Dear Isaac, Maia, and Virtual Wanderers,

We are on day 6 of our Southwest road trip. What? Already? Have you ever noticed how time flies when you are having fun?

We started our day in Payson and climbed back up onto our beloved Colorado Plateau. Home. Sort of. We stopped at the Mogollon Rim Visitors Center. That’s when we first noticed the wind. We got out and walked around a little. Sazi stuck her nose in a flower and a bunch of bees flew out at her. Spring is here.

After the climb, we wound our way back to the Petrified Forest. We did part 1 – The Painted Desert – on the trip down. Today, we would spend time at the Petrified Forest. I have decided that Mother Nature doesn’t want us to enjoy our time there very much because it’s always windy. And, not just a little. We always get there during a significant wind storm. I was bummed but we got out and hiked Chrystal Forest. The wind kept blowing Sazi over. She was gasping for air and had an asthma-type attack on the way back to the car. So, I left her in the car for Blue Mesa and we only did part of the hike. Then, my annual Route 66 pull-out photo – except Kachina caught a gust of wind jumping down and sprained her leg. She limped for a couple days.

It was a fun day, but the wind is draining. I figured it would die down by morning, I was wrong.