Frank, Another fascinating set of photos. I am learning about all the places I want to visit and certainly envy you. I particularly like the composition on a number of the images. Having looked at them in download a number of times, I find it difficult to single out one photo as my favorite, but the first one would be on a short list. And, just when one believes that muted tones will predominate in a rather harsh environment, mother nature throws some bright colored flowers into the mix. Well done!

This is the 3rd in a series I'm doing with photos from a recent 6+ week trip around the Western US & Canada. Thanks to those of you who looked at Parts 1 &/or 2 & commented. If this is your 1st visit to these posts, welcome. If you're interested, you can see part 1 at: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-595917-1.html.

After the Saguaro Nat'l Park, we did a quick side trip to Tombstone (always wanted to go there) ... it was interesting to see a place I've heard so much about & to visit Boot Hill, but I'm not including any photos from there, choosing instead, to focus on our next destinations, which were the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert Nat'l Park followed by Sedona, AZ.

My traveling buddy Chuck, a former college chum, who was navigating, suggested we cut "cross lots" ... I asked him what did that mean & his only response was "Just make sure we have a full tank of gas ... it might be quite a distance between filling stations!!"

We headed North toward Phoenix, with a quick impromptu stop at Pinal Air Park in Marana, AZ (graveyard for old commercial air liners ... interesting, but no photos that compete with those coming up). Near Phoenix, we left the Interstate & got onto Rt 88 going by Superstition Mtn & the old Gold Mine in Apache Jct, AZ ... (photos from both were nice, but again, don't compete with the ones coming up).

Rt 88 quickly turned to dirt, at which point, Chuck informed me it was +/- 45 miles to the next paved road!! But what a wonderful drive it was!!!! Along the way, we saw some incredible vistas with loads & loads of flowers before coming across a scene where I took one of my favorite shots of the trip ... a lone Saguaro Cactus high on a hill (see photo below). From there it was up into the mountains on a very narrow dirt road, sometimes barely a car width wide, before descending to Roosevelt Lake & then on to the Petrified Forest. I have to say, if you have time, are a bit adventurous, & you're in that area, that drive is well worth the time & dust to take. Absolutely stunning.

Then it was on the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert, which I'd visited many years ago as a young adult, but this time, it seemed significantly more beautiful. I have always wondered why it was called the Petrified Forest Nat'l Park instead of the Painted Desert Nat'l Park ... well on this trip, I learned that in fact, the Painted Desert actually covers a huge area of the Southwest whereas the Petrified Forest occupies only a small piece of the Painted Desert, hence the park's name was more accurate.

After a couple of days at the Petrified Forest, we headed West toward Flagstaff for a few days in Sedona.

I hope you enjoy these.

Thanks for the comment DJphoto ... I wish I knew your wife ... I'd try to convince her to take the trip ... if your experience is anything like mine, you'd want to extend the trip & go other places. As it is, the trip you suggest actually touches 2 more states than our trip did in just over half the time we spent, so it is ambitious. At the end of our trip, I was sort of disappointed to be heading home but had to return the rental van. Good luck ... I hope you do take the trip ... & I'll look forward to seeing photos from it. And thanks for commenting.