Petrified Forest

The main feature of Petrified Forest NP is some extremely well preserved examples of petrified wood in a 'badlands' type environment. Adjacent is the Painted Desert which it would seem I did not photograph worth a crap so some other time I suppose.

The colors in the rock are amazing especially when cut with a stone saw & polished. Before the area was protected many pieces were removed but there is still a fair number to see.
We did the walking loops of Giant Logs & Long Longs before the sun dropped to the horizon & the park closed for the day.



We had no real plan for where to camp for the night & if it hadn’t been getting dark this wouldn’t have been a problem as there are many areas that allow random camping. We decided to head towards Flagstaff & see what we could find. Pulling off the I40 at a gas station in Winona we enter the convenience store where there is a guy pushing a broom around, we’ll call him ‘Jethro’ & a girl the shape & texture of a Twinkie at the till. Not sure what to call her... We enquire about camping & get blank stares. Jethro says “You can camp anywhere you want... in the forest.” But had no suggestions beyond that. He had a sheath knife on his belt & actually looked rather outdoorish. Twinkie girl just directed us to the map rack. I know it wasn’t the tourist information booth but c’mon people… a little effort?? In the end we settled on the KOA in Flagstaff, Moe’s idea of a last resort “Bekause they kan’t spell KAMPING.”