Painted Desert and Petrified Forest - Arizona

2 Chicas and a Beam from Heaven

Zipping east along the I-40 corridor, Chica 1 was on the road again!  The sinus congestion was somewhat relieved; she was behind the wheel and determined to get there.  Of course that type of resolve can often lead to a form of cocky blindness, as was the case here. 

When road signs were finally consulted, it was evident that the 2 Chicas had passed the entrance to the Painted Desert a little while ago, and in reality, were inching closer and closer to New Mexico. 

Never to be deterred, Chica 1 hung a tight little U-turn on the highway and went back to the westbound entrance of the Painted Desert.  Upon entering the park, the 2 Chicas were excited to have arrived.  We were also quickly left speechless by the breathtaking color palate.  This most assuredly was created by God’s hands over millions of years. 

It was a cold and really really breezy day.  As 2 Chicas stopped at the different vantage points, it was evident that the views were getting better and better. 

Chica 2 saw different dinosaur formations in the layers of sandstone. Chica 2 was so descriptive she even said she saw a brontosaurus!  That Chica 2, such a wonderful imagination.

The 2 Chicas reflected back to when those little ornamental sand urns were popular.  They were made by layering the different colored sand. 

Poor Chica 1 has limited fine motor skills, so her decorative vases looked like they had been hit by a low level earthquake!

As the 2 Chicas continued the drive, we saw a vantage point that had a little trail that offered a bird’s eye view of Pintado Point.  

As we descended down the trail, the 2 Chicas pulled their jackets tighter to brace against the strong cold wind. Chica 2 thought out loud that this wasn’t the best idea because it was so cold. She likened the weather to southern Siberia!

Chica 1 decided to sit down for a moment, ignore Chica 2, and admire the overlook area.  Chica 2 instinctively sat down and began to rock and chattered her teeth to stay warm. Then Chica 1 had the most incredible experience.  While sitting there, the clouds suddenly parted, the warmest beam of light cascaded down, and there was stillness in the air. 

As tears streamed down her face, Chica 1 knew this was her moment in the presence of God, and she sat there basking in His closeness. 

What an intimate conversation when everything you need to know about His perfect love and faithful companionship envelops you. Chica 2, also feeling the sudden warmth and silence looked over and in an instant of cluelessness, asked “what happened.”

It was as if her voice broke the tranquility, and suddenly, the clouds closed up and the warmth was gone.  As Chica 1 arose and leaned on her friend, she shared that she had her spiritual moment. What a wonderful feeling of fulfillment.  In silence, the 2 Chicas returned to the car knowing that we had been touched by the spirit of God….

Well the 2 Chicas were on the road again, headed to the Petrified Forest.  Chica 2 kept saying over and over “I want to see the road runner, beep beep. I want to see the road runner beep beep. 

Of course, this made Chica 1 go immediately into song – “Awwww beep beep, awwww toot toot, awwwww beep beep, awwww toot toot.”  On the last toot, a road runner ran out in front of the car.  Chica 2 wailed – “look dawg, a road runner.  How come he’s not as big as the one on TV?” 

Chica 1 could only shake her head and say, “at least your wish was granted.” Chica 2 innocently asked “do you think I could see Wiley Coyote too?”  Lawd!

Last but not least, the Petrified Forest was quite an enjoyable punctuation mark to our little day trip. 

The blazing colors of the wood were as beautiful and rich as the most rare rubies, sapphire, and lapis.  It was difficult to believe this was just really old trees.

The visitor’s center has wonderful bronze casted prehistoric animals, and there are pieces of petrified wood everywhere.  

Chica 2, while selecting pieces of petrified wood in the gift shop, pretended to be a cavewoman under attack from a brontosaurus.  

She kept crying out “help” to her imaginary caveman.  Needless to say, she quickly became the brontosaurus’ lunch.  Only Chica 2!  

It was a wonderful day in both parks.  You can't come to northern Arizona and not check them out!

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