Lucubratrix

Day Four: Moriarty to Cameron, AZ

Today was supposed to be my leisurely day of sightseeing, and I did indeed stop and see the sights. It was more tiring than anything else, though.

First stop was the Continental Divide somewhere in New Mexico. It qualifies as a sort of roadside attraction; Continental Divide items were offered for sale from a "real Navajo hogan." (It was closed.) Nonetheless, I stopped and took a picture.

Next, I stopped at the rest area in Lupton, AZ, just across the state line. It was fairly scenic, but I was disappointed that, despite signs promising poisonous snakes and insects, I saw no wildlife of any kind.

After that, I went to Petrified Forest National Park, and took the short loop through the Painted Desert. It was quite impressive, and as you might imagine, the pictures I took don't quite capture it. This one comes the closest. The park fauna was more satisfactory; while walking the short trail near one of the scenic overlooks, I saw five lizards and a jackrabbit.

A few miles past the park was Stewart's Petrified Wood, a roadside attraction offering a free (tiny) piece of petrified wood, and highly expensive larger pieces for sale. More impressive than the petrified wood, however, was the large dinosaur visible from the road. It's hard to tell from the picture, but that's a caveman in its mouth....

The last stop of the day was at the meteor crater outside Winslow, AZ. I squeaked in about half an hour before closing time and was delighted to discover that my military ID got me in for free, saving me $15. The crater was enormous; the people in the picture give some idea of the scale.

posted by Just Me @ 23:32