Today, Monday, 9/19, we left Homolovi SP and headed east, with the ultimate destination being the family camp at Kirtland AFB. Along the way, we detoured to the Petrified Forest NP and drove through a bit of the Painted Desert. The road through this joint park is like a washboard, so the Goose was bucking up and down all 27 miles. I think the Goose needs stronger front shocks.
We were surprised by all the color in the petrified wood. The trees, which fell when dinosaurs roamed, were covered with silt, then volcanic ash. They absorbed a lot of minerals, which explains the colors.
The Painted Desert is mostly red, of many hues, with white/ blue/ gray/ green thrown in. We were in a hurry, and we’ve seen lots of rocks by now, so we simply drove through.
We ate lunch at El Charritos in Gallup NM: very tasty. We continued on I-40 to Albuquerque, and passed through El Malpais, a lava field through which I-40 passes.
We had to detour nearly the entire circumference of Kirtland AFB to find the open security gate. The FamCamp is first-come, first-served, so we are glad there was an open pull-through spot. Otherwise, we would have dry-camped in overflow and hoped for a site tomorrow.
We’ll get the Goose’s AC diagnosed tomorrow, and hope it’s something simple like a starting capacitor for the compressor motor. We’ll probably stay at Kirtland for a few days to rest from the long drives and worry.
