We left Lavaland on a bright and sunny day. The drive to our next stop was scenic and featured many long trains; several of the trains were over a mile long. For people from the east coast the enormously long trains with containers stacked two high are noteworthy.
We crossed into Arizona at 10:00 in the morning. There was another time change so we arrived at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert an hour later at 9:50 in the morning.
I have wanted to see the Petrified Forest since studying it in elementary school. Frequently things that have been anticipated for so long can disappoint, but that was not the case here. The Petrified Forest National Park was AMAZING!!!!!
The park road starts at the Painted Desert Visitor’s Center and 28 miles later ends at the Rainbow Forest Museum. The road has many overlooks and each one is more fantastic than the last. The scenery is absolutely stunning and the variety of colors and shapes in the desert defies description.
The petrified wood in the Petrified Forest is astonishingly beautiful. The size of the trees that turned to stone makes the idea of the rainforest period of the geology come to life. There are many huge stone logs that are resting on the top of rock outcroppings protecting the softer stone below. When erosion finally cuts away the underlying rock the petrified logs fall and splinter down the walls of the canyons.
After the wonderful day at the National Park we drove to Lyman Lake State Park to spend a few days. Again, the drive was beautiful. The campground is next to a large lake. We drove to Springerville for groceries and were treated to a gorgeous sunset on the drive back to camp.
Today was one of the highlights of the trip. The scenery all day was spectacular.
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