Today was just as outstanding as yesterday. Between the two days we took so many pictures. We just couldn’t stop looking around and finding more cool things to check out. You could spend a lifetime exploring the area. The pictures and videos below are just a small portion of what we saw between the two days.
The petrified wood found in the area is approximately 250 million years old. This is about the same as many of the dinosaurs we know today. The trees were originally located and grew near the equator before the land mass that now is part of North America began to shift north and west. The land originally was a tropical forest and between the land shifting and the seas that we know once covered much of the earths surface, the trees were deposited here. Through time the organic material was pushed out and/or decayed and minerals deposited into the trees and so was created, essentially rock. Over time the winds and rains of the desert uncovered what we see today; many more may still be berried. The different minerals that had been forced into the wood give the “wood” the different colors. Simply amazing what mother nature is capable of.
The “Painted Desert” is a region of the Country that covers approximately 7500 sq miles in the Southwest United States and the Petrified Forest National Park is within the Painted Desert. The landscape of the Painted Desert is amazing to see and it is hard to put into words the beauty of the area. The pictures below barely to the Desert justice. The human history in the area has also documented back 13,000 years.
Within the Park as well as the Desert we took multiple hikes and got to explore some fascinating places that we won’t soon forget.
We also took a few pics around Holbrook to show some of the old Rt 66. Dinner both nights were so good. Last night was steak at the Butterfield Stage Steak House and tonight was Mexican at Romo’s; both in Holbrook and both outstanding. We left both 5 Star Google Reviews. YUMMY!
