The name of this National Park evokes thoughts of rows of lush dense, tropical stone Jurasic willows with stone birds flying overhead and stone frogs shooting their stone tongues out at giant stone mosquitos buzzing around. These expectations plus the fact that no petrified wood is easily visible for the first two thirds of the park (it is more of a desert than anything else) had us cracking up thirty years ago when I drove through with my mom, aunt, brother and sisters.
As we approached the park, I warned N that she shouldn't expect anything resembling a forest. She admitted to me that she originally had been imagining this, and would reset her expectations. This behind us, the park really was beautiful.
Once you get to the petrified wood, it really is quite beautiful and slightly humbling. These pictures don't do it justice.
It seems there is a problem with people stealing the petrified wood. And with logs going for thousands of dollars at the giftshop outside (all supposed to be collected from outside the park), you can imagine why this would be a problem.
As we approached the park, I warned N that she shouldn't expect anything resembling a forest. She admitted to me that she originally had been imagining this, and would reset her expectations. This behind us, the park really was beautiful.
Once you get to the petrified wood, it really is quite beautiful and slightly humbling. These pictures don't do it justice.
It seems there is a problem with people stealing the petrified wood. And with logs going for thousands of dollars at the giftshop outside (all supposed to be collected from outside the park), you can imagine why this would be a problem.
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