We headed across New Mexico on the very busy I-40, with a few side trips to see remnants of Route 66 and pick up a Frito pie for breakfast. By mid-morning we took the exit to the Petrified Forest National Park to have a look around. Even though we read about some lesser developed routes and trails we had difficulty finding them. It seems like the National Park Service wants to keep you on a short leash in this park. Still, we enjoyed the trees that have turned to rocks.
We left Valley of Fire and Nevada behind, headed for the narrow strip of Arizona north of the Grand Canyon. Even though the North Rim was essentially closed for the season, according to our research it was as open as we needed it to be, meaning it was open to drive into and have a hike around to the viewpoints. We didn’t need to pick up anything at the gift shop. But, as we were getting closer to Jacob Lake the snow started to get pretty deep and our stop at the North Rim started to look questionable. Sure enough, the sign at the Jacob Lake junction advised that the road was closed due to snow, and not to travel toward the park, as if the freshly fallen two feet of white stuff wasn’t enough of a clue. Well, there goes that plan. I guess the North Rim goes on the list for next time we happen to be in the neighborhood. With 12 cookies from the Jacob Lake Inn as our consolation we headed east toward the Vermillion Cliffs.
