I made a great breakfast and got some work done while at the campsite. I was limited on what I could do without LTE signal and a constant power source. Once I was close to packed up I went over to the campsite next to me and talked a bit with Hailey (not sure of the spelling). She is moving from the east coast up to Washington State and had decided to make an adventure out of it. She is an avid rock climber and is hitting as many spots as she can in New Mexico and then onto Utah at some point. Pretty exciting, wish I had the desire (and ability) to do that.

So I drove a short way to El Malpais National Monument and walked a short ways on the Acoma-Zuni Trail. It was early enough in the day that it was cool, but by the time I returned I had worked up a sweat. I don’t think I did much more than a mile round trip. The big draw, before I turned around was seeing the lava tubes. There is a picture in the gallery.

When I returned from the hike I decided to take the scenic route to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. On my way there I stopped to take a few pictures and I inadvertently came upon El Morro National Monument where I ended up taking another mile walk to see the petroglyphs, rock carvings, and the watering hole! This diversion would end up costing me.

I enjoyed the ride so much that I nearly missed getting to the Painted Desert Visitor Center before it closed. I managed to get there just in time to get my stamp and watch the 20 minute film about the park. Unfortunately I did not get to drive through the park because they close it when they close the visitor center. They are also doing construction, so I wouldn’t have been able to get to my destination without doubling back anyway.

I find this to be divine intervention. I was able to get to my camping spot just after dark but I was able to enjoy the natural beauty 98% of the way there. It was snowing when I arrived, so I did only a few things before trying to get an early night’s sleep. I had no cell signal and did not want to waste gas or drain the battery trying to charge the laptop so I just relaxed waiting for sleep to come.