The Petrified Forest is actually divided into two parks. They call the first portion the Painted Desert. There wonderful, colorful and wavy formations span into the great distance. Stopping at the Painted Desert Inn we got to take a step back in time and see how restaurants were, complete with beautiful Native American wall murals and a menu with .45 cent hamburgers.
In the ladies room I met the French version of me. She and her partner, the french woman told me, had flown to British Columbia, bought a van almost identical to ours (though not nearly as colorful) and drove to AZ where they found work and saved money for their next destination- Panama. After Panama they are hoping to take a boat to Japan. Though their grand, globe circling plans humbled our modest excursion, they provided traveler solidarity. I looked on knowingly as she washed dishes in the bathroom sink, something I am very familiar with. Adeu to our new friends as we greeted the Petrified Forest. Unlike any other forest, the remains of thousands of trees scatter the otherwise desolate land. We were able to get close views of logs with agate, amethyst and all sorts of other beautifully colored minerals. We took two walks in the park. The best and most colorful was the Crystal Forest.
An interesting note: we found there is a huge theft problem here. One ton of rock and petrified wood goes missing....each month! The theft explains why the current landscape, though beautiful and unique, contains a smaller forest than we were expecting, much smaller than in years past. Though every year the park receives letters and packages with confessions from guilt ridden robbers returning their stolen artifacts, those with a conscious aren't enough to replenish the landscape.
Glass tile ceiling at the Painted Desert Inn
In the Painted Desert
In the Petrified Forest
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