Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Arizona

Today was my day to drive, and the I-40 was really a test of my skills.  The surrounding land up here is flat with virtually no trees, and at highway speeds the gusting wind tries to knock us over like a bowling pin.  It isn’t that different from when we were sailing, really.  The speed limit on I-40 is 75 mph, but with me driving we were averaging maybe 61.  It was a relief to finally turn off onto Arizona highway 180 and drive at a leisurely 55 mph.  Again, we had the road almost all to ourselves.

We entered the Petrified Forest National Park through the south entrance, and got our first glimpse of some of the logs up close.  Eons have passed since these trees were alive (225 million years, approximately).  When they fell, they were buried in silt and volcanic ash that prevented them from decaying.  Over time the wood tissue was replaced with silica, which crystalized into quartz.  Some of the logs are a literal rainbow of colors.

We had originally planned on just spending an hour or so driving through the park and then continuing on to Canyon de Chelly.  But the day was so gorgeous, and every pull-out seemed to have a walking trail that opened up on something stunning.  So we changed our plans and decided to spend the whole day here.

There are petrified logs scattered nearly everywhere – and that’s just what you can see on the surface (there are more buried underground in the layers of rock).

Native Americans lived in this area in the 1200’s.  All that remains of their settlements are a few ruins and these cool petroglyphs.

This little lizard scared the bejeezus out of us as it crossed the trail right in front of us.  It looked like a dragon or something – the colors were so vivid (we haven’t messed with the saturation in photoshop or anything).  And since it’s the tail end of springtime, all the cactus are in bloom as well.  So pretty!

As we approached the north end of the park, the view opened up on the Painted Desert.  Over the millennia, wind erosion has rounded the hills into beautiful formations – all the colors were just breathtaking.

We are now at a KOA in Holbrook.  We are glad to have power and internet for one more night before we head out to boondock (no electric/no water) in Canyon de Chelly for a couple days.  As we pulled up to the office we noticed a large sign advertising the campground’s all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for only $1.99.  Kevin will be one happy kamper.