Our last full day on the road and I was starting to get that end
of vacation sadness. I wanted to go back
to day 1, and do it all over again. We
spent our last day touring Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park,
both beautiful in an understated way.
The highlight for me was the Painted Desert Inn, which had its heyday in
the late 30s and 40s. Today it has been beautifully restored and serves as a
visitor center overlooking sweeping views of the Painted Desert. I must admit, while planning this trip the
words “painted” and “desert” evoked wildly romantic notions of an
artist's desert that was alive and dancing with color. I even bought a new shirt prior to our trip,
merely on the notion that "it would go with the Painted Desert". The reality was no disappointment, and I can
only imagine what secrets she reveals at sunset. Someday I will have to go back to experience
this.
We spent our last night at a ridiculously, almost obnoxiously
large resort just north of Santa Fe. But
it sure was nice. At check-in I heard
the magical words “automatic upgrade to our suite” and we took the elevator up
to our palace on the 5th floor.
The door opened to a huge living room and dining room, with southwestern
décor, kiva fireplace and balcony.
Connected was the bedroom, with another
kiva fireplace, balcony, and second bathroom with a soaking tub and separate
glass shower. What a way to end a
fantastic road trip!
No comments:
Post a Comment