Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

The day before our last day on the trip, Caty called and suggested we get a National Park Passport stamp the next day. It took me a minute to realize why that would be cool. It was Leap Day! And, it was also NPS Centennial.

Fortunately, our last adventure did take us to a National Park. It was a quick trip to Petrified Forest National Park with hopes of getting some sunset photos. I have been three times in the past three years, so this wasn't an in-depth exploration, just a drive across the park's 26-mile road and a few side trips.

Petrified log

Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, the park covers about 170 square miles of semi-desert, badlands and the Painted Desert.

Bright red cliffs

The primary feature is fossils of trees that lived in the Late Triassic Period, about 225 million years ago. During this period, the region that is now the park was near the equator on the southwestern edge of the supercontinent Pangaea, and its climate was humid and sub-tropical. It was a low plain flanked by mountains to the south and southeast and a sea to the west. Streams flowing across the plain from the highlands deposited inorganic sediment and organic matter, including trees, plants and animals that had entered or fallen into the water. The resulting fossil is richly colored, but still looks like a tree.

Fossilized wood

Although organic matter usually decays or is eaten by other organisms, it can remain intact and become fossilized if it is buried quickly, which is what happened in this area. In this case, much of the burying sediment was volcanic ash. Groundwater dissolved silica (silicon dioxide) from the ash and carried it into the logs, where it formed quartz crystals that gradually replaced the organic matter. 

Another close-up

Traces of iron oxide and other substances combined with the silica to create varied colors in the petrified wood. At least nine species of fossil trees from the park have been identified; all are extinct. 

This one has some gold

Increasing tourist and commercial interest in petrified wood during the late 19th century led to a series of protected designations culminating is establishment of the national park in 1962. Theft of petrified wood is still a problem, with theft of an estimated 12 short tons of fossil wood every year.

Less glossy

We stopped in one of the large stores selling petrified wood and fossils before we got to the park, so we assume there is a lot of the material outside the park, as well.

Photo: Jim Gray's (The antique car must be Jim's; it was there when I visited before)

The Painted Desert is part of the Chinle Formation, an up-to-800-foot-thick layer of soft fine-grained stone, harder sandstone and conglomerate, and limestone. 

Painted Desert

The Chinle's bentonite clay, which swells when wet and shrinks while drying, causes surface movement and cracking that discourages plant growth. Lack of plant cover makes the Chinle especially susceptible to weathering. It has eroded into badlands made up of cliffs, gullies, mesas, buttes and rounded hills.

Painted Desert

More than 600 archeological sites have been found in Petrified Forest National Park. The earliest inhabitants arrived at least 8,000 years ago. There are many petroglyphs in the Park, most between 650 and 2,000 years old.

Petroglyphs

This is "Newspaper Rock," which, according to the National Park Service, is neither a newspaper nor a single rock. The site has more than 650 petroglyphs covering a group of rockfaces within a small area that appear to have been added to by many people over many years. Many contributors over a long time don't create a linear story, so it is impossible to "read" the rockface. Still, native groups' interpretations include family or clan symbols, spiritual meanings, calendar events, territory boundaries and migratory routes.

Although we did get some good shots of the park, we ended up leaving before actual sunset. 

Colored rocks

The park road closes at 6:30, but I am not sure how long you can linger inside if you have entered before the gates close. We weren't really interested in testing the regulations.

Pretty horizon

And, we were treated to a magnificent sunset near Snowflake, Arizona. We were really struck by the interesting orange ring around the setting sun, better seen when you pull back from the picture.

Painted sky

Here's more Arizona naming trivia: I always thought that the town Snowflake was named for its location in the cool (for Arizona) mountains.  

What's in a name?

Nope! Actually, it was named for town founders, Mormon pioneers Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake. With names like that, how could they NOT name it Snowflake?

Trip date: February 22-29, 2016

Fort Apache/Kinishba

While we were staying at Fool Hollow, we made two side trips. First, we traveled to Whiteriver, headquarters of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and visited the White Mountain Apache Cultural Center and Museum, Fort Apache and the Kinishba Runs.

The museum was basically a run-of-the-mill tribal museum with a small collection of artifacts and cultural information. No photography is allowed inside. It provides some good background on the White Mountain Apache tribe.

A cute little museum

Remotely located, the White Mountain Apache tribe had no contact with European-Americans until 1848. In 1869, the U.S. Cavalry sent 100 troops on a mission into the White Mountains with a goal of killing or capturing any Apache people that they encountered. When the Apache chief invited the Cavalry to visit his village, they were so taken by the peacefulness and kindness of the villagers that they decided not to exterminate them. But, they did build a fort that the White Mountain Apache agreed to occupy. The area eventually became Fort Apache.

Historic village

In 1871, the U.S. employed 50 White Mountain Apaches as scouts during the Fifteen-Year Apache Wars, which ended with the surrender of Geronimo in 1886. Because of the scouts' service during the wars, the tribe maintained a large portion of their homeland as the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

A nice restoration

In 1922, the U.S. Army left Fort Apache and, in 1923, the Bureau of Indian Affairs established Theodore Roosevelt Indian Boarding School on the site. As we now know, these Indian schools did much damage to both the psyche and actual lives of students by teaching that the language and customs of the native people were wrong or bad. Now, however, the school, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012, is a tribal middle-school facility. The Fort Apache Historic Park has 27 buildings from the historic fort and a 288-acre National Historic District. There's a little cafe where we got some delicious prickly pear lemonade.

A good place for a refreshing drink

The Kinishba Ruins, a 600-room Mogollon (pronounced mug-eee-on) great house archaeological site of the western Pueblo culture, is a National Historic Landmark and is located on nearby associated tribal trust lands. 

Kinishba Ruins

Long known to the local Apache people and alleged to have been visited by Coronado, the site was first written about in English in 1892 by archaeologist Adolph Bandelier (namesake of Bandelier National Monument). 

The old pueblo

The pueblo (village), which was built and occupied from the 12th to 14th centuries, comprises nine major building mounds, the remains of masonry room blocks, some of which were originally three stories tall. There were two large apartment blocks, several smaller buildings and two communal courtyards. At its peak, Kinishba may have housed up to 1,500 people. The masonry walls are unique for their double-walled construction: one side faced and the other made of rubble. The large stones are chinked with smaller stones, creating interesting patterns.

Small rocks fortifying the big ones

The rooms averaged 14 by 12 feet with a firepit in the center. Most families occupied two rooms, one for living quarters and one for storage.

A real window and an accidental one

There was a kiva in a small courtyard and three stages of ceremonial structures in a larger courtyard. In the first stage in the late 12th century or early 13th century, five underground earthen rooms, each the size of the kiva, were built. About the middle of the 13th century, these rooms were filled in and a large above-ground wood-and-masonry room was built. Later the roof burned and ceremonies were moved to other rooms of the pueblo.

Old beams holding the walls up

Kinishba and her several sister villages were abandoned by the Mogollon people in the late 14th or early 15th century for unknown reasons, possibly loss of water sources. The area saw little human interaction until the arrival of the ancient nomadic culture of the Apachu de Nabajo (eventually Apache and Navajo) from the western Great Plains. 

A long view

Over the years, the site was pulled apart by pot hunters and soldiers from Fort Apache seeking souvenirs. It is in pretty rough shape.

Crumbled walls

From 1931 to 1940, archaeologist Dr. Byron Cummings, director of the Arizona State Museum (and head of the Department of Archeology at the University of Arizona), worked with a team of archaeology students and local Apache field assistants to excavate and restore Kinishba. They created a university field school and built a small museum and tourist site in 1939 to hold artifacts and interpret the site. The museum was intended as a place for the Apache to sell their contemporary arts and crafts and to provide continuing employment for tribal members. 

Doors and windows

The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964 by the Department of the Interior and added to the National Register of Historic Places. 

The west is full of all kinds of interesting ruins

Unfortunately, the ruins have not been maintained and have deteriorated, as did the museum. A partial restoration was done in 2005-2007 to stabilize much of the site. Because it is on tribal land, the complex is administered by the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Fort Apache Heritage Foundation as a "satellite" element of the Fort Apache Historic Park, not by the NPS.

A pretty setting

As an added bonus to viewing the ruins, I was able to take some photos of a flock of Cedar Waxwings ...

Cedar Waxwings

... and Western Bluebirds ... 

Western Bluebird

... occupying a nearby tree together ...

Quite a flock

My next blog will cover our last day trip, the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.

Trip date: February 22-29, 2016

Salt River Canyon and Fool Hollow Lake

Leaving Tucson, we headed northeast toward home and our next stop -- a night at Fool Hollow State park near Show Low, Arizona. Our original plan had been to go back to Socorro via the Very Large Array. But, since we had managed to squeeze the VLA in on our way down, we opted for new sights and places.

On our way, we passed through the Salt River Canyon, which I may have visited years ago, but may not have. We often hear that Palo Duro Canyon in Texas resembles the Grand Canyon. Nope. But, the Salt River Canyon actually does (not surprising since it's not that far from the Grand Canyon), but at a much smaller scale.

So pretty!

The road winds from the top all the way down to the Salt River, which is a pretty active river here; by the time it gets to Phoenix, it is dry except for during vigorous monsoon seasons ...

Salt River

There is an old bridge you can walk out on ...

Old bridge (look at the cool designs)

... and a new bridge you drive over ...

New bridge

... plus an observation area at river level ...

Observing (well, actually, waving)

It's a stunning landscape that warrants a little stop before traveling on.  But, on we went, arriving at Fool Hollow Lake just about lunch time.

Fool Hollow Lake turned out to be a great find.

Nice!

It's a lovely little state park with very nice camping sites -- larger and more forested than anything we had encountered so far -- but, then we were out of the desert and in the mountains.

Very nice campsite

The park, which is nestled at 6,260 feet in a residential area in a popular summer getaway area for Arizonans, was almost empty and only one camping loop was open. But, it was fabulous. 

Fool Hollow was named for a settler who attempted (foolishly) to farm the rocky canyon in the 1880s. The Arizona Game and Fish Department constructed the 150-acre lake in 1957 to provide water-oriented outdoor recreation. It has self-sustaining populations of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Sunfish, Walleye, Carp, Black Crappie, Channel Catfish and Crayfish (none of which we saw!). In the spring and summer, it is stocked with Rainbow Trout (didn't see them either!).

The reservoir

Scott opted to fish (see comments above; but, then, it's called "fishing," not "catching) and I opted to hike the trail around the lake. I encountered several types of birds -- all pretty skittish and tough to photograph. I saw one Great Blue Heron, rapidly flying away ...

On the move

... and a Bald Eagle, soaring, but not landing or fishing ...

Adult Bald Eagle

Some American Coots spread across the lake ...

Lots of Coots

... and a pair of Common Mergansers flying over it ...

Male, left, and female, right

There were some courting Western Bluebirds that flew away every time I got near, making it hard to get a clear shot of the male's beautiful plumage ...

A photography fail

I saw quite a few European Starlings, but they were even faster than the Bluebirds ...

Many birds, few posers

And there was a single pair of Canada Geese ... 

 I think they were guarding a nest

... and some Killdeers ... 

Walking in the reeds

... and some Mallards ...

A pretty male

And, that was about it.

It was so lovely, however, we opted to stay an extra night so we could do some local exploring. I will talk about that in my next blog.

While it was nice and warm during the day, it was pretty chilly at night. We finally tried out our heater for the the Little Guy and it was great. We were toasty all night. Plus, it is so quiet, I don't think any other campers could hear it (of course they were all inside big RVs).

Comfy digs

We had only one complaint about Fool Hollow. What originally looked really sweet -- private bath/shower combos -- turned out to be not so because the showerheads were very high and produced a fine spray. So, even almost-hot-enough water was freezing by the time it hit your body. And, since the shower was part of a relatively large unheated chamber, it made the shower experience very unpleasant. I suppose had it been 85 degrees outside, it would be fine. But, it was 32! Plus (and I didn't discover this until AFTER I washed my hair), there were no outlets. So, I had to dry my hair with the hot air hand dryer.

Before I move on to my next adventures, here's a little local history ...

A very Arizona name

The town of Show Low got its name from a marathon poker game between Corydon Cooley and Marion Clark, equal partners in a 100,000-acre ranch there. 

Deciding there was not enough room for both of them, they agreed on a poker game where the winner would take the ranch and the loser would leave. 

After the game went on and on, Clark said, "If you can show low, you win." Cooley turned up the deuce of clubs (the lowest possible card) and said, "Show low it is." Show Low's main street is named "Deuce of Clubs."

Trip date: February 22-29, 2016