When I said that we’d be heading to New Mexico for a wedding, my BF was instantly excited.  And no, it wasn’t for the open bar and fear that I would catch the bouquet.  It’s because, apparently, there are a plethora of National Parks in that part of the country. The BF loves National parks more than just about anything.  I, on the other hand, am not quite so enthusiastic.  So, naturally, when he told me that we were going to drive four hours to look at some petrified wood, I was like, “Um, really? Why?” Which was quickly followed by, “Um, what IS petrified wood?”  But I got in the car, anyway, staring (literally) at this for four hours each way:

But you know what? The Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert were really amazing! And on the way back we stayed in another hotel on the register of historic places – The El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico.  The El Rancho was a hub for the movie stars of the old west during filming – including John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Kirk Douglas, Ronald Reagan and others. The grand lobby – decorated in traditional New Mexican decor – is filled with pictures and notes from these stars.  It wasn’t the most modern hotel we’ve ever stayed in, but we loved the kitschy-ness of it all, particularly looking at the pictures from the 1950s when the El Rancho was much more of a hot spot.  If you’re ever driving through Gallup, you won’t want to miss it.  More details and photos after the jump!

The Petrified Forrest and Painted Desert are ACTUALLY in Arizona.  I didn’t bother to look at a map, and the BF hid this fact from me until I’d already committed to going.  I was hoping to boycott the state, but went anyways, stating my peace that I wasn’t happy about doing so.  But in the end…. I’m happy that I ignored my convictions for the day and went.  The park is so beautiful.  Just stunning.  Here are a few of my favorite shots, including some of the rain storm we got stuck in!

The Painted Desert:

Then we moved on and saw some Petroglyphs, which are ancient writings.

And then there was the storm…

And then I was wet.

Then we saw the badlands – my favorite part!  The colors were amazing – like a rainbow on the rocks, perfectly striped. It’s amazing.

And finally, we found some petrified wood:

And lastly, the reason we were in New Mexico to begin with.  The bride, Steph: