94/100... petrified forest national park

Which one of these things doesn't belong?
A. the Black Forest (Germany)
B. the Redwood Forest (California)
C. the Petrified Forest (Arizona)
D. the Kelp Forest (off the Australian coast)
The correct answer is "C", the Petrified Forest in Arizona, because it is the only forest listed where the trees are no longer living. The idea of a forest without living, green trees/plants intrigued me so Petrified Forest National Park (#94 on my "100 Things in Arizona" list) was our last stop on our way home.

The Painted Desert "runs into" Petrified Forest National Park at its northern edge. After entering the park, we stopped for one more look at the array of colors in the sandstone.

Laurie, Kristin, Ursi 

Once upon a time, the dry grassland of northeast Arizona was a vast floodplain criss-crossed with rivers and streams. Majestic conifer trees grew along the banks until a cataclysmic event occurred toppling trees and washing them down to adjacent floodplains. A mix of silt, mud and volcanic ash buried the trees, cutting off oxygen and slowing the decay process. Silica-rich ground water seeped through the logs and, over time, replaced the tissue in the wood with silica deposits which then crystallized into quartz. The end-result was petrified wood.

In some cases, the petrified wood is slowly being unearthed. This petrified tree sits encased in sandstone.

Many scientists believe that the process of replacing tree tissue with minerals took millions of years. Other scientists believe it could have happened more recently (thousands of years ago) during the Big Flood of Noah's time. I think it's impossible to look at these huge "rock trees" and not see the fingerprints of God.

The landscape is so flat and rocky, even sandy in many places, that it's hard to imagine towering pine trees ever lived here. The mineralized tree trunks are magnificent to look at and seem quite delicate- but they weigh tons!

Park rangers tell you when entering the park area that removing even the smallest piece of petrified wood from the park is a federal offense punishable by a substantial fine, imprisonment or both. While we were law-abiding citizens and didn't remove any petrified wood from the park, every year thousands of visitors do take "just a tiny piece" to the tune of tons of missing petrified wood. In the late 1800's, territorial residents realized that the supply of petrified wood was not endless and wanted to protect it. President Theodore Roosevelt set aside certain areas as the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. A little over 53,000 acres of the Painted Desert was bought and added to the monument in 1932 and then in 1962, Congress designated the national monument as a national park. 

This is the park's largest log, "Old Faithful", with a width of nine and a half feet. 

From a distance the logs look like they would be rough and maybe even splintery but upon closer inspection, they are smooth. 

Mike, Richard and Doug

Petrified Forest National Park is the only park in the national park system containing a section of Historic Route 66. Most of the road has been destroyed but the road bed is still visible and some pieces of asphalt can be found. What we thought was funny is that there is also "historic trash" (rusted cans, old coke bottles and the like) which is federally protected- and you cannot remove it. Yep, it's against the law to pick up the litter! 

This old, rusted-out car and "Kodak Picture Spot" were at a section of Historic Route 66 as we left the park. Can't you just imagine driving down "America's Main Street" and coming across the petrified forest in that car? What an adventure!

Thumb Up or Down: Up!

Miles Round Trip: 788.9 miles

Miles To Date: 6729.3 miles

Percent of List Completed: 63%

Date of This Trip: June 15-17, 2012