Holbrook, Petrified Forest and Wigwam motel

  Holbrook, Arizona, United States
Sunday, October 12, 2008

When we got up this morning, the first thing that we noticed was that the wind had not died down in the night. Quite the opposite in fact, it was howling around the building like never before and through the window we could see little clouds of dust being blown across the road. We couldn't let it interrupt our plans though and we packed up the car for the next stage of our journey down Route 66.

Painted desert views

More painted desert views

Today's tourist attraction of choice was Petrified Forest National Park, a large, protected part of the painted desert - a nice big area with lots of loose dust and sand in it. We were set for quite an adventure. Up on the high bluffs where scenic overlooks were marked beside the road, the car was buffeted so much that it was wobbling about on its wheels. We had to get out one at a time, as per the park ranger's instructions, to prevent all of our belongings being blasted out of the vehicle. We also had to hold on very tightly to the doors as we did so, for fear of losing them altogether. Once out of the car, we became the personal victims of the wind and the sand that it carried with it. The cheapest beauty therapy you could ever hope for - a nice abrasive scrub, taking off all of you dead skin, and a reasonable layer of live skin too. Forget the scenic walking trails today, it was all we could do to stay on our feet, a challenge that necessitated leaning at an otherwise precarious angle.

Help, windy!

Laura can fly!

We were also clad in our raincoats, hoods up and tight around our faces, and sunglasses in place to protect our eyes. And still we could feel the sand everywhere.


All around, the view was obscured by clouds of dust, but the splendour of the place did shine through.

Sand storms in the painted desert

Exhausting as it was, it was well worth getting out of the car for short stints to take in the sights and snap some quick photos. The painted desert, when the sand stays where it should be, is comprised of an array of pastel colours, blues, oranges, reds, yellows and purples. Spread about the place is the remaining evidence of the petrified forest. Huge tree trunks, turned to stone and crystals were once strewn all around the park, but treasure-hungry visitors have been plundering the place for almost 200 years (since before the area was protected) and now there are far fewer specimens to admire.

Petrified forest

Shiny crystalised wood

Apparently, a ton of crystals and petrified wood still disappears into tourists' pockets each month, so it is a good thing that we visited when we did because soon there may be nothing left. 


From a windy petrified forest we drove back to a windy Route 66 at Holbrook.

Welcome to Holbrook

Lunch on Route 66

Burgers and fried chicken for lunch in an authentic Route 66 café - we certainly needed the junk food to get our strength back after being blown about all morning. Then a mad dash against the wind, across the town square to Holbrook's own museum, to be found inside the old courthouse. The museum's rooms are full of an eclectic but charming collection of items from Holbrook's past, the highlights being the courtroom itself (where you can sit in the jury box or have shout out into the otherwise empty room from the judge's high seat) and the holding cells in the basement (true, gritty, scary little cubicles with thick iron bars). A little extra atmosphere was added by the intermittent failure of the lights - Holbrook and surrounding communities suffering from power cuts due to the wind.

Old Holbrook courthouse, now mysterious museum

Playing judge

And power cuts weren't the only disruptions caused by the storm: the crosswinds were so forceful on the interstate out of town that it had been closed down - anyone ignoring the closure would be subject to an instant 1000 dollar fine. As other tourists poked their heads round the door of the museum, they brought tales of lorries turned over on the highway before it was closed to traffic. 


Luckily, we are staying in town tonight, at one of the true gems of Route 66, the Wigwam Motel.

Wigwam motel

Not only is it special because you get to stay in your own concrete teepee, an attraction that inspired the animation film "Cars", but teepees are a wonderfully aerodynamic shape, so the winds just brush unthreateningly past. It seems we will get a peaceful night's sleep after all.