You start by driving into the painted desert. The pictures don't look bad, but you have to see in person to really enjoy. 
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Route 66 went through the Petrified Forest. There is a tribute to Route 66 in the park. yes you have to go in the park to see it. The Tribute is near the Old Route 66. You can see the telephones in one picture. They mark the path of the famous " Main Street of America" .
As you drive around the loop there is a spot called Newspaper Rock. There are more than 650 imags on the bolders. They are called petroglyphs. The folks that farmed the Puerco River Valley 650 to 2000 years ago pecked these images onto the rocks.
You can't go down and touch them. But if you look closely from the over look youcan find some. Here is a picture of some bolders and I zoomed in on one so you can see the images.  |
| zoomed in |
As you drive around there is great views. It was really nice not having an traffic. I would stop in the middle of the road and take pictures. I still had to get to Tucson today, so kind of rushed and skipped some of the hikes you can go on and it still took 2 to 2 1/2 hours to get around the 28 mile loop. 
Of course it is called the Petrified Forest for a reason. It is the largest concentration of Petrified Wood. You are not allowed to take any, but at the end of the drive you can stop at the gift store and buy some cheap. Spend the couple dollars and help preserve the park. I bought a small box so I can give some friends a piece. 
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| More Petrified Wood |
Here are a couple more pictures on around the loop. As usual there are a lot more pictures. If you get the chance definitely check out the Petrified Forest in Arizona.
