Heading West (Part I, Page 3)
September 20th - 27th, 2023
The Lincoln La Paz Trinitite Collection
Also: Tombstone, The Petrified Forest and
DoBell Ranch Petrified Wood.
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| As I mentioned before, my first trip west was in 2002 with my Dad and son R.J. We were all whole back then, but I still bring them with me on many trips. |
Top pic: me and my Dad at the Grand Canyon 2002. Bottom pic: me and R.J. at the Grand Canyon 2002. I was much larger and had much more hair back then...8^) |
One of the old photos I have is of my Uncle Jack at the Petrified Forest in 1937. I had visited the forest in 2002, but had not seen this picture then. When I returned in 2023, I showed this photo to everyone who worked there and none of them could tell me where this tree is? I believe it is the same big tree that is near the visitor center at the park. |
Above: R.J. at the Petrified Forest 2002. Bottom pic: Me and the big tree at the visitor center. I think this might be the same tree my uncle is standing on in 1937. |
Following are numerous pictures I took at the forest in September 2023. I hope some of these are new or different than the majority that are usually seen online. I wandered off road quite a bit to get many of these pictures. I did not include the ones I took around the visitor center as those are all over the internet. |
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After a few hours at the forest, I rolled out and began looking for a place called DoBell Ranch that I had heard about. After a couple of phone calls, I was able to get the number for Rhonda DoBell who met me at her ranch and led me into the desert to her wood collecting property.
The DoBell Ranch has been around for decades and was first opened by her Grandfather in 1936. It borders the Petrified Forest and offers you the opportunity to collect the same wood you see when riding through the park. I spent the afternoon digging and collecting. The DoBell Ranch is well worth a trip if you are into petrified wood, and Rhonda and her grandchildren are very helpful in helping you find and even load the larger pieces.
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Heading into the DoBell Ranch. That night, I was wore out from collecting wood, so I found a hotel in Holbrook, Arizona. I had visited this town in 2002, it was booming back then. It was almost like a ghost town today. I think covid took its toll there.
I was up early the next day. Had my free breakfast at the hotel and began my trip back to North Carolina. This was a fantastic trip and I got to see many things I had never seen before, and like I said, would have never seen from an airplane.
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Once back home, I cleaned and sorted my petrified wood and stored my new trinitite specimens. |
My trip was a great success for my business and I got to knock a few things off my bucket list in the process. I had advanced my trinitite collection to possibly one of the finest in the world. Little did I know what was coming! Click here for: Heading West, Part II |
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