Petrified Forest National Park- Arizona

Driving through the high desert landscape of Northern Arizona has been giving me a deeper appreciation and connection to the Earth and the ancestors that came long before me. When I’m driving I will typically have a podcast playing, but my mind of course begins to wander as the voices of others disappears. I have this debate in my mind constantly, where I wish that I was observing the land around me naturally before it was colonized, but then think of how I probably wouldn’t be in this exact place having this awe inspiring experience without it. Where on this piece of land would I have been settled? Would I have still had this yearning to explore and see what else is in the world? As I am pulling closer to where camp will be for the next few nights, I see large pieces of yellow, black, and orange petrified wood. “Imagine seeing that for the first time without a large gift shop and highway next to it…” is my first thought. I need to get out of my pessimistic mindset sometimes. I am indeed seeing this for the first time so I need to remain present, and appreciate my experience for what it is. Fuck, it is hard sometimes to rewire the brain. 

Crystal Forest Campground, you are clutch! For anyone that is interested in camping in your rig right outside Petrified Forest NP, it is perfect. I pulled Tommy and The Tank next to a small square concrete slab and unhitched. My view was of the fence to the park entrance, perfect! Dobby and I set up to spend the next few nights at the site. Dobby was able to come on most of the hikes around the park so we were both hyped.

This is an incredible park where I saw some of the most elaborate color combinations inside the fossilized wood. It is so mind bending to look around and think of how long ago and where on the planet these massive trees were living and thriving. What a privilege it is to have access to witness this! There would just be a large hill of rock smoothed out from weathering with a huge chunk of fossilized wood just poking out more and more over time. Not only was the wood beautiful to see, but the petroglyphs on my hike to Martha’s Butte were striking. I needed to trace my fingers along all of the carvings silently just feeling the wind blow around me. 

After staying for 3 nights, it was time to hit the road south toward Saguaro National Park. 

Check out some pictures on this link: DropBox Petrified Forest ☮