We left New Mexico on Thursday Feb. 1st and headed towards the Grand Canyon.  On our way we decided to stop at the Petrified Forest National Park.  It is a most interesting park with the badlands and the petrified trees.



Amazing colors in the trees.



You might remember that we were at the Grand Canyon last fall.  When we were planning this trip, Phil wanted to take photos of snow in the canyon.  There was very little snow when we arrived but it did snow 1" the next day.  So Phil was happy!

Sunrise at 7:29 AM







The clouds came rolling in.



There is a tower at Desert View.  It is a re-creation of the strange prehistoric Indian towers found scattered over the Midwest,  The Watchtower has three stories.  It was built in 1932 and it is adorned with ceremonial paintings and designs passed down from  generation to generations.



Ceiling of the Watchtower



We thought the view of the canyon was more colorful from Desert View which is the east end of the National Park.



And then the snow fell and the view of the canyon was gone.  

Sunset at 6:30 PM

We arrived in Sedona today, Feb 3rd, around noon.  Yep, we were in Sedona last fall too and just loved the red rock formations and all of the hiking this area offers.  We stopped at Slide Rock State Park. just north of Sedona on scenic highway 89A.  It is located in Oak Creek Canyon,  As elevation falls, Slide Rock becomes a natural water chute as swimmers slide down the slick "water slide" for about a third of a mile.  No crazy swimmers today! 

This would be the "sliding" area of the creek.

It is good to know the water is monitored by the park rangers!!



We are staying at Sedona Pines Resort.  It is a beautiful park.  Just outside our "door " is a babbling brook and fountain!  Phil will have to take pictures tomorrow.  We are excited to once again be hiking among the red rocks and discovering some new trails.