We stopped by Petrified Forest National Park on our way to Cortez, CO. We thought it was going to be a quick stop, 2-3 hours to look at some petrified logs. Boy, did we underestimate the park. We stayed over 6 hours, and had to rush to get going because we still had hours of driving to get to Cortez, CO.
1. Rainbow Forest Museum near park's south entrance on Route 180.
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10. "Who cut the wood? No one. Settling of a heavy quartz log causes cracks and eventually breaks. Because it is the shortest distance for the crack to grow, the logs break perpendicular to their length, like a piece of brittle chalk. The repeating perpendicular breaks make the logs look like they were sawed or cut."
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16. The Tepees.
17. Route 66 once cut through the park.
18. Painted Desert Overlooks.
19. Painted Desert Overlooks.
20. Painted Desert Visitor Center at park's north entrance.
(To be continued)
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