Let's Catch Up a Bit - Apr 21

So the last time I wrote, Rob and I had toured Saguaro, met Joe in Flat Oak and were on our way to the Petrified Forest.  We chose a road that was longer but less vertically challenging which proved to be rather uneventful other than what seemed an eternal hill climb.  Coming from near sea level in Tucson we climbed and climbed to the high plateau of northern Arizona. 

We pulled into the Petrified Forest welcome station around noon and, as was becoming the custom, spent an hour in the parking lot for a lunch break.  We watched the introductory movie provided (which we’ve grown to appreciate) grabbed some obligatory ice for the beer and headed into the park.

The painted desert

The petrified forest is quite a different park than we’ve visited to date.  With a 26 mile road cutting through the length of the park, it had numerous stopping points but few facilities – no campsites, etc.  We set about hopping from one overlook to the next, the first area highlighting the painted desert with its vast expanse of layered stone that shifted color as the sun and clouds moved across the sky.

And these trees were BIG

As I write I realize that I haven’t been very educational in my blogs.  We have learned so much about history and geology as we progress but, as has always been the case, these wonderful things just pass on right through.  SO – do visit the National Park Service website to gain more insight.  The history is truly worth the read.  www.nps.gov

The further we progressed into the park, the more we entered the old petrified forest.   With everything from a bridge made from a 110 foot fallen tree gone petrified to areas with large pieces scattered around like a bomb had gone off.  The wood is so fascinating with the various shades and colors contained.  Some almost casting a full rainbow of sparkling colors – wood turned to gemstone!

One of the park’s highlights were the signs of the previous Indian civilizations that lived in the area.  From an excavated 8 room pueblo to a large collection of petroglyphs on one huge rock they called Newspaper Rock.  Additionally, several solar calendars have been located in the park.  We were able to view one where sunlight traveling down a rock crevice on the summer solstice strikes the placed petroglyph at exactly 9am each year – for what they estimate to be near 1000 years without alteration!

A little local kitsch for our parking lot campground

We enjoyed the park but both were worn from the constant driving heat and the windblown sand and were glad to take fewer trails and hikes than is our nature and we settled into our site for the night – a luxurious gift shop parking lot!   No complaints here given the complete absence of any alternatives.  Hard to imagine the stories told by the end of this adventure – and we’re not even an official 2 weeks in!