Winslow, AZ and Petrified Forest National Park and Homolovi State Park

 February 25, 2021

Travel day today we left Tucson and headed north for Winslow, AZ

This snow-capped mountain was captivating.

I've been in Texas and the Arizona desert for a long while

the sighting of trees, mountains and snow was so comforting.

Our last campsite was friendly but tightly packed in, here we have plenty of space.

We went to the visitor center to check-in and the ranger was so nice and very helpful explaining what was here at the park, what was in Winslow and had a map for the town, and gave directions on how to get to Petrified Forest National Park.  A good ranger makes such a difference in feeling welcomed.

A small hill at the back of our campsite keeps us hidden from day users on the main road in the park.

The view looking west goes on and on to the horizon.

I think we will like it here at Homolovi State Park.

February 26, 2021

Today we drove to Petrified Forest National Park for a day of exploration.

First stop Rainbow Forest Museum.  We found another very helpful ranger who was very knowledgable on the petrification process and the mineral colors.  I let her know how thankful I was for the information and how I have been missing park rangers.  She added that she had been missing the visitors.  They had some skeletons on display of animals that used to roam around here.

"In 2011, paleontologists working in the park found the first evidence of pterosaurs, flying reptiles whose wing was comprised of one long finger and a flap of skin. The evidence consists of one section of jaw bone, some isolated teeth and a few other elements of the skeleton. The bones offer a tantalizing glimpse of what might be one of the oldest pterosaurs from North America.  The cast skeleton currently mounted here is of Dimorphodon, a genus of pterosaur from the early Jurassic which was probably similar in size and body shape to the Petrified Forest specimen."

"Aetosaurs (AY-e-to-SAWRS) were 3-18 feet (1-6 m) long, omnivorous reptiles with broad, flat bodies protected by plate-like osteoderms. Some species had large spikes on their sides or back that were possibly used for defense and species recognition. Aetosaurs had sturdy limbs and small skulls with a pointy snout used to root in the soil for plants, roots, and invertebrates.  Desmatosuchus is the largest known aetosaur reaching lengths of 18 feet (6 m). Although the first fossils of this species were found in Texas, it is relatively common in Arizona and can be found here in the Petrified Forest."

"Not Quite a Mammal

Placerias hesternus (plu-SAYR-ee-ushess-TERN-us) was a dicynodont therapsid. Therapsids were large "reptiles" that possessed many mammalian characteristics including a “cheek” bone, enlarged canine teeth, and a specialized attachment of the skull to the spine. This massive plant-eater was up to 9 feet (2.7 m) long and might have weighed as much as two tons."

We took the Giant Logs Trail behind the museum.

The logs were amazing.  No longer wood but petrified wood.

Here is how petrification works:

A tree dies, loses its branches and bark.  A river undercuts the dead tree and it topples into the water.  The log may be transported, sediment starts to cover the log.  Rapid burial seals the tree away from bacteria and oxygen, inhibiting decay.  Mineral-rich groundwater percolates through the logs, depositing minerals.  The fossilized log weathers our of the surrounding rocks.  Then further erosion causes the brittle fossil to snap into sections. 

They look like logs, but minerals have filled in and its more like stone now.

Various colors based on the minerals results in gorgeous giant pieces of art.

Why are they all broken into pieces?  "The quartz within the petrified wood is hard and brittle, fracturing easily when subjected to stress.  During the gradual lifting of the Colorado plateau, 60 million years ago, the buried petrified trees were under so much stress they broke like glass rods."

These trees were huge and now petrified they weigh 160-200 pounds per cubic foot.

You can even still see knots were branches were.  They still look just like trees.

"Every knot shows where there was once a branch. Clues like this help us imagine what the tree looked like.  Lots of knots means this tree had lots of branches, which fell away as it decayed. Tree bark also falls off dead trees. So though the surface may look like bark, it is just the outer surface of the wood."

These trees lived on the edges of a river and grew continuously so you can not tell it's age by counting the rings. "The log's length tells us this tree was tall. Two trees along the Long Logs Trail measure 137 and 141 feet long. This indicates that some of the trees may have approached at least 200 feet (61 m) tall when alive."

Here is a video of the Giant Logs area.

                                          The Badlands                                                     

"A badland is an area of soft rock strata that is cut and eroded into many gullies and irregular shapes where vegetation cannot take hold."

This mesa with four large petrified pieces on it drew our attention.

Jim couldn't resist standing out on this rock cropping.

The various colors are all based on the minerals.

So many pretty ones.

The Agate House

"Originally built with agatized wood blocks and mud mortar, Agate House likely housed a single family sometime between 1050 and 1300, during the Late Pueblo II-Pueblo III Periods. The scarcity of artifacts suggests a relatively brief occupation. Due to its relatively large size, Agate House may have served as a central gathering place.  Indeed, Agate House was part of a much larger community. When first recorded by archeologists in the 1930s, the petrified wood construction of Agate House was thought to be unique. Since then, hundreds of similar petrified wood structure sites have been found in the park, indicating a history of humanity as colorful and diverse as the building blocks of Agate House."

Ladder which allows occupants in and out of the house or up on the roof.

"Eight rooms made Agate House a large structure for its time. Entry into the rooms was on ladders through the ceiling. The larger rooms were likely used for dwelling and the smaller rooms for storage. Their arrangement around a central plaza is typical."

I can't stop taking pictures of these colorful pieces.

The sweeping vistas here are wonderful.

I told you I can't stop myself, they all look amazing.

The petrified logs were all over the Long Log Trail.

This section had complete trees, even though broken into sections you could see the entire tree.

Jumbled pieces gave one the idea that they had been tossed about by the river.

Jim on the trail.

Self portrait in front of some layered hills.

The entire park is breathtaking.  The blue sky enhanced it all.

Martha's butte.  A nod to my friend Martha.

Next trail was the Crystal Forest.

Apparently long longs can also be seen on this trail.

"Think of a word to describe the semi-arid grassland in front of you. Is it lush, green, or forested? No, but those would be accurate descriptions for this land during the Triassic PALEONTOLOGY Period. At that time, this area resided on the supercontinent Pangea at approximately 10° north of the equator—the same latitude as present day Costa Rica. As Pangea broke apart, the North American continent drifted northward. Some 218 million years later, Crystal Forest is at 35 latitude. The Colorado Plateau uplifted slowly over millions of years, raising the park land about a mil sea level. This is why the park is so arid today. If Crystal Forest had not moved and uplifted it would still be forest, much like the rain forest of Costa Rica. "

Here is Jim giving reference to the size of this petrified log.

More badland vistas can be seen from this trail

and a dark Mesa in the distance.

Next stop, Jasper Forest.

"Jasper Forest contains one of the largest accumulations of petrified wood in the world."

And it makes a great overlook to have lunch at.

So many pieces of petrified logs, everywhere.

Next stop Agate Bridge.

Agate Bridge 110 feet long

"Water created Agate Bridge and will destroy it. The fossilized tree that now forms Agate

Bridge grew in a lush subtropical forest 217 million years ago. When this tree died, it

washed into a river and its quick burial by river sediments prevented decay. Volcanic ash dissolved in groundwater provided silica, which reacted with the log and slowly crystallized it into quartz. Millions of years later, rivers and streams eroded massive layers of rock strata to expose this fossilized tree. Inevitably, water now carving the small gully under Agate Bridge will cause its collapse.

 The supportive concrete span, constructed in 1917, is a tenuous attempt at preservation. Water will always have its way."

Here is the far end of Agate Bridge.

The waterway that was evidenced by the curvy smooth rocks.

"Rehabilitation of a historic park facility

The Agate Bridge contact station was most recently a restroom, but once it was a graceful sun shelter with a breezeway. People could have picnics, enjoy the view, and rest out of the strong sunlight. It is built of native sandstone in a 1930s version of Pueblo architecture with wooden beams and vigas sticking out of the exterior. Today our skillful craftsmen are rehabilitating this historic structure to resemble the past, enabling visitors to recall the experiences of generations before, and looking forward to the future"

Just another stunning view now that we are at Blue Mesa.

Blue Mesa is a 3.5 mile loop drive around badlands.

Even here you can spot a petrified log.

"The striped layers were each at one point were the earth's surface- until another layer was deposited on top.  Each colored band represents a unique landscape."

Pretty, pretty.

Not quite blue but shades of gray.

The hills look like striped skirts ready to swirl.

Happy hikers soaking it all in.

This area is called Tepees.

Next stop, Puerco Pueblo.

artist rendering 

"The village on the Rio Puerco (Puerco Pueblo) is a prehistoric settlement built of shaped sandstone

blocks by ancestral Puebloan people. It was inhabited between A.D. 1250 and 1380. At its peak the pueblo had over 100 rooms, with a possible population of 200 people. During the village's occupation, fields of corn, beans, and squash sustained by the summer rains would have filled the river's floodplain."

"Over 100 rooms formed a one-story apartment complex surrounding a central plaza in the village. The building materials for the pueblo were blocks of native sandstone, shaped by hand, and mortared together with mud. The exterior and interior walls were finished with plaster.

The structures above ground served as living quarters and storage rooms."

"There were also several subterranean rooms, or kivas, such as the one behind you. Kivas are ceremonial and religious structures. These likely had flat roofs with a square entrance above a hearth. As the smoke rose through the entrance, fresh air was drawn through a small ventilation shaft."

Archeologists have excavated only about a third of

the site, some of which has been backfilled to preserve the fragile remnants of walls and floor features.

 

Puerco Pueblo also has some petroglyphs .

 Identified as a migration symbol, which is an important theme in Puebloan oral history.

"For thousands of years, indigenous people have used rock faces as a means of communication. Petroglyphs are images, symbols, or designs scratched, pecked, carved, or incised on the surface of rock. "

"Modern groups identify these as Kachinas, or spirit beings in Pueblo religion and cosmology. Research suggests that the "Kachina Culture" arrived in this region circa A.D. 1300."

We have now arrived at the Painted Desert Section of the Park.

Reds and greens are more pronounced here

The petrified logs are no longer seen among these colorful hills.

Mesas and badlands combined with color.

Completely different but beautiful in a whole new way.

Just 26 miles from the other end of the park.

Painted Desert Inn, National Historic Landmark.

More beautiful views behind the inn.

Come see Petrified Forest National Park for yourself.

So much beauty.

And then we left the park and drove back to the campground.

The moon rises over the hill behind our site.

It was indeed, another good day.

February 27, 2021

Today we are checking out Winslow, AZ

It is on historic route 66.

Our first stop was to the Winslow Welcome Center which is housed in a historic trading post.

This scale in the floor caught my eye.  It was used to weigh anything that passed thru the trading post, mostly it weighted unrefined wool.

The unrefined wool would get tossed in this bin and then lowered to the basement to get bagged up.

Once bagged it would be raised back up and loaded on a train, that was right behind the trading post.

This old safe has been in the trading post since the 1900's.

This historic picture of some Harvey girls worked at La Posada here in Winslow.

"Entrepreneur Fred Harvey opened a series of eating houses along the Santa Fe Railway that evolved into America's first restaurant chain, the Harvey Houses. The company, which operated from 1876 through the 1960s, introduced innovations such as the refinement of dining in the West and the widespread employment of women known as "Harvey Girls.""

La Posada closed in 1958 but has been restored and operates again today.

Mary Jane Colter, architect, "worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, she considered La Posada her masterpiece. Here she was able to design or select everything from the structures to the landscape, furniture, maids’ costumes, and dinner china. Many people consider this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest."

Here are some of the building details:

Entry into the library

A light fixture in the gift shop.

"In 1997 the giftshop was an abandoned communication equipment room. By 2005 Affeldt (owner) had commissioned Verne Lucero to create a grand tin chandelier. "

The door way from the gift shop to the hall.

The entry from the hallway looking into the gift shop.

Some native American artwork

A curved staircase to hotel rooms upstairs.

With my grandfather in mind, I had to include this photo of the Burlington Zephyr.

This large sitting room is for guests to read and play games.

The funky artwork is by Tina Mion, wife of the owner Allan Affeldt who restored the building.

Spectacular Death Spoons are the names of the pieces on either side of the fireplace.

This tin sconce is hand painted.

Windows originally painted by Mary Jane Colter have been repainted.

According to the man at the visitor center Mary was quite particular in her work.

This ceiling treatment was one of the coolest features of the building.

It is open to the third floor, which would allow hot air to rise out.

The blue tile on the walls are purely decorative.

Here is the trackside of the hotel where passengers would disembark from the train and come into the hotel/restaurant.

Also along the trackside, is this lovely shaded porch running along the entire building.

And of course it has a restaurant, the Turquoise Room.

So we had lunch.  I had the Don Juan Quesadilla and side salad;

Flour tortilla with beef Machaca, cheddar and jalapeno jack cheeses, and roasted corn salsa.

Jim enjoyed the Crispy Pork Carnitas Platter;

Large pieces of crispy pork Carnitas, with red and green salsas, white corn tortillas, black beans, and sweet corn tamale and topped with Papaya salsa.

Oh and yes, we both had a Prickly Pear Margarita.

And then there is the song lyric that this town has embraced.

"Well, I'm a-standing on a corner In Winslow, Arizona Such a fine sight to see

It's a girl, my Lord In a flat-bed Ford Slowin' down to take a look at me'"

The town has painted a mural has a statue of Glenn Frey and a "guy" and the red pick up truck.

The corner was busy with people taking photos.

So we did too. Here I am with "the guy"

And here is Jim with Glen Frey's statue.

The mural includes a couple making out in the upstairs window.

Take it Easy folks, we sure are.

February 28, 2021

It's time to explore Homolovi State Park.

Today is Sunday, it is cloudy, windy and 41 degrees out.

No bad weather, just dress for the weather you have, and we did.

"Excavations at Homolovi I were first conducted by Jesse Walter Fewkes of Smithsonian Inst in 1896."

"More formal archaeological study and excavation was conducted from 1994-1999 by Arizona State Museum (ASM) archaeologists under the direction of Dr. E. Charles Adams. Work by ASM resulted in excavation in 70 rooms and a complete mapping of the village, which is now estimated to contain 1100 rooms plus numerous kivas."

"Work by ASM resulted in excavation in 70 rooms and a complete mapping of the village, which is now estimated to contain 1100 rooms plus numerous kivas."  Unfortunately most of that has been reburied.

Here is a rendering of the village.

"The village can be divided into two sections. The larger one is made of stone masonry and sits on a small hill that forms the prominent mound of the village, visible from here. It is older, having been founded about 1285-1290 A.D.  The smaller section closer to this point is made primarily of form-molded adobe bricks and was constructed after 1350-1360 A.D. "

Shards of pottery are gathered at the site in various spots.

The colorful shards and textured ones are my favorites.

The view of the San Francisco Peaks from this village is probably unchanged over the last 800 years, 

and easily explains why the village may have been put here and it being close to the Little Colorado river.

We drove inside the park to the second ruin site

HOMOL'OVI II

Around A.D. 1330, a group of people arrived from the Hopi Mesas, 60 miles north, drawn by the lush flood plain of the Little Colorado River. These people built a 1200 room village; 750 to 1000 people lived in this pueblo.  The people farmed in the flood plain and in the sand dunes. They grew corn, beans, squash and cotton. They also gathered wild foods such as pigweed, Indian rice grass, cactus and yucca fruits, and piñon nuts. Cotton cloth was exchanged with the inhabitants of villages north and west.

"A typical room used for domestic activities would have slab-lined floor pits for cooking and heating similar to those found here in the West Plaza. Storage rooms lacked such floor features.

To the left of these five rooms is an area that was probably used to roast corn and small game.

Research and excavations by Arizona State Museum at Homol'ovi Il revealed three plazas, outdoor activity areas, possibly 40 kivas, and living, working, and storage areas.

These 4 rooms look pretty tight and may have been for storage.

" The back wall of the room directly in front of you contains a sealed doorway."

Okay, I see the doorway but this must have been to get into another room as entry was typically thru the roof of the structure via a ladder.

"These large holes, and others visible throughout the pueblo, are the result of illegal digging by treasure seekers and pot hunters. Such acts of careless vandalism not only destroy scientific information, but desecrate ancient and sacred burials. Vandalism also interferes with existing spiritual energy since many Hopi clans consider this, and other sites, to be ancestral and spiritual homes."

". . .the oldest section of the pueblo, the Central Plaza. At one time, the rooms surrounding the plaza may have stood as high as three stories. Traditionally, the plaza area symbolized the Center of the Universe and played an integral part in the lives of the people who lived here. This area was also a location for kivas, ceremonial structures used for religious purposes. In Hopi oral tradition, the kiva was always the most important area of the village."

"In the distance, you can see several mesas. These are called Tuutukwi or the Hopi Buttes, sacred places in Hopi religion. Today, they are used as eagle gathering areas by certain Hopi clans."

"Arizona State Parks preserved this vandalized kiva. It is the largest of the kivas in Homolovi Il 

and measures 19.7 by 32.8 feet and is 6.6 feet deep. "

rendering of the kiva with ladder entrance and roof

"The pit near the south end of the structure is a hearth, and the small stone wall deflects and circulates fresh air coming in from under the bench. The large pit at the north end of the kiva may represent a sipapu, symbolic of the hole of emergence."

"On the horizon are the highest mountains in Arizona, the San Francisco Peaks (12,670 feet). The Hopi call them Nuvatukya'ovi and believe they are the home of the Katsina spirits. Katsina are supernatural beings with the power to bring the rain needed to make crops grow and produce a bountiful harvest. They played an important role in the religious beliefs of the people who lived here. Katsina ceremonies are still conducted in the village plazas on the Hopi Mesas."

"In the depression is a kiva. Kiva means "cellar” or "underground house". Men are primary users of kivas; women and children have access during certain ceremonies and seasons.

This kiva is 14 by 17 feet and 6 feet deep. The floor and benches were paved with flagstones. Anchored to the roof and floor was a vertical loom for weaving cotton. At abandonment, many kivas were ritually closed. Air shafts and hearths were filled and sealed, and their roofs were burned."

And on the ride thru the park back to our campsite we saw some mules in the grassland.

The ruins were nice to see, but took a little bit of imagination as most are not exposed.