Zooming across the middle US, we stopped at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Monument.
It wasn't that easy explaining why there wasn't a
"forest", that is, a bunch of standing trees. But we
saw many whole trees of rock laying around.
One nice thing was a good visitors center that had a clear
explanation of how petrified forests happened plus a great
display of the dinosaurs and fossils found in the area.
If you're a parent of a five year old male, you can
appreciate how much this was enjoyed.
This park is a nice stop on the drive from the Grand Canyon to anything in New Mexico. It has nice facilities, nice places to visit, and makes for a great break. Of course, when we visited, this May day showed green grass and a pleasant 70 degrees with friendly, fluffy clouds in the clean blue sky. This place is probably no fun in August.
