This post is Part 3 of "The Best Road Trip Ever," according to my kiddos. If you're just joining me, you're jumping into the middle of the story, and that's totally okay! I'm a little rebellious that way too;)  But if you want the whole story, you can find Part 1 and Part 2 here. When I last left you, I was sharing a bit of our visit to the Great Sand Dunes.  You can find that post here.This adventure takes place in the petrified forest of Arizona. This National Park is located about 25 miles east of Holbrook AZ. A 27 mile road runs through the Petrified Forest. You can find a Visitor Center at the north end of the Park. From I40, the winding road travels nine miles through the Painted Desert. We happened to go on a very cloudy overcast day, but we still saw some beautiful colors. If you have a dinosaur lover in your family, or even if you don't, this is a stop that takes you back in time, and helps you imagine what life looked like for those big beautiful beasts. Now, my family doesn't really agree with much of how scientists explain this seemingly prehistoric place, but non-the-less, we were once again in awe of however our Creator created it ;)  Take a look!The Petrified Forest is the only national park that preserves a section of the historic Route 66, which stretched from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. We found the road to be extremely scenic and attractive, which is not hard to see why the term was coined, "get your kicks on Route 66." Here it is marked with an old 1932 Studebaker, giving a sense of years gone by, when this scene was enjoyed by many more. And perfect for climbing on and in, I might add ;)If I haven't said it yet, this park was quite educational as far as history goes. One of our stops was Puerco Pueblo, which highlights old Puebloan homes made of stone, and petroglyphs, their mysterious form of writing, even solar calendars. Amazing! As it was, there seemed to be a storm following us around that day, but we were thankful it held off so we could get our learning on.This is what they call Blue Mesa. The variation in color and line were outstanding, even on this unseasonably dreary day. Just imagine how they pop when the golden sunlight shines on them.Ya know, sometimes ugly can be beautiful. I'm reminded of that song by Michael and Lisa Gungor, Beautiful Things.  "You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of the dust," and the verse in Isaiah -

And, of course, the petrified logs, in Jasper Forest, an area with a high concentration of the petrified wood, were a sight to behold!We had to hustle back so the kids could do their Junior Ranger packets before the visitors centers closed for the day. I HAVE to tell you, as a homeschool mom, I love what the National Park system has done for our children. They've set up what's called a Junior Ranger program. So, every national park or national monument we visited, had this program where the kids could learn (on their own level) about what they were seeing / experiencing, how it got their (though our opinions differed a bit in that area sometimes), and what types of plants and animals lived there. My kids learned SO much and they didn't even realize they were learning because it was so fun. At the end of the visit, they would turn their little homework packets in to a park ranger, she would swear them in as Junior Rangers, and then they'd each receive their very own ranger badge and patch. So cute!So if you're ever thinking of taking a road trip but have no idea where to go, just get this book on National Parks, or check it out from your library. It made my job of planning so much more simple. You will have a handful of ideas before you're even halfway through with it. And if you're ever passing through Arizona, might I suggest the Petrified Forest National Park. Amazing. What are your favorite parks? I need to put it on my list! I'd love to hear from ya!SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave