Painted Desert

Right across Highway 40 from the Petrified Forest National Park, very conveniently created, is the Painted Desert.  The Painted Desert is a broad region of rocky badlands encompassing more than 93,500 acres. This vast landscape features rocks in every hue--from deep lavenders and rich grays to reds, oranges and even pinks.  It stretches from Grand Canyon National Park eastward to the Petrified Forest National Park, with a large portion lying within the Navajo Nation.

A natural canvas so many years in the making, no one event shaped the Painted Desert.  Instead, the area--which is home to many memorable formations and features--serves as proof of the earth's volatility:  volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and sunlight all combined to create the Painted Desert. Deposits of clay and sandstone, stacked in elegant layers, play with the setting Arizona sun in an altering display of colorful radiance.

Here are just a few beautiful, scenic shots of the Painted Desert taken from different viewing points along the loop route.  Enjoy the sensational, carefully crafted, colorful painted scenery.

 

The photo of me below was taken at Chinde Point.

 

 

Now, for a couple of videos spanning the desert from a couple of different points.  I wish I hadn't been so fast in my panning of the region (you can almost get dizzy looking at it), but they really shows how beautiful this area is.  AS A REMINDER ... videos most likely can only be viewed by clicking the blog title above which will take you directly to the actual website where you can easily view the videos.

 

 

Psalms 75:6-7

For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation; but God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another.