39.04 Arizona: Near Holbrook: The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. (Part 1)
We continue to explore and enjoy adventures that bring revelations one cannot even dream about and most of the time, imagine. During a visit some years ago, in Grand Escalante, Utah, we came across a petrified forest. However, the national park just outside Holbrook, Arizona is truly spectacular. We would have spent even more time there but for the cold weather and extremely high winds—the latter, the more challenging issue. It was a struggle to remain upright in certain places because of the gusts. Notwithstanding less than ideal weather, we visited the park on two occasions and were enthralled. We undertook a couple of hikes, one on a regular path and the other in the wilds, off-track. The colors, shapes and sizes of the desert scenes fascinated us while the petrified rocks were a constant source of wonder. As we notice each day, there’s an awful lot happening about us; sometimes, we fail to look up and absorb it. Of course, most of the occasions, the changes are slight but over th...