While my wife, Gwynne, and I driving Route 66, we went through Petrified Forest National Park. The name “Petrified Forest” causes the imagination to run wild; now picture in your own mind's eye what you'd expect... Nada. Compared to the off-park tourist attractions, the petrified wood in Petrified Forest National Park was incredibly disappointing. However, there was a big, beautifully-polished piece in the Visitor Center.
The park covers 230 square miles and includes the “Painted Desert,” which was definitely an attraction in its own right. It's been protected since 1906, designated a National Park in 1962. Probably all the petrified wood all around the park originated there sometime during the Late Triassic Epoch, 225 million years ago. The park's also known for fossils; Folsom-type spear points date back 8000 years.
I particularly liked that lizards seemed unafraid of our presence. I hadn't seen a Horny Toad in the wild since I used to catch them as a kid in San Diego. The one on the trail in front of us would have been easy to catch because it just didn't care if we were there or not.
Petrified Forest National Park
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Martin Hash
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Petrified Forest National Park
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