We went to Mass in Albuquerque to start our day. Hours may be at a premium; miles may need to be traversed, but the most important thing in all the world is participation in the Eucharist at Mass. We went to an early Mass to take advantage of the coolness of the air, and the church parking lot blessedly had a spot open shaded by trees, so that Howie would be comfortable.
We left Albuquerque after Mass, heading for Flagstaff. Estimated time of arrival: about 2pm. That would leave us an hour to wait before we could check in to the hotel. Not cool.
We opted to take a trip to Petrified Forest National Park, which straddles I-4o, and which Bernie said he had never seen. Outrageous! How could he not have been there? We had to go.
We walked through a few of the trails, some with Howie, others not. It was hot Hot HOT, but the dry wind made it seem bearable, and we looked at an ancient stone structure called Puerco Pueblo, and its attendant petroglyphs. We gazed at the Painted Desert, with its minimal plant and animal life, and touched petrified logs, wood turned to stone.
The heat and the wind and the altitude wore us out. By the time we got to our hotel, we were exhausted once again. Our intention was to stay in Flagstaff for two nights, seeing some more of the beautiful land, resting, pondering our adventure.
We had a delicious meal at a restaurant across the street called Coco's. Afterwards, watching TV, both of us dozed off.
No comments:
Post a Comment