I have always wanted to visit Arizona, with so many outdoor destinations, and was excited to be greeted at the border with a cheesy Tee Pee Native stand. While driving we had taken to listening to books on tape and were enjoying listening to author Bill Bryce walk the Appalachian Trail in the lush East when we pulled into Petrified Forest National Park.
This park, close to the New Mexico border, is easy to miss from the interstate as the land looks like flat grassland for miles and miles. Just off the road, however, is a painted desert, pueblo ruins, petroglyph's, and some of the largest deposits of petrified wood in the world.
Angela bought a cd tour to guide our travels through the park and off we went. Rounding the first turn in the tour we were greeted with an amazing site that made me stop and really realize that yes, I was in the American WEST.
I felt like I was in a western, but with driving a Ford Focus with a pink license plate and a poodle for a steed... But the view was breathtaking. Miles of badlands presented colorful pinks and white bands of color along sloping mounds for as far as the eye could see.
We stopped at several of these overlooks, encountering birds of prey, and headed to the southern portion of the Park. We stopped briefly at a Route 66 memorial and heard a bit about the Grapes of Wrath, though all I could think about was the modern Disney/Pixar movie "Cars."
Next stop was a pueblo ruin, of a native people related to the modern Anasazi, but had left this area due to probable climate change in the 1300s. Strewn about the various boulders were even more incredible petroglyphs than we had seen in New Mexico. One area was referred to as “newspaper” rock for the images were so numerous that they seemed to display headlines.
Next we moved into an ancient rain forest where some coniferous trees became stuck in stream beds, preserved by muck and changed by the earth over millennia to rock. We saw badlands strewn with petrified wood. Apparently the park has had issues with visitors stealing wood, which is literally on the side of the road, and has rangers actively patrolling the sites.
We ventured out in an area known as the crystal forest, with large logs strewn about that contain crystallized rocks inside. Cowboys used to jam sticks of dynamite into the wood in an attempt to gain access to the crystals, and evidence of the pyromaniacs is still evident. At the southern visitors center we saw a final field full of rainbow colored wood, unique in the late afternoon sun.
Being on Arizona time meant we had gained another full hour of time in the day, and could take our time. Arizona has not felt the need to adhere to daylight savings time, so we were now on California times! 3 hours behind home.
After leaving the park, we drove through empty land to the crossroads of Holbrook, which sells the largest quantity of petrified wood in the world. Also, for all those who have seen cars, we saw an old wigwam hotel, where you could sleep in a tee pee you drove up to. This was old Route 66.
After all this we were exhausted and urged our poor car up several thousand feet to Flagstaff. Here was a wooded ski paradise only an hour from the Grand Canyon. Upon making our approach, we witnessed the sun set behind tall peaks, creating an image of Mordor… and the Wal*Mart in Flagstaff was that bad. Enough said, but we got to sleep in a packed town on the eve of a holiday weekend.
I have always wanted to visit Arizona, with so many outdoor destinations, and was excited to be greeted at the border with a cheesy Tee Pee Native stand. While driving we had taken to listening to books on tape and were enjoying listening to author Bill Bryce walk the Appalachian Trail in the lush East when we pulled into Petrified Forest National Park. 
This park, close to the New Mexico border, is easy to miss from the interstate as the land looks like flat grassland for miles and miles. Just off the road, however, is a painted desert, pueblo ruins, petroglyph's, and some of the largest deposits of petrified wood in the world. 
Angela bought a cd tour to guide our travels through the park and off we went. Rounding the first turn in the tour we were greeted with an amazing site that made me stop and really realize that yes, I was in the American WEST. 
I felt like I was in a western, but with driving a Ford Focus with a pink license plate and a poodle for a steed... But the view was breathtaking. Miles of badlands presented colorful pinks and white bands of color along sloping mounds for as far as the eye could see. 
We stopped at several of these overlooks, encountering birds of prey, and headed to the southern portion of the Park. We stopped briefly at a Route 66 memorial and heard a bit about the Grapes of Wrath, though all I could think about was the modern Disney/Pixar movie "Cars." 
Next stop was a pueblo ruin, of a native people related to the modern Anasazi, but had left this area due to probable climate change in the 1300s. Strewn about the various boulders were even more incredible petroglyphs than we had seen in New Mexico. One area was referred to as “newspaper” rock for the images were so numerous that they seemed to display headlines. 
Next we moved into an ancient rain forest where some coniferous trees became stuck in stream beds, preserved by muck and changed by the earth over millennia to rock. We saw badlands strewn with petrified wood. Apparently the park has had issues with visitors stealing wood, which is literally on the side of the road, and has rangers actively patrolling the sites. 
We ventured out in an area known as the crystal forest, with large logs strewn about that contain crystallized rocks inside. Cowboys used to jam sticks of dynamite into the wood in an attempt to gain access to the crystals, and evidence of the pyromaniacs is still evident. At the southern visitors center we saw a final field full of rainbow colored wood, unique in the late afternoon sun. 
Being on Arizona time meant we had gained another full hour of time in the day, and could take our time. Arizona has not felt the need to adhere to daylight savings time, so we were now on California times! 3 hours behind home. 
After leaving the park, we drove through empty land to the crossroads of Holbrook, which sells the largest quantity of petrified wood in the world. Also, for all those who have seen cars, we saw an old wigwam hotel, where you could sleep in a tee pee you drove up to. This was old Route 66. 
After all this we were exhausted and urged our poor car up several thousand feet to Flagstaff. Here was a wooded ski paradise only an hour from the Grand Canyon. Upon making our approach, we witnessed the sun set behind tall peaks, creating an image of Mordor… and the Wal*Mart in Flagstaff was that bad. Enough said, but we got to sleep in a packed town on the eve of a holiday weekend. 
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