Petrified Forest, Where Trees Turn to Stone

            This place is famous, for trees turn to stone.  Millions of years ago during the Late Triassic period downed tree gathered in river channels.  Overtime volcano ash, silica (silicon dioxide), was carried into these logs by water.  Eventually that ash turned to quartz and overtime replaced all the organic material in the logs.  And thus, the Petrified Forest National Park was born.  There are around 600 paleontology dig sites around the park. The desert landscape is about thirty mile from north to south and runs anywhere between four mile to twelve mile east to west.  Portions of the park run into the Painted Desert.  The average rainfall is about ten and a half inches.  During summer the heat can reach in the hundreds and the lows be below freezing.

            Now, I’ve never actually been through the park, which is located off Route 40, but I have been to the gift shop and nature center.  While walking around the gift shop I noticed a black light, which I thought, was pretty weird.  There were also all these plain white shirt with white designs on them, the shirts seemed pretty boring. Then I noticed the sign on the wall that said “UV Activated”.  I took one of the shirts and stuck it under the UV light and the designed started to change colors.  I thought it was the coolest thing, so I got one with a picture of an iguana with the Petrified Forest behind it.

            Though the parks history is really cool I wouldn’t suggest you go all the way there for the park as you can hike in the desert heat or drive around the paved loop for a few buck.  Stealing the petrified wood has become a huge issue, so if you want a piece you can buy it at the shops.  Fare warning, the petrified wood comes at a pretty high cost.  I do suggest stopping by the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert on the way to the Grand Canyon.