Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, and Hubbell Trading Post, April 14, 2016

We left the Cottonwood Thousand Trails and headed for Holbrook and the Petrified  Forest and Painted Desert , driving through several little communities that were once hotspots on Route 66.  We continued on Highway 180. We stopped just short of the entrance to the Petrified National Forest, and parked overnight at the gift shop.

The drive through the Petrified  Forest is very RV friendly with large pull-outs and loops so driving a large motor home or pulling a trailer is easy.  

I didn't take many photos of the Petrified Forest so check out my blog from April 29, 2013. I did take several photos of the Painted Desert.  Joel was pretty impressed with the landscape. 

Blue Mesa area.

We also stopped at the Inn along the route which included beautiful murals. 

 and vistas of the Painted Desert.

 I love the Hopi and Navajo hand made rugs.

 Beautiful colors of the Painted Desert

We left the National Park and head north  following Route 191 to  Canyon de Chelly with a stop at the Hubbell Trading Post.  The Hubbell Trading Post is a historical site and is still an active trading post.  There is a whole area of beautiful hand made rugs but photos are not allowed.  Someday, I hope to purchase one or two as artwork, but for now they are just a little more than my budget can handle.  Joel spent quite a bit of time watching one elder weaving a beautiful rug.  It is quite labor intensive which supports why they are so expensive. 

Next stop is the Navajo Cottonwood campground adjacent to Canyon de Chelly near Chinle.

So, if you want to read previous blogs, click on the archives and then chose the date.