The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, Arizona

Today we drove into Arizona and saw the painted desert .....

This rock has petroglyphs inscribed on it. With binoculars you could see  them very well. 

It was very large and more than 100 feet below where I was standing. 

This is a petrified log that was used as a bridge over the ravine. 

Years ago, it was reinforced beneath with concrete. Walking on it was not permitted. 

The log was about 2 feet in diameter.

There are huge petrified logs in the park.

Silica has replaced the plant cell material over time. 

The different kinds of minerals create the variety of colors in the logs.

There were logs, now they are rocks.

This is the base of one of the giant logs.

Copper, iron, and manganese made patterns and 

blends of yellow, red, black, blue, brown, white and pink. 

Petrified wood weights up to 200 pounds per cubic foot. 

Several kinds of early dinosaurs fossils are found here. 

They lived during the Late Triassic Period, over 200 million years ago.

"Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see,"

remember the words to the song by Don Henley, "Standing on the corner"?

Well, here we are--on the corner. A short time later the rain--err- monsoon started!

They get very excited here in Winslow when it rains, they don't see it that often!

What a great day!