Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Arizona Oct 12, 2010

Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks, Arizona

October 12, 2010

On our way from Arizona to New Mexico via I-40 we visited the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks.

The Petrified Forest contains one of the largest petrified wood deposits in the world. Here I am standing beside a huge petrified log.

There's Flat Stanley. He liked the pretty colors in the petrified wood which is abundant throughout the park.

Blue Mesa is an ideal setting to see the effect of erosion on badland hills. A one-way spur road leads to the top of the mesa for an awesome panoramic view One area of the park, Newspaper Rock, has more than 650 petroglyphs adorning boulders that tumbled to rest below the cliffs. Due to defacement of these petroglyphs and unstable hillsides, the area is closed below the cliff. The petroglyphs are visible with binoculars, but difficult to photograph.

Continuing through the Petrified Forest soon brings you to the Painted Desert. Several overlooks provide breathtaking views of the area.

The Painted Desert area once served as a respite for travelers along Historic Route 66 where an in is located, now a National Historic Landmark.