So Frightened I'm Unable to Move!

Well, not exactly ... that title was just a way to inspire you to read this blog.  Not that it will be boring, but I like catchy (in case you haven't figured that out yet).  The title is actually one definition for the word "petrified", but it's the second definition that I'm really going to be covering today, and that definition is, "(of organic matter) changed into a stony substance; ossified."  So, my dubious discourse today is all about the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.

 

We stayed overnight in Holbrook, AZ arriving early enough to get set-up and on the road.  Gary actually found a piece of petrified wood in the open area behind the campground, so we are now proud owners of a "legal" piece of petrified wood! 

Did you know that petrified wood is not specific to this one area?  There are petrified forests in the following areas (this is probably not an exhaustive list):  Ginkgo Petrified Forest in the state of Washington, Petrified Forest on the island of Lesbos in Greece, Mississippi Petrified Forest, Blue Forest of Eden Valley in Wyoming, Monumento Natural Bosque Petrificado in Argentina, Yellow Cat Flat in Utah, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, Prehistoric Kauri Forest in New Zealand, and Mummified Forest on Axel Heiberg Island in Canada.  What a list, huh?  But the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is one of the largest.

How did the wood in this are become petrified?  The story is that the trees in this area fell and swollen streams washed them into adjacent floodplains.  A mix of silt, mud, and volcanic ash from distant volcanoes buried the logs. This sediment cut off oxygen and slowed the logs' decay. Then silica-laden groundwater seeped through the logs, replacing the original wood tissues with silica and petrifying the logs.  So there you have it!  Makes sense to me, how about you?  (ha!ha!)

Now to the good stuff ... photos of these ancient petrified trees.  I forgot to charge my camera (whoops!) but luckily I had my handy-dandy phone with me and it has been so faithful to be my camera back-up in these dire situations.  I know you know this because ya' all are posting those selfies on FB, but a phone is NOT just a phone anymore.  I love my phone (hee!hee!).  Luckily we have a great car charger which I used to get the camera up to speed while I took advantage of my phone's camera capabilities.

 

So, here are my phone shots of the Petrified Forest.  These were taken at the first stop on the forest route called Long Logs.

 

Our next stop on the route was Agate Bridge.  This is an amazing petrified log bridge.

Right across from there was an open area, and I just loved the yellow wildflowers blooming next to the petrified wood.

Next stop on our Petrified Forest Route was an area called The Tepees.  The Tepees are part of the Blue Mesa Member, one of the park's older layers of the Chinle Formation. The distinctive colors banding these landforms are the ancient layers of sediments deposited by the Triassic river system.  Looking at the pictures you'll see why it was so aptly named. 

The final stop in the Petrified Forest National Park was Newspaper Rock.  Do I need to explain why it's called that?

 

 

We traveled from there across Highway 40 with our next exploration site the Painted Desert, but that's for my next blog!

 

Ezekiel 11:19-21
And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.