There is a Painted Desert. and Petrified Forest

We left Colorado, going to Holbrook, Arizona. We visited the Petrified Forest National Park. Unlike most NPs the Petrified Forest is not open 24 hours.  This is to prevent theft of wood. We stopped in a store to check the prices  The bigger pieces were selling for thousands of dollars.  Other pieces for $2.00 per pound, that could get expensive.  The road through the Petrified Forest passed through the Painted Desert. After scoping the desert, we headed back. The next day, we took it easy in Winslow, Arizona. 

the KOA had pancakes in the morning and dinner at night

Ripley was allowed in the Petrified Forest

so all of us went to the Petrified Forest

to see the trees that have turned to stone

the national park has about 15% of the petrified forest

the wood looked like it had been sawed in slices

but really the pressure from the changes caused the cracks

and then the cracks cut through

the pieces are like rock now

each color in the wood is from a different chemical

it is truly amazing

of course all this takes forever and a day

petrified forests can be found throughout the world

the wood started to crystallize


 

the Crystal forest area had numerous logs with crystals on them

after the Petrified Forest, we continued into the painted desert

another badland area



 this one in Arizona

 

the colors were so pretty

this looks like a river

the wigwams

looking out over the desert

 

even Ripples wanted to see

I bought myself a chunk of petrified wood; it was hard to decide which one

while in Winslow, we stopped for lunch

Ripley wasn't sure if he should stand on the corner

on this corner, Ripley had to take a better look at the man with Guy

this corner was setup following the lyrics from Take it Easy,
See the flatbed truck, with the girl driving. There was a steady flow of people

 

La Posada hotel, the second star in Winslow

the church had beautiful stain glass windows but they were covered with wire