I thought I would get in one more quick trip to a national park before my pass expired in June. I visited the
Petrified Forest National Park, which is just outside of Holbrook, AZ.
Here you can see large petrified logs from a time when this part of Arizona was lush tropical forest. About 225 million years ago, this part of Arizona was near the equator.
When the continents broke apart and shifted, the climate changed. Some trees fell into rivers and were buried in the sediment. Mineral seeped in and replaced the wood. This caused the mineralization - petrified wood.
Here you can see the quartz in the sections of a log.
The agate bridge is petrified wood (concrete was placed under the bridge in 1917 for support)
As you drive through the park, some of the reds are replaced by blues. You can see streaks of blue in the striations of the sandstone in the Blue Mesa section of the park.
Along the road, are some fabulous formations that show the striated sandstone. This area of the park is called the TeePees, because of the shape of the rocks.
As you drive north of through the park, and cross I-40, you enter the Painted Desert.
The first overlook is at Lacey Point. I was greeted by this raven there.
View of the painted desert from Lacey Point. You can see how it gets its name.
While not part of the park, these two rock formations caught my eye as I drove along Highway 87 north of Winslow.
Here you can see large petrified logs from a time when this part of Arizona was lush tropical forest. About 225 million years ago, this part of Arizona was near the equator. 
When the continents broke apart and shifted, the climate changed. Some trees fell into rivers and were buried in the sediment. Mineral seeped in and replaced the wood. This caused the mineralization - petrified wood.
Here you can see the quartz in the sections of a log.
The agate bridge is petrified wood (concrete was placed under the bridge in 1917 for support)
As you drive through the park, some of the reds are replaced by blues. You can see streaks of blue in the striations of the sandstone in the Blue Mesa section of the park.
Along the road, are some fabulous formations that show the striated sandstone. This area of the park is called the TeePees, because of the shape of the rocks.
As you drive north of through the park, and cross I-40, you enter the Painted Desert.
The first overlook is at Lacey Point. I was greeted by this raven there.
View of the painted desert from Lacey Point. You can see how it gets its name.
While not part of the park, these two rock formations caught my eye as I drove along Highway 87 north of Winslow.
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