Petrified Forest of Arizona
We enter the Petrified Forest from Hwy 180. On either side of the entrance are gift shops, well worth taking a few minutes to explore and maybe purchase a piece of petrified wood as a souvenir (since taking items from the park is strictly forbidden).
The road is paved and suitable for RV's (even pulling a vehicle). Before long, small portions of petrified wood start to appear along the roadside
I expect to see a few of these, and am not terribly impressed at first. Then, the logs become much larger, and suddenly tiny pieces of the petrified wood are everywhere along the road.
There are several places to stop, park and walk short trails that wind through areas totally covered by slivers of Petrified wood, and enormous logs.
It's pretty early in the morning, when we pull off the road to our favorite walking spot. I have no makeup on. I'm sporting a particularly frizzy perm and the day was very windy. So, I hope to avoid running into any one, along the trail, naturally. Nonetheless, I cover my locks with a fetching and stylish scarf, dawn a pair of wide rim sunglasses, and set off. Sure enough, I meet a gentleman before long, him coming and myself going (my husband is of course, far ahead).
He glances at me, in what I consider an odd fashion. We nod, and he moves on. I go only a few steps, when I realize he undoubtedly thought for a moment that I had to be Julia Roberts, traveling in disguise. With this new bit, of knowledge, firmly entrenched in my mind, I proceed happAmbling along, it's hard to imagine these colorful works of nature were once part of a huge forest. To me, they appear very much like smooth glass, or oddly shaped rock formations. Every tiny flake or large log are unique, and far more beautiful than I had expected. The Petrified Forest is a miracle indeed.
Much too soon, the Petrified Forest" begins to disappear in our rearview mirror. Ahead, lies the "Painted Desert". The name describes the terrain to a tee. We pull into a designated scenic overlook, and the beauty doesn't disappoint. A chilly wind blow across the desert. Here, the deserts background has shades of red, pink, and even yellow, blending into a photographer dream.
To enter the "Painted Desert" takes the 311 exits off I 40. Be sure to take the drive all the way through the "Petrified Forest". One can always turn around if you desire to continue I 40 (just witness the beauty for a second time). Or, you can take Hwy 180 in either direction.
By the way, we love this southern route and I plan to write a detailed description of it in another link.
Note: At the Hwy 180 entrance there are a few sites for overnight camping. Those of you who have "Golden Age Passports" be sure to flash it, because the use fee will be FREE.
The history of the Petrified Forest starts about 225 million years ago in the Triassic Period. It was once a floodplain crossed by numerous streams. Tall pine-like trees was growing along the head-waters. All kind of reptiles, giant fish-eating amphibians, and various other animals and plants that are known only as fossils today.
The huge trees Araucarioxylon, Woodworthia, and Schilderia fell, then was washed by swollen streams into the floodplain. Silt and volcanic ash slowly covered the fallen logs. Oxygen was cut-off and slowed the logs decay. Over-time silica bearing groundwater's seeped through the logs and, little by little the wood tissues was replaced with silica deposits. As time passed the silica crystallized into quartz,and was preserved forever as petrified wood.
By the mid-1800s, surveyors discovered this area and brought back stories about the unusual Painted Desert and its trees that had turned to stone. It wasn't long until pioneers, ranchers and sightseers was investigating the area.
Then in 1962 the area officially became the Petrified Forest National Park,and covers 50,000 acres.
Here is a link to the National Park Service’s, Petrified Forest National Park
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