Prologue
What we are doing, and why we're doing it!Natural Bridges N.P. - 5/12/05
Petrified Forest N.P. - 4/30/05
Once of the geological oddities of the southwest is the Petrified Forest. This section of badlands of southern Arizona is littered with trees turned to stone.
As National Parks go, Petrified Forest isn't very large. Even so, it offers two distinct personalities. The main attraction is the Petrified Forest but the northern Painted Desert area displays some of the most colorful earthscapes imaginable. Trace elements tinge the clays of the badlands with reds, yellows, and blues.
As with most areas in the southwest, the Petrified Forest bears traces of early human habitation. There are some petroglyphs near a ruin that are really unique. The one with Big Bird attacking the Cookie Monster really had me confused!