Jeff McDonald was a Volunteer-in-Park (VIP) at Petrified Forest National Park this year.

November 6, 2009--The Painted Desert and Me

My trip to the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert was kind of an accident. Being a volunteer in Florida and working for the state parks of Florida, the Painted Desert was not on the top of my list. However, a friend was scheduled to volunteer here but had to withdraw and wanted to know if I could take her place as they needed the volunteers here to help out. I accepted.

I had been through here a couple of times before when I was much younger and I guess my expectations were muted because I had seen it already and figured it was just another drive through the park. But when I drove through the park from south to north on my way to the RV site, the rush of excitement and beauty came to me unexpectedly. I was once again amazed by the beauty of the park.

So my encounter with the park was definitely a positive event. As I began to slip into the volunteer position, I was really impressed with the attention the volunteers were given. There was formal training for 3 days. Then there was on the job training and being a shadow. I was really given the tools to work with. And being a history buff of sorts, I fell right into the volunteer interpreter’s position and it fit well.

The interaction with visitors became the highlight of the job. It was exciting to be able to talk to folks about the history of the area and be able to answer the questions they had. The Park has really changed my life through personal contact with the public. It also made this whole adventure a memory I will not forget. I am now looking forward, with anticipation, to working at other parks that may need volunteer help. And I will have the skills which I learned here at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.

NPS photo

Jack of the Painted Desert

Hallie Larsen has been a Park Ranger at Petrified Forest for more than a decade and is the Media Specialist for the park.

October 9, 2009—Haunting
I’ve been getting ready for one of my favorite special programs: Ghosts of the Past. This is one of the few programs that occurs after park hours, allowing visitors to discover a side of Petrified Forest that few people experience: the park after dark! While we do allow backpacking overnight in the wilderness area, there isn’t a park campground, so a very small percentage of people stay after sunset to see the magnificent night skies. Due to park hours, sometimes people don’t even get to see the sunset. This can be an issue as so many books claim that sunset is the best time to come to the park. I do like our sunsets, but I have to admit that I prefer at least a half an hour prior to sunset as most of the landscape falls into shadow by the time the sun gets close to the horizon.

Ghosts of the Past is a torchlight tour of the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark, a charming old building first constructed in the early part of the 20^th century. In the 1930s, the CCC rebuilt the place by the designs of NPS architect Lyle Bennett. It is Pueblo-Revival Style, one of the sub-styles of American Rustic. The national parks are full of these types of architecture from the first half of the 20^th century—lovingly called parkitecture. My favorite features of the building include the Fred Kabotie murals, hand-painted skylight panels, and the punched-tin Spanish Colonial style light fixtures.

The best part of the inn—particularly at this time of the year—are the ghost stories! All historic buildings should have their resident spirits. Some of the stories are based on rumors spread years ago about a non-existent young lady, but others are steeped in the history of the place. There was a story about a shadowy man smoking a cigarette, another about one of the managers of the place who died due to smoke inhalation, and the inevitable spooky footsteps. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this is a fun tour—both for me and my visitors. I look forward to it every year. Happy haunting!

NPS

Cliff Spencer, Superintendent

Park Superintendent Cliff Spencer writes occasional articles addressing various aspects of park operations and ongoing events.

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September 2, 2009—Change
Summer is winding down quickly and most of our seasonal employees have gone back home or to school. The park is beginning to get quiet, for both employees and visitors. It is one of the best times of the year to come to Petrified Forest National Park with moderate temperatures and clear skies.

Like most national parks, Petrified Forest is always changing. Along with the seasonal employees leaving, several of our long-time permanent employees retired this year, including Janet Fernandes, Ferral Knight, and Barbara Bean. They will be missed here at the park for many reasons, but we all wish them well on their journey into the next segment of their lives.

Projects that were finished this year include resurfacing and repairing major sections of the park road. Work of this type is usually relegated to the late spring to early fall season, the busiest time of the year. Visitors and employees alike were very patient when work crews had to stop them during construction. Perhaps this allowed for time to enjoy the fantastic views along the park road. The maintenance crew spent a great deal of time replacing old concrete around the Rainbow Forest area with natural sandstone blocks and updating the public walking paths near the museum. Our staff is still working on getting the historic pond renovated in the historic plaza of the Painted Desert Visitor Center, nearly ready to attract native wildlife with its precious water.

Upcoming projects include developing new exhibits for the Rainbow Forest Museum, updating some of the historic buildings, and adding new ways of communicating with our visitors through innovative technology.

Petrified Forest National Park, like the rest of the National Park Service, is making the effort to keep up with the American and global culture. Although we want to keep with traditions that reach back to the beginning of the national parks, we also need to plan for the future. Visitors who come to the park will still be able to have an in depth experience with a ranger along the trails, but in the future they will also be able to explore the park and its resources with their electronic devices. Soon, people who virtually visit the park will be able to download podcasts and interactive park guides.

However you visit the park—in reality or virtually—remember that Petrified Forest National Park is unique in its paleontological, archeological, environmental, and scenic treasures. Just looking out my window, I can see the grassland stretch out towards the red badlands of the Painted Desert. It won’t be long before the view changes with the season again.