Also, we love continental breakfasts.
We got on the road about 11, and headed for Wupatki national monument. It's a huge pueblo ruin out in the middle of the desert. They're always so intriguing to me, but there's always this frustrating lack of details. Like, I just want to know what exactly this room was for, and what the people did every day, and, well, really, I'd just like to meet them and ask them all about it. But it's still cool to see the ruins. We can't wait for Mesa Verde. There was also what they called a "blowhole" nearby. Apparently the Indians thought it was sacred. I don't blame them - it was really cool! A blowhole is a tiny opening to an underground chamber. When the temperature outside is different than the temperature underground, there is a pressure difference and air either gets blown out or sucked into the cave. Feels like the earth is breathing.
The only unfortunate thing about Wupatki was that we had to walk on some paths out to see it, and then around it. And walking hurts.
We then continued driving east, toward Petrified Forest National Park. We passed SO MANY tourist traps along the way. They gave us the willies. Big time. Arizona is starting to majorly creep us out.
The one that took the cake, hands down, was Meteor Crater. Sounds like some kind of NPS deal, right? Not so. Looked like an old high school, cost $15 per adult, and as far as we could tell, the only attraction is-- a meteor crater. Cool enough, but not for $15 a pop. And they advertised a "modern movie screen." Okay, that hasn't been a big deal since like 1970. Also there was about as much parking there as Disneyland, all empty. Ewwwww.
We arrived at Petrified Forest at about 5:15. Only to find that it closed (closed?? What National Park closes?) in 45 minutes, and had no campgrounds. Hahahaha!! We had a really good laugh about that. Colby laughed at me. I laughed at me. We're still laughing. Fatal oversight! Note to self: don't plan to camp at a national park until you verify that they offer camping. Assume nothing with the Bureau of Lands Management.
Thanks to our dear, beloved little GPS unit, we discovered a KOA in creepy old Holbrook, Arizona, 17 miles back down the road. Holbrook mightily creeps us out, as much of tourist-trappy Arizona has been doing, but we love KOAs and feel very safe and secure. Crisis #2 averted as well.
The lady who checked us in (and owns the campground with her husband) is from Idaho Falls and they own a house on Stonebrook lane, like less than a block from where Colby grew up. Wild. We can't figure out why you would EVER want to move to Holbrook, Arizona, if you had a house like ANYWHERE else.
A praying mantis landed on me during our dinner. It kind of grossed me out that it was on my arm, but we had fun looking at it once we got it onto the picnic table.
It's 8:00pm and we're going to bed. We feel like old fogeys.
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