I know what you may be thinking, “Could there possibly whole national park to learn about and see petrified wood?” The answer is, yes. Arizona is home to Petrified Forest National Park which boasts pieces of wood that are remnants of a prehistoric forest. The trees were knocked down by wind or water, carried downstream and buried by layers of sediment. Then, the logs soaked up water and volcanic ash. Over time, the logs crystalized into quartz and the minerals created a rainbow of colors on the logs, and these pieces of fossilized cover the area.
Matt, Samantha and I had already been to Petrified Forest but this was Eli’s first visit. The painted desert section was beautiful and reminded us of Badlands National Park in South Dakota, and we stopped to see the original route 66 used to cross the park. An old 1932 Studebaker was put there to remind visitors of the historic highway, which fascinated Eli. We made our way through the park and enjoyed the Teepees, Blue Mesa and the Agate Bridge. The Giant Logs trail, outside the Rainbow Forest Museum was my favorite. Who would have thought petrified wood could be so beautiful!
Wow!! Cool park!