Day 5: Petrified Forest & Painted Desert & the rest of the family's views

ANTHONY: Petit Jean was a really good place. I liked the overlooks a lot. Rockwell RV park was an average park, but I liked the Oklahoma City Memorial a lot. Palo Duro Canyon was really good. The thing I liked the most about it was “Texas” the play. New Mexico was real windy. I liked Old Town in Albuquerque. The Petrified Forest was BORING. So far, I like Flagstaff, but I wish the folks that run JH RV Park, liked kids better.
KATIE: Petit Jean was a great place to start our road trip. It was peaceful, yet there was a sense of adventure, like going to see all of those overlooks. They were absolutely breathtaking. I thought that Rockwell RV Park was a good place to stay there for one night because it wasn’t very scenic, but it was very hospitable and welcoming. While we were in Oklahoma, we went to see the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial and it left me speech less because it is probably hard to imagine what it was like to be one of the victims, but I felt fulfilled to go and pay them respect. I think that Palo Duro canyon was my favorite park. The weather was perfect and it was a beautiful canyon with flowers covering the ground on the inside of the canyon. There was also a play going on when we were there and it was exceptional. I’m glad we got to enjoy as much as we could of Palo Duro. I was so relieved when we pulled into American RV Park after an EIGHT HOUR DRIVE from Amarillo to Albuquerque. It was actually almost worth eight hours of traveling. It had a pool and spa and even a free continental breakfast, complete with waffles and toast. I was a little reluctant to move again, but this place isn’t too bad. The only downside is the anal hosts and gossiping retired senior citizens. Oh, and the disgusting red gravel that got all in my sandals. While we were here, we went to go see the petrified forest and it was great {for most people} , but I think I could’ve enjoyed it more if the wind wasn’t blinding me with my hair and my allergies weren’t acting up so bad. Overall my whole trip has been AWESOME and I hope that more people get to have an experience like this before they get too old and handicapped, or die.
SHARON: We loved Petit Jean so much that we plan to visit this park again in the future. I never knew that Arkansas could be so beautiful. I thought the RV park in OK City was OK, but Mark really dug the lights of the 18 wheelers passing by at night. The Memorial at the Federal Building site was very moving. You almost feel a duty to go there and pay your respects to those who so needlessly lost their lives. Then, there was Palo Duro Canyon State Park. WOW! This place looks just like an old Western movie, but in brilliant color. You can really imagine what it was like as the West was won. Some how Anthony still wanted to play video games instead of drinking in all of the beauty of this place. He asked us if we didn’t ever get tired of all the beauty? I think he’s just addicted to Play Station. Over the whole trip, the kids have done really great. We didn’t see any signs of boredom until Albuquerque. The kids were repeating silly phrases over and over, and you can imagine how nerve wracking this was for Mark after he had driven for 8 hours in hurricane force winds to get there. So, as a supposed remedy, he sent the kids out to wander the RV park. Of course, we gave them a walkie-talkie for safety. As soon as he was out of earshot, Anthony sent a message over the talkie: the same aggravating repetitive phrase we had heard for the last 15 minutes. This humorous action, served to break the tension, and we resumed our good spirits. American RV Park in Albuquerque was awesome. It was the nicest, well equipped, privately owned park, we’ve ever stayed in. It sets a great example of what an RV park should be. Today, we had a good trip over to Flagstaff, with a stop at the Petrified Forest. I practically had to force the kids to see some of the sights. I knew someday, they would ask me why I didn’t force them to see the petrified logs of this place if they didn’t. They were just thinking: “If you’ve seen one petrified log, you’ve seen them all.” There were also some ancient pueblo ruins of ancient Indians. Katie pointed out the outline of one small room and said it must have been the bathroom. They were also impressed by the hieroglyphics or “ancient graffiti” as they called it. This park in Flagstaff is nice, but the owners are very particular. You feel like you could be doing something wrong and everyone’s watching to catch you in the act. Oh well, tomorrow will be our Grand Canyon day and hopefully Sedona as well. We’ll be putting in our two cents worth every so often, too, so see ya later!

Mark: well, they pretty much bout summed it all up. I got tickled today, I kept meeting guys and they all say the same thing: "Where ya'll from?" I may write a book about camping one day, and call it that. I'm laying PUBLIC dibs on it now, so if any of you wise-guys think you can steal it, I just copywrote it now. LOL. It's nice meeting new people, well except for the people here at this RV park. I wave, they turn the other way and keep pushing Tasha the poodle in her little stroller. I'm sure they're nice....they're just not nice to us. Probably set a bad tone in my mind when they reminded me at the front desk that if our kids are under 14, they MUST have an adult with them if they are outside of the camper; and noted that they are not a campground....no fires or grills...they are an "RV PARK". Well, la-te-da....

If you've ever saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, there is a scene where there is a town with no kids...they are all taken by the evil man with a long nose and stovepipe hat called the child catcher.

He lives here......I'll sleep with one eye open tonite. Today I saw a new one; a class A TOWING a travel trailer. that was odd..why???

All the family spoke highly of American RV in Albuquerque. They are all correct. It was a great place. Kind of RV RESORT (not park) I would like to own one day.

Gnite,

Mark