The hottest August on record. Wonderful. It’s hard to believe that this part of Northern Arizona was once a lush, tropical paradise—until the continents shifted. A LOT. I remember learning about the Petrified Forest as a youngster, perhaps by watching Captain Kangaroo—after all, that’s where I am pretty sure that I discovered Arizona even existed.
The road to Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.
Petrified Forest National Park is not a forest in a real sense; it is the wind and water-scaped remains from another time when dinosaurs roamed amongst giant conifers, vegetation, and rivers.
Over 200 million years ago, continents separated, and climate changed, with rivers, plants, and animals buried under massive sediment. Enter petrified wood.
On our way to the Park, we passed through Holbrook, AZ (another vestige of days gone by), and stopped to photograph some funky, landmarks.
Git yer guns.
The WigWam Motel, Holbrook, AZ
From Holbrook, Dave opted to take Hwy 180 to the South Entrance. Despite our early morning attempt to keep cool, the sun was intense. There is not much shade in the Petrified Forest. Thankfully, the walks provided at the viewpoints were short and insightful.
Early morning light upon the Petrified Forest.
On the trail with Dota and Luci.
A desolate landscape, ravaged by wind and water.
Over time, nature breaks the logs off into concentric cylinders.
The beauty of this park was the flexibility of the visit. One could spend a day exploring or take a couple of hours and be completely satisfied.
This 1932 Studebaker showed where a section of the original Route 66 crossed Petrified Forest National Park.
The Park road ended at the North Entrance, where the Painted Desert National Landmark is located.
The Painted Desert.
By mid-morning, we were ready to head back to the oven (er, Phoenix). All in all, our adventure turned out to be a pretty sweet CoVID-cautious way to get out of town.