Heading toward the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Interstate 40, we came upon signs for the Painted Desert in the Petrified Forest National Park and after some “discussion” (um…me, whining a bit, “how much time will it add?) we do the detour. The route ends up adding only 15 minutes, if you don’t count the stops, and SO well worth getting off the highway.
I’d also add that the diversion to the LBJ ranch also got us off the interstates, a beautiful drive through West Texas that truly gave witness to the Texan’s sentiments about their land.
Pics, as usual for the wide open sweep of the west, don’t do it justice, but David was so damned thrilled that I said “yes” that it was a double bonus. He really is the best guy to have for a husband…that’s all it takes, just “yes!” It almost makes up for how guilty I feel when my whining was all for naught.
(secrets to a happy 35 year marriage?)
The Park appears desert-like (it is Arizona, after all) but millions of years ago it was once forest, and the remains are there for us to see…in petrified form. Those boulder looking things scattered across in the photos are actually preserved felled-forests.
Gail Ansel 