Day 14 - No crater and a painted desert

The second week seems to be flying by.   I love New Mexico it is by far my favourite state.  Did I say that already? 

Today we took a major detour and it was worth every second. We saw many tribal areas.  A fed stray dogs and araven (one bird morphed into three). We got lost and found on route.

We decided to stop in at the painted desert, and a petrified forest where trees had fallen to the ground, buried and eventually resurfaced millions of years later as rock.  I was expecting a forest.  Doh! The painted desert was vast and extremely colourful.  Imagine a flatter version of the Grand Canyon and you'd be thinking along the right lines.

We then headed to Gallup and not the best hotel but microwave pasta beckoned.