It's a truly exquisite view of Another World, one after another will make you stand still in curiosity How'd that happened?
The Park was formed by minerals, in a large river flow or flood, created colorful badlands of Chinle Formation, painted desert and the most incredible fossil of petrified wood logs.
The Blue Mesa Member, the Sonsela Member, the Petrified Forest Member, and the Owl Rock Member are the members of Chinle formation. While another member that I didn't have time to explore was The Mesa Redondo Member.
Let's begin the 28-mile journey road tour loop with the most incredible landscape in every point we've stopped along the park.
Painted Desert Inn
The first thing you will see once you drive into the the park is The Painted Desert Inn, originally belonged to Herbert David Loreuilt as a hotel, restaurant and gift shop under the name Stone Three House, after passing down a few owners and some restorations, the inn is now part of National Historic Landmark as a Museum.
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Painted Desert
Drive farther from the Costumer Service area, you will start to see fascinating and virtuosity whimsical of nature that seems like you are standing and mesmerizing the beauty of another world.
This small loop have many different view points with similarity reddish landscape as they call The Petrified Forest Member, starting from Tiponi Point all the way to Lacey Point as you see on the map below.
If you see some of the landscape look bit more pinkish-orange, that formation belong to The Owl Rock Member, as you see on the picture bellow.
By the way, not only to take a picture from the top of the View Point but you also can hike 1.2 miles of Tawa trail.
Lacey point.
Whipple Point.
View by the Route 66, the form of land colors is starting to change more darker.
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Route 66
Whenever I hear Route 66, my mind always goes to Lightning McQueen the Film Character from animated Cars Movie.
Route 66 or Will Rogers Highway built 1926 to reduce the speed between California to Chicago, it was one of the original highways in the United States. Unfortunately route 66 closed in 1985 and this section is preserved by Petrified National Park as part of history.
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Blue Mesa
You can hike down in Blue Mesa badlands, follow the paved path and walk between the blue mesa hills for 1 mile loop. Blue Mesa is one of member of The Chinle Formation as I mentioned above.
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The Petrified Log
Petrified log is a fossilized Log Of Wood but in time as the wood preserved and mineralized in mud of volcanic ash then formed into Log Of Rock.
Beautifully the logs have many different types of form and glossy rainbow colors and mostly you can find them in Jasper Forest or Crystal Forest. Below I took closer shot to see how petrified log's form.
Agate Bridge or Natural Bridge is the longest Petrified Log with 100’ in length and 4’ in diameter around the park with concrete beam as a support underneath to stop it from breaking or fall apart.
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The Fun We Had
Climbing and jumping are my son's favorite things to do. It's part of his autism needs, I bet climbing and jumping can increase the pure feeling of excitement as his adrenaline surge and rush, follow with innocent screams when his feet land on the ground.
It's impossible to climb up no matter how hard you try, the dirt is powdery and falls apart as you step in it.
Even when I walk, I feel little nervous that I'll get stuck as my foot step on fluffy and squeezy surface dirt.
It was part of our vacation few weeks ago when we visited White Sands in New Mexico. It was also well worth the fee of $25 to learn about it, very recommended place to visit.
You'll feel you are in an unknown world that never existed, so much things to see and so much things to explore.
