Back to the fun stuff. I literally have nothing critical to do today. Or tomorrow. Or Sunday. So I might as well catch up on my trip reporting, lol.

After an absolutely brutal drive from South Dakota to Arizona, taking the long way around the Rockies to avoid potential bad weather, I am happy to sit still for a while.

But yesterday, for the first time since South Dakota, I finally got to see some more tourist stuff, which is my main goal on this months-long trip.

I saw both the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. I had heard of both since I was a young lad, and had always wanted to come here. Don't ask me why I focused on those two. That was 70+ years ago, lol. Anyway, I made it yesterday, lol.

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with either one. They were cool, and I'm glad I got to do it, but they certainly aren't something that I would drive hundreds of miles to see as a stand-alone attraction. But they were right off I-40 on my way here, so no problem.

I think I liked the petrified wood better than the landscape of the Painted Desert, b/c I saw some of that already at the Badlands. And the petrified wood would have been more exciting if they had allowed you to touch it, but I certainly understand why not.

Below are some shots of each. I'm sure you can figure out which is which.

P.S. I actually did touch some petrified wood in a gift shop in the park. Feels just like glass.