Trip to Petrified Forest

Nov 25, 2006:

The Petrified forest in Arizona is about 300 miles From Arches National Park. After spending the night at Moab we drove along 191 S into Arizona and took 40W towards Petrified forest national park. Petrified wood is wood turned to stone over the years - you can only see it to believe it. After a tree falls, it gets covered in mud,water and sand with minerals. Gradually these minerals dissolve into the wood and when the water dries off, the log turns into rock. Petrified wood looks like wood except its rock!

Besides petrified wood the Petrified wood national park also has the painted desert. The drive through the painted desert is beautiful.

The petrified forest also houses the excavation site for the ancient civilization of Puerco Pueblo. These people lived about 500 A.D. Several tools have been excavated here. These people also were artists and made several pictures on the rock. Aparna and I had never seen an archeological excavation site before and this was a great experience.