Day 3 – Painted Desert

Painted Desert, Arizona, 2018

Day 3: 8/9/18

Today brought me to the petrified forest and the painter desert. Unreal. I started off just driving east on Historic Route 66, and then just kept going. The drive was gorgeous, and traffic is nicely spread out so that even at 80 mph, it feels smooth and relaxing. I never get that feeling on the East Coast.

The park itself cost $20 to get in, but I didn’t really mind because I know they need their funding just as much as anyone to maintain the national parks throughout Arizona. For the first bit of the drive, I was honestly disappointment because I felt that everything looked like the normal sights I saw on my drive east. It took about ten miles before my opinion changed.

Seeing the layers of rock at the Grand Canyon yesterday was cool, but the colors of the layers in this area were mind-blowing. It seems the further I went north, the more amazing the colors were! I got quite a few pictures and I’m looking forward to sorting through them all when I return to Durham.

I leave Arizona tomorrow and I’m excited to look ahead to my next trip. I had read about the beauty of the state, but mere words and pictures cannot justly describe what magnificent scenery I have experienced during my time this week.

The margaritas are much stronger here as well, or maybe the bartender at the hotel is just awesome.