each side of us and maybe we were unwittingly a moving target as fighter planes soared directly over Nessie!  We met a young German guy who asked Phil for help with his inverter. Stephan was a nocturnal photographer who will wait as long as it takes to get the correct photographic conditions (and we may be talking days here). We saw some examples of the superb quality that this high standard of patience and equipment can produce and we wish him luck in his current project.

We stayed at the Paramint Spring RV Park and Phil was taken back as this was the first place that he could not hear a dawn chorus. However, this was compensated by being able to hear and capture on camcorder a pack of coyotes as they voiced spine tingling howls across the valley. We continued our journey to Victorville, California.

FACTOIDS-

·         Las Vegas translates to “The Meadows” in Spanish.

·         Las Vegas gained its name in the 1800’s when this green valley and desert spring waters offered a respite for tired travellers who were making the journey along the Old Spanish Trail on their way to California.

·         In 1905, 110 acres of land was auctioned and in 1911 this was incorporated into a city-Downtown Las Vegas.

·         In 1931, Navada legalised casino gambling and liberalized the state divorce law by reducing residency requirements to six weeks.

·         These changes impacted on Fremont Street as now it was no longer a dusty whistle stop -but a haven for fun- seekers!

·         In 1959 the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign was created by resident Betty Willis.

·         The Las Vegas Strip is an All-American Road, a prestigious federal designation awarded to roads which are recognised nationally and internationally for their outstanding and unique qualities!

·         The Strip is the only scenic byway in the world that has the distinction of being as scenic and unique at night as it is by day!

·         During the middle of the 20^th century Las Vegas continued its march towards becoming the gambling capital of the world.

·         Fremont Street introduced the use of Neon lights and today this ‘Glitter Glunch’ has the largest light show screen in the world!

 

·         The extreme conditions of Death Valley have attracted hardy, adaptable, and sometimes eccentric human inhabitants!

·         Along the 27 mile stretch known as the ‘racetrack’ at Death Valley-rocks mysteriously slide along the dry lakebed, leaving behind long tracks for visitors to ponder on!

·         Walter Scott – a western cowboy known as ‘Death Valley Scotty’ – claimed that an elaborate Spanish-style mansion was built by gold from his fictitious mine. In reality, it was the 1920’s vacation home of his wealthy friends! Today it is known as Scotty’s Castle!

·         Throughout history and still today the Timbisha Shoshone people live sustained in Death Valley by their ‘valley of life’.

·         In 1904 gold was found and this sparked the last American gold rush. It drew 10,000 people to Death Valley!

·         In 1994, in order to protect its extraordinary natural and cultural landscape, Congress made Death Valley a National Park, enlarged its size and designated most of it as wilderness.

 

WILDLIFE HITS-

·         Coyote-heard and seen outside Nessie!

Friday, 13 February 2009 08:11:58 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Zion in Pictures.........

    

                         Holding tight in Zion!                            "Ouch-that hurt!"

 

    

                      More Beautiful Scenery!            We had a Picnic by the river!

 

           

              The Three Patriots.                                  Follow the Red Brick Road!                On the Trail!

 

   

                                      SAMSON!                                  More Zion Rock!

 

 

 

 

Friday, 13 February 2009 08:02:53 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Monument Valley in pictures................

    

                    On the way to Monument Valley...            Roads that go on forever!

 

    

                          The Real Thing!                    Nessie at Monument Valley.

 

            

             Jemma at Monument Valley!        Ben at Monument Valley!         Sunrise at Monument Valley.

 

        

                    Some Wonderful Scenery.......          The Famous Scene.                                              Lake Powell

 

   

              An Indian Trading Post.                      "Are you sure it was this way?"

Friday, 13 February 2009 07:09:15 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Monument Valley to Zion......

We said our farewells to the Grand Canyon and Arizona – for now -and continued into the Navajo Territory. There were many Trading Posts and we stopped and spoke with Pernell and Brenton who told us of many interesting facts about the Navajo believes and culture. Pernell talked about their main aim as being able to live in harmony with Mother -Nature. We would like to thank him for his time and how he explained about the importance of the Navajo traditions being taught, passed down through the generations, and kept alive. Pernell explained how he had read about William Wallace and compared him to a famous Navajo warrior, who was not willing to be dictated to by the so-called higher authorities either. It was not appropriate for us to photograph them although we did get permission to snap their Trading Post. This was due to a strong belief that a part of them is being taken away each time they are photographed.  Jemma bought some hand crafted decorated hair clips that included the Arizona Rose, Mother of Pearl, and a humming bird as a sign of love.

Later on as we drove through Utah, we passed another Trading Post and we were amused by the three road signs that followed which read -“Indians – Nice friendly Indians –Its Ok! Turn Now!”

As we approached the Monument Valley the scenery was stunning. There were columns of rock formations which jutted up from the desert floor and stood ahead of us so grandly. As the daylight came to a close shadows were thrown. Phil loved this place as memories of John Wayne came flooding back and it was easy to imagine a wagon train rolling past! Monument Valley is one of the world’s most recognised landscapes. It was great timing to be able to capture the sun-setting over the monuments, as many others were there waiting to do also!  We camped at the Goulding’s Good Sam Park and enjoyed yet another campfire, to the soundtrack of ‘A fist Full of Dollars’!

Before dawn, Phil was up (as he has been many times on our trip!)  to see the monuments as they were silhouetted in a dazzling pink which filled the sky. As we trekked the windy road out of the Monument Valley, we had a strange sense that someone had been there before us and our minds were taken back to a scene of bygone days. The camera was forever clicking as each turn bought a new scene, each worthy of a mention!

We took our next trek out of Utah and back to Arizona before finding ourselves back in Utah once more! Our destination was to be Zion National Park – another ‘must see’ recommendation that we have taken along our way (from Grant in Camping World!) We took a pleasant pit-stop at the Hitch’n’Post in Kanab before heading into Zion the next day. This happened to be on January 20^th 2009 – the day Obama made history and became the 44^th U.S. President.  

To enter the park we had to negotiate a tunnel – the one mile + long Mount Carmel Tunnel. This was built in 1927 when cars were small and much less in number. We were amused by the fact that the ranger came out to measure Nessie to find out if we would need an escort through the tunnel! It was concluded that we ‘should be fine’ if we pull in our mirrors and proceed with care! As many drivers will be aware- driving without mirrors may be compared to driving with blinkers on!  It was very tight in the tunnel and unlit – we spent all of our time in the centre of the road and we are still not sure what would have happened if we had met a Nessie or something similar coming the other way!

Another natural wonder, the Zion Canyon has been carved and shaped by the Virgin River beginning approximately 15 million years ago and has a natural beauty. The red road led us down a series of hair pin bends and helter -skelter trails to the base of the canyon. We enjoyed a picnic by the river side on our way down the canyon! Once again Nessie’s gearbox was complimented by Phil!

Upon reaching the mouth - the cliffs soared above us and again we found ourselves in an inspirational place. The walls of the canyon towered over us at approximately 2000 feet in most places. Zion has a unique geography as it is located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces and this combination has led Zion to be home to a number of diverse animals and unusual plants too.

We took a walk along the Lower Emerald Pool Trail, which joins the middle and upper trails to form a series of pools and water-falls. This cliff side trail was hair -raising at times, especially with the children!  The end of the trail had even been closed due to icy conditions.  We all continue to enjoy spotting wildlife and were able to see plenty of mule deer on this trail.

The children began their work towards becoming Zion Junior Rangers and this involved watching an informative film at the visitor centre and then using all of their senses to discover new things as we travelled around the park. We also watched an I-max cinema film about the history of Zion.

We camped at the Zion Canyon Campground and enjoyed our tea cooked on the camp-fire again! We got talking to our neighbours who had an RV which was very similar to Nessie and enjoyed an evening with them, chatting over a glass of wine or two! We have been very fortunate in meeting Tim and Sylvia and are very grateful to them for all of their kindness and help, as you will soon discover as our story unfolds! They also have two very tolerant dogs which the children have adopted and have had great fun with!

We left Zion in Utah and came into Nevada where we just had to make a visit into Las Vegas!

FACTOIDS-

·         The Navajo Reservation to the East Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park consists of 16 million acres and is the largest of any south-western tribe.

·         The Navajo tribes were originally from a farming background.

·         Some Navajo continue to live in traditional six or eight-sided houses, known as a Hogan, and raise sheep, goats and corn. The Hogan is built in harmony with the universe and all living creatures on earth.

·         The Navajo language is still alive and strong and being taught in many Navajo Territory schools, along- side English.

·         A Chapter House is the Navajo equivalent to a Town Hall.

·         Water is very scarce in Navajo Country, and most Chapter Houses are built near newly developed wells, made possible through a tribal water development programme.

·         Local Recreation activities are enjoyed by young and old at the new Chapter Houses.

·         The Chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council is the Chief Executive of the Navajo Tribe.

·         Hunting gatherings still take place in the traditional way on special occasions, and each warrior will carve out his own arrow head – so that individual kills may be recognised.

·         The Navajo are famous for their finely woven rugs, silver and turquoise jewellery and sand paintings.

·         The jewellery making techniques and patterns vary considerably from tribe to tribe, this being not dissimilar to the clans and tartans of Scotland.

 

·         Zion National Park is 229 square miles of the most unique and varied terrain found in the country.

·         In 1858, Johnson explored to the mouth of Zion Canyon.

·         Zion has its own snail, which is only the size of a pin head and is found no- where else on earth!

·         The meaning of Zion is – Peace, tranquillity and a sanctuary of God.

·         Zion has some of the highest sandstone peaked mountains in the world.

·         Zion has 800 native species of plant life, 75 varieties of mammals, 36 varieties of reptiles and 270 varieties of birds.

·         Nine different layers of sedimentary rock can be found within the Zion Park, ranging from Dakota Sandstones to ancient Kaibab Limestone.

 

WILDLIFE HITS-

·         Mule Deer

·         White tailed deer

·         Signs of Beavers having been at work!

·         Scat from a Ring-Tailed Cat!

Thursday, 12 February 2009 14:47:59 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

The Grand Canyon in Pics........

**NEW**  Comments from Jemma on the Grand Canyon!  The Grand Canyon was amazing with lots of things to see! I think it was one of the best times on Macswayround so far just to see it! There were so many different colours to see and so much much wildlife!! I LOVED IT - YAY!

 

    

                         Our first view of the Canyon!                   "Hey-We were there!"

 

     

                "We were all at The GRAND Canyon!"       The immense size was overwhelming.    

 

          

                Pondering the Canyon.........                  Just Beautiful..............

 

  

                 A tad chilly in places

      

                Famous words.............           Watch out for the next 10 miles!                  A unusual natural design.......

 

            

The colorado River......                      Inside the Watch Tower.                            Careful!!

 

        

        Watch your children!                   A Moment to Remember........       At the Navajo Trading post and Grand Canyon!

 

Thursday, 12 February 2009 14:35:56 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

THE GRAND CANYON !

Our first sighting of the inspirational GRAND CANYON is very difficult to put into words.........it is the sight that left us all feeling immensely small and insignificant – even though the children may not have been able express that into words! Any picture that any of us have ever seen did not prepare us for the real thing! The sheer size and presence of the canyon has the power to leave you speechless and in a state of awe and wonder. Natural serenity surrounds you and the feeling of a timeless beauty! As millions of years of our planet are exposed right there in front -and all around you- any visit you make is for-but a fleeting moment in time! The power of erosion from the Colorado River over millions of years has left dazzling colours and rock formations. This is the only place in the world where it is possible to see all three different types of sedimentary rocks that our earth is composed of. The area is a geologists dream and has enabled much work and research to take place for a better understanding of our world.

When we turned away there was an amazing appeal that just drew us back to be mesmerised some more.......as the birds glided through the haven that they call home.

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, approximately one mile deep, 18 miles at the widest point and covers a total of 1,900 square miles. It was discovered in 1540 by Spanish explorer Don Lopez de Cardenas, a captain in Coronado’s Expedition. We visited the South Rim National Park, and sights around the visitor centre which only represents a tiny part of the whole canyon!! The North Rim is not available during the winter months as it is cut off by snow, although we do have it on very good authority, from Tim, that is equally as spectacular with its alpine views. The Colorado River could be seen one and a half kilometres below the south rim, flowing at an average speed of four miles per hour. The river flows west through the canyon, bends south and empties into the Gulf of California in Mexico. The river has an average size of 300 feet wide and 100 feet deep.  

We stayed at the Trailer Village inside the National Park and were once again privileged to be amongst the wildlife-Phil even had a funny feeling that he was being watched by ‘something’ late one night! There was a fantastic shuttle bus which was provided courtesy of the National Park and there were a number of different colour coded routes you could choose to be taken to and collected from at very frequent intervals. This made sight -seeing in and around the canyon stress free. There were also some very entertaining bus drivers who shared jokes and stories along the way. We were filled with hope on one journey as the driver sung this little ditty – ‘Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, Sunshine in my eyes causes fatalities - MAN- this sun sure is in my eyes!!’

Jemma and Ben took the challenge and had to work on activities to become Junior Rangers for a next time. We all listened to an extremely interesting talk by Ranger Maggi – who made the geological creations of the canyon easier to beginning to understand. The layers and building of the canyon were related directly to the different layers of a cake as it is baking!

We visited the Desert View and Watch Tower Lookout. This tower is a recreation of the prehistoric Indian lookouts and from the top -gave us a sweeping panoramic view of the Colorado River and the desert. This Grand Canyon moment will stay with us forever................

 

FACTOIDS-

·         In 1540 Hopis guided Spanish Explorers to the South Rim.

·         The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world – along with Mount Everest in Nepal, Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, The Northern Lights, Paricutin Volcano in Mexico and Harbour of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

·         The Grand Canyon is the most popular tourist spot in the United States, attracting 4.5 million visitors from all over the world each year.

·         Northern Arizona is one of the four release sites in the California Condor programme, which for the past 25 years has sought to bring these large scavenger birds back from the brink of extinction. These condors, full of awe and grace have a wing span ranging from 9 to 11 feet!

·         The Grand Canyon is home to 70 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles and 5 species of amphibians.

·         The Mules who offer transport along the Bright Angel Canyon Trail are now included in the Guinness Book of Records as being THE safest modes of public transport. They can boast not one fatality in 100 years of public service!

·         John Wesley Powell was the first explorer to lead an exhibition in 1869. He ventured down the length of the Canyon and conquered the unexplored Canyon and the raging Colorado River.

·         The South Rim and the North Rim are just 10 miles apart as the Raven flies, but 215 miles by road.

·         Elevation at the South Rim is 7,000 feet.

·         Elevation at the North Rim is 8,000 feet.

·         The rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are nearly 2 billion years old!

·         The Grand Canyon Forest Reserve was established on Feb 20^th 1893 by President Benjamin Harrison.

·         In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon as a National Monument.

·         In 1919 the Grand Canyon National Park was established by Congress.

·         The National Park has many historic buildings and many of these are included in the Historic Register.

·         From Navajo Point, the massive and powerful Colorado River appears to be a mere trickle of water. However, 5,000 feet below the river continues to scour, carve and shape the canyon walls as it has done for thousands of years.

·         The South Rim receives an average of 64.9 inches of snowfall each year.

·         There is a Maswik Lodge at the canyon and this translates as “Protector of the Grand Canyon”.

 

WILDLIFE HITS-

·         Mule Deers

·         Listened to coyotes howling!

·         Pinyon Jays

·         Albert Squirrels

·         Ravens

·         Stellers Jays

·         White Breasted Nuthatches

·         Northern Cardinals

Monday, 09 February 2009 22:16:45 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Photo catch up -The Petrified Forest, The Meteor Crater all the way to Flagstaff......

    

                   Moon-like landscape                                   The Painted Desert

 

     

                       Such Unusual Scenery.....                 An Indian Petroglyph

 

           

                 Beautifully coloured layers                       Nature's way                    Prong Horned Antelope

 

         

                        Petrified Wood                                for miles and miles.....                        Mega Horns!

 

         

               Nessie is ready to see the crater!           This came from out of this world....      An enormous meteor crater

 

        

           Jemma & Ben enjoy the view point               On the way to Flagstaff                          Nessie shivers again!!  

 

                        A view near Flagstaff....

    

Monday, 09 February 2009 21:44:35 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Albuquerque-New Mexico

     

                 A full moon - oh no!!                            'In the good 'ole days!'

 

      

                  Old Town Albuquerque - church.              A Traditional Store.

 

      

               Amazing sunsets........                          Snow Capped Mountains......

 

                

           Miles and miles.....                                   An Indian Settlement                    Wild Horses didn't keep us away!

 

              An Arizona Trading Post.

 

 

Monday, 09 February 2009 11:39:50 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Palo Duro

         

        Palo Duro Canyon......moonlike.....                Palo Duro.............

 

          

         Lovely scenery...........                                  Nessie at the Canyon......

 

           

          Calm Waters........                                   Extremely Scenic......                     The Wild Turkeys

 

             

          'I wouldn't argue with me either!'                Steptoe & Son rise again!

 

 

Monday, 09 February 2009 11:22:56 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [0]  USA

Amarillo to the Grand Canyon!

We trekked back to Texas and did manage to find Amarillo! We stayed at the Amarillo Ranch RV Park which had a beautiful heated indoor swimming pool too! It was bath temperature and so I even ventured in!

The Palo Duro Canyon State Park was our next stop. Once more beautiful scenery swept past us as we drove to the view points. This is known as the Grand Canyon of Texas and has a land which has been shaped by erosion. This canyon was formed less than 1 million years ago when the Prairie dog Town Fork of the Red River first carved its way through the Southern High Plains. However the rocks which are exposed today tell a story spanning back 250 million years. There are defined layers of rocks which have been exposed, adding to the colourful beauty as their story unfolds.  We enjoyed walking around the canyon lands and luckily the rattle snakes kept themselves to themselves! However we did see plenty of deer and wild turkeys too!

The view from the first vantage point was so breathtaking that I managed to forget to pick up my bag from there! I did not miss it until much later into the evening when we were back at camp and so we could only hope it would still be there tomorrow?

We packed up Nessie and took an extra journey back to the canyon and LUCKILY my bag had been handed in to the front gate station – fully intact! Another lesson learnt and many thanks to that person who had the decency to hand it in!!

We travelled out of Texas once more and into New Mexico. The Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post was on Route 66 near Albuquerque.  This also had a Camping World sweetie shop for Phil and we spent a good while in there chatting to the helpful staff – Grant and Wendy. It was great to be recommended places not to miss on the rest of our journey toward California and to find out lots more information about Alaska that we shall need later on in the year!

We visited ‘Old Town’ Albuquerque which had a unique blend of people, cultures, traditions and creative forms of expression. Historic Old Town is a cultural shopping destination with a strong sense of identity. It follows the traditional Spanish pattern of a central Plaza and church surrounded by homes and businesses. Many artisans lined the street, still making and selling their jewellery in silver, turquoise and other south-western stones. Also on display was a variety of authentic native rugs, weavings and pottery. We found a beautiful ceremonial drum with a buffalo scene in the centre and now just have to find somewhere to store it!!

After a cultural time we left New Mexico and travelled into the Arizona desert! This has been a much anticipated highlight of our journey for Phil! Something about driving in the desert is very appealing! At least it is not mid -summer – in fact we are still following the snow!

We went to see the Petrified Forest (and expected it to be very scared -at the very least!) This is also a National Park which is home to the Crystal Forest and Painted Desert in addition to the Petrified Forest. There is also a wilderness area –so defined as being an area where human imprint is minimal. In 1964 Congress passed the Wilderness Act, restricting grazing, mining, timber cutting and mechanized vehicles in these areas. They are protected and valued and the Petrified Forest wilderness area consists of over 50,000 acres of mesas, buttes, badlands and scattered areas of grasslands. The trees in the forest have been turned to stone through a process involving millions of years. As a result of the different minerals found in the rocks – a huge variety of intriguing colours have been left behind.  This National Park has one of the largest deposits of Petrified wood in the world! Ben was a little bit disappointed as he expected the trees to be stood upright but made of stone!  The high, dry, grassland was once a vast floodplain which was crossed by many streams. As the trees fell, the swollen streams washed them into the floodplains. A mix of silt, mud and volcanic ash buried the logs. It was this sediment that cut off oxygen and slowed down the logs decaying process. Next, as silica –laden water seeped through the logs it replaced the original wood tissue with silica deposits. Eventually the silica crystallised into quartz, and the logs became preserved as petrified wood. The colours are amazing as minerals such as iron, carbon, manganese, and sometimes cobalt and chromium produce patterns and blends of yellow, red, black, blue, brown, green, white and pink.  

Some of this wood is polished up and sold commercially today. There are many very unusual and attractive pieces that may be purchased at several petrified wood trading posts and we had a great time at one of these stores!

We stopped over at the OK RV Park in Holbrook on our way through to Flagstaff – a milestone on the Route 66! On our way we thought it would be interesting to drop off at a Meteor Crater which is the best preserved and the first proven meteorite impact site on Planet Earth! This is one of the most extraordinary places on earth!  Approximately 50,000 years ago, a giant meteoric mass weighing millions of tons hurtled through space at 26,000 miles per hour and impacted on Earth.  The crater is nearly 1 mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference, and over 550 feet deep! This is as tall as a 60 story building! The terrain so closely resembles that of the Earth’s Moon and other planets that NASA designated it as an official training site for the Apollo Astronauts. The Meteor Crater is the site of many important discoveries in the Science of Meteorites and cratering mechanics. We saw the actual Apollo Test Capsule with a viewing window to show the astronauts cramped quarters. We all got to touch the biggest surviving piece of meteor that has been left behind and this was about a three foot long nugget. It was a weird feeling to think that this was not even from our world!

We continued to Flagstaff and stayed in the KOA RV Park. They had a huge amount of snow about a month ago and lots of it was still around. The children had a great time as it was now warm enough to go out and enjoy playing in the snow without getting frostbite in the first few minutes!

We continued travelling in Arizona and went to visit the Grand Canyon National Park.........more to follow!!

 

FACTOIDS-

·         Palo Duro Canyon is 120 miles long and 800 feet deep and is the second –largest canyon in the United States.

·         PALO DURO is Spanish for HARD WOOD – in reference to the Rocky Mountain Juniper trees found in the canyon.

·         Native American Tribes in the area once included Kiowa, Comanche and Cheyenne.

·         The endangered Palo Duro mouse is found only in the Red River canyon lands and nowhere else.

·         The endangered Texas horned lizard is also found in this region.

·         Palo Duro State Park officially opened on July 4^th, 1934.

·         In Albuquerque every October there is the largest ballooning event in the world. The 78 acres launch field at Balloon Fiesta Park becomes immersed in the process of inflating, launching and landing balloons!

·         Old Town Albuquerque is an historical zone for the city and home for many families whose ancestors founded the town.

·         Petrified Wood is surprisingly heavy and hard. It weighs nearly 200 pounds per cubic foot and its hardness is 7 on a 10 point scale.

·         In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt set aside selected strands of the Petrified trees as a National Monument.

·         In 1962 Congress designated the monument as a National Park.

·         Crocodile – like reptiles, giant amphibians and small dinosaurs lived among a variety of ferns, cycads, and other plants and animals that are known only as fossils at the Petrified Forest today.

·         The vast floor of the Meteor Crater is large enough to accommodate 20 football games being played simultaneously as over two million fans watch from the sloping walls of the impact site!

·         The Crater has been the setting for the movie “Star man” and numerous documentaries.

·         The Meteor was estimated at being about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, and it struck the rocky plain with an explosive force greater than 20 million tons of TNT!

 

WILDLIFE HITS-

·         Wild Turkeys

·         Mule Deer

 

 

Thursday, 29 January 2009 02:24:46 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)      Comments [1]  USA