We woke up early this morning to make sure we made it to our mule ride shuttle on time, which left the lodge at about 7:25AM. We packed up camp quickly and threw everything in the back seat as it started drizzling. We got to the lodge on time, and we were wondering why the shuttle wasn’t there yet…we soon found out that Arizona observes Mountain Standard Time year-round without daylight savings and we were an hour early because of it! We were lucky because by the time the shuttle came, the drizzle had stopped and it looked like it would be clear enough for our 4-hour mule ride!
When we got to the mules, we made sure to let the guide know that we had VERY little experience riding, and he picked out two mules that would be just right for us, Jen and Ruthie (they were best friends and followed each other…perfect!) It was a 4-mile round-trip down the inner side of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon…and it was quite a steep ride! There were a few times that our mules slipped on rocks…but thankfully mules are great on their feet! They also instinctively keep to the edge of trails, for predatory purposes, which also added suspsense to the nerve-racking ride down the canyon (Joey loved it!).
When we got down to Supai Tunnel, we had some time to get off our mules and rest our tired legs and knees (which were already starting to hurt!). We took some pictures of the amazing views that we had from Supai Tunnel and greeted hikers that were making the 23-mile hike from South Rim to North Rim, or vice versa.
We made our way back up the canyon, which seemed like a much easier ride (especially for the mules!). This was such a memorable experience! When we got back to the lodge, the rain started coming down…and we were so happy that the storm waited until after our mule ride!
A few days ago we started realizing that we were losing air in one of our rear tires. We would fill it with air and the next morning it would be low again (luckily we have an electric air pump with us, which is a must-have for a cross-country roadtrip…oh and a power converter!!). Since we really couldn’t do any hikes in this weather, we thought this would be the perfect time to take care of our tire situation.
There’s not much in or around the Grand Canyon, so we made our way to Page, Arizona. As we made our way north, we got hit with a serious hailstorm, which was heading south to our campground. It was forecasted to be into the evening, so we decided to not turn back and continue our drive (a day early) into New Mexico.
On our way to Page, we stopped at a MUST-SEE…Horseshoe Bend! It’s a quick, but steep, 1.5-mile hike to get on the edge of Horseshoe Bend, and it sure was worth it! This unique view of the Colorado River was actually breathtaking. Joey of course had to test the limits, and get out on the rock’s edge to snap some amazing photos!
We didn’t find a solution to our tire situation in the town of Page, but while we were there we stopped at the local Walmart for some spray paint for our upcoming stop at Cadillac Ranch, outside of Amarillo, TX. As we headed east on I-40, we made sure to stop at Petrified Forest National Park, which is also connected with some of the Painted Desert! We arrived at the park an hour and a half before the park technically closed, but the Park Ranger gave us the inside tip that as long as we were in our car on our way to an exit by 7:30PM, we would be okay!
We started with the Painted Desert Loop, and as Joey drove by the different lookout points, I quickly snapped photos! The blues, grays, reds, oranges, and white that we saw in the desert hills were so pretty!!
Before we crossed the bridge to go to the southern part of the park (which is the Petrified Forest section), we drove by the Old Historic Route 66, which was one of the original highways within the US (it seemed appropriate to stop here on our cross-country roadtrip!).
As we continued driving through the park, we drove by The Tepees…which were my favorite part of the park!
After the Tepees, the petrified wood started to appear more frequently. This wood has been buried under millions of years of sediment, and has become fossilized from time and pressure…so they are extremely rare and each piece is unique! The Park Ranger at the Visitor’s Center told us that we came on a good day because the cloud cover actually enhances or brings out the mineral colors in the petrified wood…and boy was he right!
We first stopped at Agate Bridge, a 110ft long fallen petrified log. The petrified log itself was beautiful, but it was even more amazing to see the beginning of the root system that had been petrified as well!
Our last stop in the park was Crystal Forest, which was a trail through an ancient forest of prehistoric petrified wood! I must say, Joey really loved this place…with beauty, nature, and science all coming to a meeting point at Crystal Forest, he was having such a blast running around and taking pictures of the beautiful mineral colors in the petrified wood!
We were out of the park by 7:45PM and continued east, making our way towards Albuquerque, NM where we’re staying for the night (instead of Amarillo, TX due to our tire situation). It was a really long day of driving, so we can’t wait to get to the hotel and sleep in a real bed! We really need to get to the bottom of this tire issue that has been on our minds, but we’re definitely not letting it ruin our momentum. Tomorrow we’re heading to Amarillo, TX to spray paint some classic big-winged Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch, and ending our night in Austin, TX…so stay posted!