The Painted Desert: A Natural Masterpiece in Arizona

The Painted Desert is an expansive region of rocky badlands and buttes, encompassing more than  93,500 acres in Northern Arizona.

This vast landscape features layers of rock in hues of lavender, red, orange ,pink, and gray. The various colors are the result of the different mineral content of the sandstone, mud stone, and shale of the Chinle Formation. It is amazing how beautiful dirt and rocks can be!

The section of the Painted Desert that we visited is located in the northern part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Take exit 311 going east or west on I-40.

I would recommend allowing at least a couple of hours for the 28-mile drive through the park. The first part, north of the interstate, will be the Painted Desert. The rest of the drive is the Petrified Forest. Both have many place to stop and walk around.

Address:

1 Park Road, PO Box 2217
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028

Happy Travels! 

Going Behind the Scenes of a Historic Photoshoot for HER Magazine

I was excited to get a chance to watch a photo shoot for HER Magazine last week . To even make it more exciting, my daughter-in-law was the model!

HER is a  magazine designed primarily for women with articles about local events, fashion, stories to inspire, and other informative features. It can be found in paper copy at local business or online here.

The photos taken at Historic Washington State Park will be in an upcoming article about the Jonquil Festival. The dress she is wearing is similar to what an upper-middle class woman, of the 19th century, would have worn.

The shooting locations were the Sanders Farmstead barn and 1883 Goodlett Cotton Gin, two of my favorite places in the park. If you are interested in seeing these and other buildings at the park, you can schedule a tour here.

The 49th Annual Jonquil Festival will be held March 17 - 19, 2017. Unique crafts, entertainment, and mouthwatering food (including funnel cakes) are just some of the things that can be found throughout the park during the event. The hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and  9 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Sunday. 

Ashley's beautiful hair and makeup was courtesy of Paige Martin, a makeup artist and owner of The Lace Anchor online boutique. She is also my daughter. 😊

Be sure and look for Ashley on the cover of the March issue!

Happy Reading!