{...This Mouse Will Play}

I hate driving, but I love road trips. Ironic.
With my summer class over and David out of town,
I was inspired to venture off and see something
new. I was inches away from going to the Grand
Canyon, but I really want to go there with David.
So, I headed for the Petrified Forest National
Park instead. Arizona is loaded with vast, grand
beauty. I just can't get enough of it.



It's about four hours north east from our place.
The drive out was amazing!


Here's the idea...
These trees were standing and rooted 200-250 million
years ago, back when the dinosaurs roamed. At that time,
this desert land was actually in the tropics. So, it had wet
and dry seasons. Flooding knocked trees over, as did the
shifting of land into our current continents.


Many of the trees decomposed naturally, but some were
covered with fallen ash from volcanoes erupting in the west.
This sediment cover had silica and other elements in it. The
original organic material of the tree was eventually replaced
with these minerals, turning it into a rock.


There is some petrified wood in every or almost every state,
but this collection in Arizona is one of the largest in the
world. They also found tons of fossils in this area.
Pretty cool stuff!


They polish up pieces for sale. It's beautiful but so not cheap.
The slabs here cost about $900 each.


The colors in it are amazing.


More for sale outside.


It's crazy to think of what was once here.


Okay. This piece that I have my arm around --
Weighs 2,800 pounds.
Costs $28,000.
Yeah, seriously.

Being out there was awesome. Did some light hiking. It was
windy and cool (at about 5,000 feet). Here's some of the
beautiful views I got to take in while going through the 28
mile park...












That's it for today. Hope you enjoyed!!