Train Wreck to Mishap

April 26, 2024

Today, we left our ABQ campsite around 10 am for the 260-mile drive to our next campground in Holbrook, AZ. At the start, we had beautiful blue skies with large cottony clouds casting shadows on the beautiful New Mexico landscape with its colorful stratified mesas. We saw numerous trains, usually with three engines, and their lenghty caravan of cars outstretched across the landscape. After about 100 miles of pleasant travelling, we decided to stop at the Western Continental Divide for a break and to rediesel the RV. We found a nice store that featured tasteful local crafts and had plenty of room for RVs (no 18-wheelers allowed). The actual “monument” for the divide (elevation 7,245 ft.) at an adjacent store was a well-weathered hand-made wooden sign. 

Our Pleasant Refueling Stop

The Western Continental Divide Marker (elevation 7,245 ft.) 

As we continued our westward drive, we noticed plumes of black smoke arising in the distance. We debated whether it was on the NM or AZ side. During our long approach to the source of the smoke, emergency response vehicles with lights flashing and sirens blaring continuously passed us. Just before we reached the NM-AZ line, we came across the source of the smoke, a blazing pile of derailed train cars. The horrid sight and putrid smell of the billowing black smoke was gut-wrenching. Jane managed to get a quick photo of the scene. Later, we saw this disaster mentioned on local and national televised news programs. Travel in both directions along I-40 was eventually terminated and vehicles that needed to reroute were backed up for over ten miles (not to mention altered train routes, and evacuated residents). Investigations into the cause of the derailment were to begin after the fire is extinguished, although initial guesses were that the high winds may have had something to do with it. We were fortunate to have passed by the accident when we did.

Black Smoke viewed from I-40

View of the Train Derailment from our RV

We continued driving and stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park to scout it out for our more detailed visit tomorrow. First, we visited one of the many park stores and got our National Passport book stamp. Then, we decided to have lunch at the Painted Desert Cafe, delicious Navaho veggie tacos (on fry bread). While eating lunch, an informative video educated us about the park’s wonderful features. After lunch, we visited another gift shop and then conversed with a paleontologist working at removing rock and sediment from the fossilized skull of a Metopsaur, an extinct huge salamander-like creature that inhabited this area over 200 million years ago. The skies had become overcast and a chilly wind blew at us as we continued exploring the various areas of the sprawling Visitor Center.

At the Visitor Center

Inside the Painted Desert Cafe

Paleontologist cleaning a Metopasaur Skull
(note clean skull on the left)

A park staff woman convinced us that we should drive through the park on our way to Holbrook rather than take the quicker I-40 route. We took her advice and enjoyed beautiful vistas and toward the southern end, spotted numerous petrified logs from the RV window. This quick preview has certainly whet our appetites for our more extended exploration of this park tomorrow.

——————— Petrified Forest National Park Vistas ———————

Petrified Log viewed from the RV

After the approximately 30-mile drive to the park we continued for another half-hour to the Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA Journey and set up in Site 46. Once settled in, Jane made a beer run (and also purchased some groceries) while I stayed in our motorhome blogging. We had a nice dinner of Dim Sum and beer. After dinner, Jane worked with our sliding bathroom door which hasn’t dealt well with the bumpy roads and I blogged. Suddenly, we heard a noise and felt something bump the rear of the RV, then a louder longer noise and more RV movement. A vehicle had clipped the rear corner of our motorhome. Jane went ballistic and ran out the door yelling at the vehicle that parked two sites down from us. Long story short, a fellow camper driving a SUV and pulling a trailer had taken a short cut through the site adjacent to us and the rear of his trailer impacted the rear of our RV as he made the tight turn. At the moment, it appears that our damage is mainly cosmetic, a broken lens cover and cracked fiberglass bumper section. The driver provided me with his insurance information (we both use Progressive) and I filed a claim. What an unsettling and tramatic ending to an otherwise nice travel day!

Rainbow over the Campground