WEBVTT - The Giant Tree-ster Eggs Of Petrified Forest 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:03.440 If we were to hop into a time machine and 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.800 travel back to the year two million b C. Let's 0:00:06.840 --> 0:00:09.200 just say things wouldn't go well for us. This was 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:11.520 a time when the food chain was dominated by crocodiles 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:14.880 the size of our r V, when salamander like creatures 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:18.000 were the size of Great Danes, and when modern day 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:21.520 Arizona was a veritable Jurassic Park of dinosaurs and jungles. 0:00:22.239 --> 0:00:25.680 Imagine it's basically visiting East Laublar in Jurassic Park, but 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:29.880 instead of having Jeff Goldbloom's Pippie comic relief, it's pure 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.519 terror and there's no Doctor Grant or Laura Dern to 0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:34.840 save you. Do I get to meet like Chris Pratt, 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:37.080 Because if I get to meet Chris Pratt, then I 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:40.199 mean I'm jumping into the wrong Jurassic Park. But I 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:45.000 know barely the same franchise I know. Fortunately, Arizona is 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:49.320 much safer in when your biggest risk is getting a sunburn. Yeah, 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:52.320 but part of the prehistoric era has been fossilized and preserved, 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:54.720 and we're gonna enjoy that today. On park Landia, as 0:00:54.720 --> 0:01:00.160 we talked about Petrified Forest National Park, I'm Matt, I'm 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.400 Brad we sold our loft in Chicago and gave up 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:04.880 our city dwelling existence to live in an RV and 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.720 travel the country full time. Thus, to us in dog Finn, 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:22.560 thanks for listening. The most notable aspect of this prehistoric 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:25.240 time period is the ambiance of crystallized logs that give 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:28.440 Petrified National Park its name. A trip to this park 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:32.320 and out of the way destination in sleepy northeastern Arizona 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:35.440 reveals a glimpse into the wild past more so than 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.319 any other national park. I mean, it feels like a 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:44.600 figurative time travel through this fossilized world. Yeah, that's absolutely true. 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:47.160 One thing I think is important to point out for 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:53.040 anyone coming here expecting some sort of forest, which is fair. Um, 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:57.360 you really shouldn't expect anything tropical or jungle like. This 0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:03.680 isn't the year anymore fortunate Nowadays there really isn't anything 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:07.400 foresty whatsoever. And honestly, the only green thing you're likely 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:09.960 to see here is my cactus phone case. Well, you 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:13.480 have to tell everyone your phone case's name. Yeah, it's 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:16.200 cactus Jack is the name of my phone case? And 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:20.680 what name? I named it? After? A Mexican restaurant chain 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.400 that I remember seeing in New Hampshire growing up. I 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:25.440 don't know if it was beyond that, and I honestly 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:27.560 don't have to remember eating there, but apparently it left 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.360 enough of an impact that of now named my phone 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:32.880 case after it. Yeah, I guess you should probably get 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.799 back to the landscape though. Let's cut Yeah, let's get 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:42.520 back the landscape here. Petrified Forest is almost eerily quiet, really, 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:46.440 with not not many animals aside from the occasional crow, 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:51.960 which kind of fits this arid, barren landscape. But in 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:55.840 spite of its name, which sounds rather lush, Pretrified Forest 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:01.600 is a desert with mostly just sandstone and these gigantic 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:05.960 fallen logs that have been transformed over time into shimmering crystals. 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:11.400 That's not to suggest that it's all just dystopian and arid, though, 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:14.360 this this landscape is really rich with natural beauty and 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:19.160 of course plenty of Instagram opportunities. Yes, all those Instagram opportunities. 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:22.200 I mean the pictures that we got here are probably 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:25.760 some of my favorite from the beautiful Yeah, they're like, 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:29.400 it's a hauntingly beautiful area and it really comes out 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.680 well in photos. You don't really need to use filters 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:36.600 on Instagram for that hashtag no filter. Yeah exactly. Um. So, 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.920 in addition to dinosaur fossils and petroglyss left behind by 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.920 native people who used to live here, Petrified Forest is 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:45.960 ultimately a well preserved look at these mighty trees that 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.600 once thrived in this region when this part of Arizona 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.720 was a tropical terrain. Now these trees have long since 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:57.520 fallen um mostly due to raging rivers that toppled them 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:01.760 and ultimately wound up burying them in volcanic ash and 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.200 silt and thus fossilizing them over the course of hundreds 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.600 of millions of years. I mean, they really are the 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:10.760 stars of the show here at the Petrified Forest. I mean, 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:13.200 with some of the most densest concentration of logs seen 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:16.400 in the places like the Painted Desert, the Rainbow Forest, 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:19.200 the Giant Forest. All of us get their names from 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.000 how massive and colorful these logs are today. I mean 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:24.960 the Old Faithful for instance, not to be confused with 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:28.919 yellow stones. Main attraction is a looming giant log in 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:32.000 the Giant Forest. I mean it's as wide as a bus. Yeah, 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:35.080 it's huge. I mean we should really just throw it back. 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:37.359 I mean way back to how these logs came to be. 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:40.880 I mean, you're really better at describing that. Yeah, alright, 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:44.159 I'm gonna give you the Betty Crocker recipe version of 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:48.000 how petrified logs are formed. Um So, when these trees 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:51.760 fell and became buried in sediment and ash, that essentially 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:56.680 cuts off oxygen in the wood. Uh yeah, no more oxygen. 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.680 So eventually water will seep in and when it makes 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:02.559 us with the sediment, it forms silica in the ash 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:07.479 and begins this slow, long, drawn out process of transforming 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:11.200 the original tissue in the wood into rock. And along 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:13.720 the way, the silica turns into quartz and it gets 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:18.880 its colors based on various mineral content from things like 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:22.960 chromium and iron and carbon. And so fast forward a 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:25.560 couple hundred million years and that settlement is removed by 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:30.800 wind and these locks are now exposed as glistening, essentially 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:34.960 giant gems with colors like purple, green, blue. Basically, it's 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:39.360 a desert filled with these gigantic easter egg looking logs. Yeah, 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.200 I mean that process that lead the petrified forest. I 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:45.000 mean it's a lengthy and elaborate recipe from other nature, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.880 just like you mentioned, I know, the results may sound 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:52.400 like they're stale or hard as rock, but they're beautifully 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:57.200 breathtaking and it's unlike anything else I've seen on Earth, 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:00.240 and we've again been well traveled, so it's one of 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.760 those things like it's just it's so beautiful. How this 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:07.840 park contains some of the most concentrated collections of petrified woods, 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:10.880 which people end up trying to steal, which is not 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:15.400 not okay, yeah, leave them be. Um. More so than 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:20.000 most parks, Petrified forests, for better or worse, is known 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:21.719 as kind of a drive through park. A lot of 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:26.000 people don't spend a ton of time here um, which 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:27.960 is kind of unfortunate because there's a lot to see, 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:30.400 but it's understandable. That's mostly due to the fact that 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:34.440 the park is not very huge to begin with. But 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:38.600 then it's bisected by this main park road and there 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:40.800 are two entrances, one on the north end, one on 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:42.480 the south end, and then you have this main park 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:44.160 road that goes right through it, with a few little 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:48.400 trails here and they're off that go off that road. Um. 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.279 But on the kind of positive side of that, it 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:54.560 is refreshingly straightforward and it makes it very easy to 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:58.200 navigate this park with very clear markers denoting hiking trails, 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.960 historic sites, and viewpoints along the way. It's compared to 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:03.719 a lot of other parks that are like yellow Stone 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.239 or Yosemite, which have like kind of a dizzying array 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:12.240 of entry points and it's a little overwhelming. So especially 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:14.560 for newbies who are visiting for the first time, Petrified 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.680 Forest is very doable and very welcoming in that way. 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.360 It's kind of it's not as intimidating. I found that 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:36.480 very refreshing trails. One of the musty stops for me 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.600 was the Blue Masa Trail. I mean, as easy as 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.240 the name is. It was located off the Blue Maza Road. 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:46.400 I mean, didn't we say it was pretty straightforward, very straightforward. 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:48.400 You know exactly where you're going with the Blue Maza Road, 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:51.240 and this one's located right in the middle of the park. 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:53.720 I mean the trail is an easy, like one mile loop, 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.360 but within a short distance it really packs a punch. 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:00.560 I mean the whole thing is paved, so starting out 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:03.680 along the Mesa ridge with sweeping views of the surrounding desert, 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:07.800 I mean you quickly get transformed in this trail and 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:10.440 you get to weave down into some colorful blad lands. 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.880 It's lit with tints of purples and blues, hence the name. 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:19.120 I know, right like a name. Yeah. I mean once 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.840 we reach the bottom, the trail loops through a forest 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.400 of petrified logs, many of them the size of boulders. 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:27.000 I mean, between the colors of the bad lands and 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:29.880 the petrified wood, this trail is as colorful as the 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:33.760 Las Vegas strip. I mean, no neon signs though, I mean, 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:39.120 it's no casino, just as colorful, just as colorful. I mean, 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:41.680 it's just a great place to, you know, get a 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:44.760 work call, which Matt did not like. Um, but when 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:46.760 you're helping guide and run a business, sometimes you have 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:48.800 to take those phone calls right in the middle of 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:52.040 a trail, right pabe Yeah. I mean one another pro 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:54.600 of this trail is it's a great trail for passive 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:58.720 aggressively storming away. Um. It's nice and flat, great for that. 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.480 Um yeah, I mean when you're not doing that, when 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:05.920 or not being annoyed. Uh, it's just a great stroll 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.640 to take photos and enjoy the starting scenery. And the 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:12.160 best part for us, what we loved the most was 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:15.920 being able to take our dog Finn. Yeah, Finn, he's 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.400 so amazing. I mean, watching Finny run is like watching 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:22.120 a t Rex on forefront arms, like, yeah, pretty much, 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:24.760 pretty much, so cute, so fun. And Finn he's a 0:09:24.840 --> 0:09:27.400 he's a mini dogs and so he's he's not at 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:31.920 his fattest. He was thirteen pounds and it is right now, 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.160 he's about thirteen pounds. He's just a small, brown haired, 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:39.080 short haired minni docks in and he is our best 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:43.439 friend and our companion, and you know, whenever I'm feeling emotional, 0:09:43.520 --> 0:09:46.000 he's always there for me. And Finn is really more 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:49.360 than just our dog. He's our friend and that's why 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.959 we really enjoy going to these national parks with him 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.240 and bringing him whenever. Really cool. But if there's bears 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:58.679 out there at Gators, we definitely stay away from Now 0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:00.760 he stays in the air v But yeah, it was. 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:04.400 It's really great to be able to experience stuff like 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:07.600 this with him. And not all national parks are, like 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:11.240 you said, very dog friendly. Petrified Forest really is. It's 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:13.640 one of the most dog friendly parks in the system, 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:16.520 and it's cool to be able to take him out 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.120 with us and let him enjoy the scenery along with us, 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.280 and this is a great trail for him. The length 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:25.079 was ideal, it wasn't too long, not much elevation change, 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:27.199 so we could easily do it without getting too tired. 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:30.440 And also you could tell he was equally as obsessed 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:33.920 with a petrified wood as we were. Just beautiful things. Yeah, 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:37.080 luckily he didn't be on them. Oh yeah no. And 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:39.600 for you, this wasn't your first time hiking the Blue 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.959 Oh no no, this is my second time petrified forest, 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:45.839 and in particular, second time hiking the Blue Masa Trail. 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:50.640 And I can definitively say that this trail is definitely 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:53.920 within my top three favorite hiking trails of any national park, 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:56.800 which is a huge statement but well deserved, especially because 0:10:56.800 --> 0:11:01.400 you love like te hike. Yeah, you're a small time 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:03.800 hiker like for me, this would be perfect for me 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:06.440 to name one of my top three. But yeah, it 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:08.480 is kind of surprising because I tend to like really 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:12.360 hardcore trails and I do long, drawn out hikes. I've 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:14.520 done them in so many different national parks, so this one, 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:18.680 I think it really indicates how amazing this short little 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:21.760 trail is. It's just so stunning from every vantage point, 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:24.600 and it's kind of place that when I'm hiking here alone, 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.640 like I did on my first trip here, it's I 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:30.840 can't help say things aloud to myself, just totally al 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:33.480 I'm like, oh jeez, and can you believe this view? 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:36.400 And I'm just like, he talks to himself more often 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.480 than he would like to admit, Like I'll catch him 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:41.839 talking to himself out loud and I'll be like, I 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:44.560 didn't say anything. I'm like, yes, Well, the thing is, 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.760 I think I'm muttering or I think I'm whispering under 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:49.920 my breath or something, but I guess I just I 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:52.640 whisper much louder than I think I do. So that's 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:54.520 what I've been. That's what I spent my whole time 0:11:55.360 --> 0:12:00.120 the Blue Wings of Trail doing, um, which is you 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.280 can't help it. It's just so breathtaking like that. But 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.760 that being said, and and despite the fact that I'm 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:08.880 obsessed with this trail, you should know that Petrified Forest 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:12.280 is not really known as like a hiking mecca. There's 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.520 not a lot of hiking trails here. There are really 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.560 only seven official trails, and none of them are longer 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:20.600 than three miles in length, which it makes it a 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:24.079 very family friendly park. Very family friendly, nothing to store anyway, 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:26.319 especially for those road trips, you know, through the country 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:30.040 when you aren't those RVs. Yeah, exactly. And it's it 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.319 also makes sense why it's a drive through kind of 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.000 park because people can easily just meander through it, hop 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:36.760 off to a quick little trail here and there, and 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:41.160 continue on your way. And that's awesome. That's a great thing. 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:44.800 It's it makes it possible to do all pretty much 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.239 all the parks trails in one visit, in one afternoon, 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:49.160 and these trails do a great job of getting you 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:50.959 up close and personal with some of the most on 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:55.640 spiring petrified specimens and historic sites. You are listening to 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.160 the park Landed podcast from my Heart Radio, hosted by 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:00.240 Brad and Matt carrollac. We'll be back with more of 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:05.160 the Parklandia podcast from my heart Radio. I'm Matt and 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:07.640 I'm Brad. You were listening to the park Landed podcast 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:10.200 from my heart Radio. Man, or you tell me about that. 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:13.160 One highlight is the Giant Logs Trail. Like, isn't that 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:17.000 located right behind the Rainbow Forest Museum. Yeah? Yeah, the 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:20.360 Giant Logs Trail, as the the name is definitely kind 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.400 of an eyecatcher. It just sounds so larger than life, 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:26.920 incredible like it is. And yeah, it starts right behind 0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:29.640 the Rainbow Forest Museum, which is absolutely worth a visit 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:32.600 as well for learning all about the dinosaur history here 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:35.920 in fossils Um. But the Giant Logs Trail has some 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:42.040 of the largest petrified logs anywhere on Earth, including Old Faithful, 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:46.240 and they're just it's mind blowing how massive these things were. 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.000 And to imagine what these things must have been like 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:51.760 when they were standing. They must have been the size 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:56.120 of like Sekoia trees or something. And now they're glistening 0:13:56.920 --> 0:14:00.880 like gems pretty much, and that's amazing. But then something 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:05.160 for something completely different. There's the Puerco Pueblo Trail, also 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:08.200 an easy trail, it's only about point three miles round trip. 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:11.320 In this highlights another very important aspect of the park, 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:15.800 which is the history and ancient civilizations that once lived here. 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:18.280 I mean, it's really hard to imagine living in such 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:22.280 a seemingly barren landscape. I mean, yeah, I know nowadays 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:26.000 I can't imagine even like doing backcountry camping here. I 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.920 don't know how that would even work, but I believe 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.920 it or not. Some two thousand years ago or so, 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:37.800 whole communities used to thrive here and there. Uh yeah, 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.520 there are I can back it up. There are hundreds 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:43.440 of sites throughout the park with evidence um of these 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:46.920 ancient civilizations, some of which left behind petroglyphs and village 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:50.920 ruins that you can tour and look at marble apt 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:56.440 and you said, wuere will play blow where cool? Yes, 0:14:56.920 --> 0:15:00.800 it's kind of it's tricky to say, where go Pueblo. 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:02.880 You kind of have to stay in slow motion to 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:06.800 get it right, especially for me. I'm horrible in their 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:10.800 own pronunciations. So you don't oh, you don't say, oh, 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:13.320 you're funny. Yes, that is it. It's just one of 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.720 the best places to witness history. I mean thanks to 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:19.160 like wealth preserved structures. Back then, hundreds of people lived 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:22.640 in the window loss and doorless web blows concentrated by 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:26.760 water sources. Ladder serves as their entry point, so no windows, 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:30.120 you're going down, yes, through a ladder. And these dwellings 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:33.560 were situated right around these central plazas, which were community 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:37.200 spaces for socializing and gathering. Yes, it's like rocky kind 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:42.960 of clay huts, no windows, no doors, um, and I mean, 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:46.040 obviously water is everything. You have to concentrate your living 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.800 accommodations by that. Yes, we learned that in Mace of Verdane. 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:53.560 Yeah we did, but we'll talk about that later. UM 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:57.760 quick side note UM relating to Puerco Pueblow. I remember 0:15:57.760 --> 0:15:59.560 when I was here the first time, This was when 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:03.400 I was a little solo trip Um. I saw this 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.920 cautioning cautionary sign by the trailhead warning about dangerous bees 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:10.760 in the area, and I remember thinking, what a missed 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:14.440 opportunity it was not to say, be where the E 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:16.920 W A R E, Like, how many times in life 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:19.760 you're gonna have the opportunity to spell that out and 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:26.440 they didn't use it? Is very punny. Yeah, it was shocking. Um. Anyway, 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:31.479 I didn't see any dangerous bees, so it all worked out. Um. 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:35.440 Not far from Puerko play Blow is newspaper rock. Um 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:37.880 just down the street or down the main road, would say, 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:41.040 just a stone throw away, A stone throw from Puerko 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:44.600 play Blow. It's the This is definitely the best site 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:46.240 for viewing Petrick lifts in the park. There's such a 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:48.960 huge concentration of them here there. I think, honestly, there's 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:53.080 like more than six hundred or so petri lifts. UM. 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:55.280 And the amazing thing about petro lifts really anywhere you 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:57.760 see them, but particularly here in such a large amount, 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:01.840 they provide a mysteria is and fascinating little peak into 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:03.800 the past and what life must have been like for 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:06.040 this civilization. Now you're gonna have to tell me more 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.160 about this because when we went through I didn't really 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:10.679 get to go and see this, which I'm kind of 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:13.919 bummed out. But you know, the future is still possible, 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.840 and petroglyphs will be there in the future. Um. But yeah, 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:20.800 they're I'm obsessed with petroglyphs. They're so interesting. Uh, and 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:25.119 these ones in particular, UM. The National Park Service and 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:31.600 archaeologists have reached out to descendants of of people from 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:36.159 the Navajo Zuni Hopie people's to examine these petriclyphs and 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.440 see if they could translate any of them. Um. They 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:41.359 only recognize a few of them, so they're not able 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.639 to piece together what the meanings really were, what they 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:47.440 were trying to communicate. We can only guess really, were 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:51.840 they making symbols of spirituality? Where they stories? Where they warnings? 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:56.960 Were these prehistoric emojis? The world may never know. Yeah, 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:01.800 the original emojis. Oh man, maybe these uh will be 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:04.400 found when we discover why the ancestral pueblo from masa 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:07.240 Verde National Park left the city. Um, they built their 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:10.640 cities in the mountains and they vanished. But again, we'll 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:14.359 have to stay tuned for a future episode. Yes, sorry, 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:19.400 let's stay back to mark. I am so so beautiful. 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:23.359 Let's yeah put a pain and that fine? Okay, Well, 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:27.440 let's talk about these ancient civilizations that abandoned the area 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:31.359 for reasons unknown, much like mesa Verde and they I add. 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.520 But anyways, modern day people UM sought it out for 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:38.080 new reasons tourism I mean, after the train tracks were 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:41.840 laid through northeastern Arizona, local and national advocates sought to 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:45.040 capitalize on the area's unique geography by using the rails 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.080 to bring in tourists and to see that painted desert 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.879 I mean. Root sixty six directly passes through the present 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:54.880 day park as well, making it the only national park 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.560 that contains a section of that historic highway. Yes, and 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:02.400 as with so many other things in the modern day, 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:04.439 it was just a matter of seeing an opportunity to 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:08.439 make money, so they did in naturally, hotels and roadside 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:12.000 ends began to pop up around the area, including UM 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:15.120 something called the Painted Desert in which is within still 0:19:15.160 --> 0:19:18.760 within the national park. It's now no longer an end, 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:24.760 it's a museum without lodging and UM. Of course, this 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:28.520 increased tourism and travelers um to the area brought its 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:31.520 own set of problems. In the case of petrified forests, 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:35.359 this meant people were talkting smaller pieces of petrified wood 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:38.280 to keep the souvenirs or I don't know, like colorful 0:19:38.320 --> 0:19:42.760 paper weights or something. UM And of course, considering the 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:47.000 limitations of this geographic marvel, this is appalling. It is. 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:48.879 And we're going to talk about the curse of the 0:19:48.920 --> 0:20:00.320 Petrified Forest folklore. We're talking about Petrified Forest National Park 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:04.480 this week, and we're starting to get into something a 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.639 little ominous. Yes, we are going to talk about the 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:10.720 curse of the Petrified Forest. You know, the one referenced 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:14.160 in Netflix show Dead to me about Yeah, I love 0:20:14.240 --> 0:20:19.639 that show about how Steve damn you Steve. Yeah, So 0:20:20.000 --> 0:20:23.919 there was this dialogue between Steve and UM, one of 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:28.920 the stars, Linda Cardilini. Um. Apparently Steve stole petrified wood 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:32.800 from Petrified Forest National Park and guess what handed up 0:20:32.840 --> 0:20:38.240 dead in a swimming pool? Oops, spoiler alert just like that. Yeah, 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.159 let's not be like Steve. No, let's not be like Steve. 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:44.359 And sorry, bet you didn't think you'd be hearing about 0:20:44.400 --> 0:20:47.719 dead to me spoilers on this podcast. But that's just 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:50.760 because clearly Netflix producers love the Petrified forests as much 0:20:50.800 --> 0:20:54.240 as we do. And you know, this curse is serious stuff, Yeah, 0:20:54.440 --> 0:20:57.920 very serious stuff. Thankfully we have park champions like John 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:00.920 Ware and Theodore Roosevelt to thank for protecting the petrified 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:05.880 wood for future generations and from future Steve's um so. 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:09.600 John Ware was the first to conduct a scientific excavation 0:21:09.720 --> 0:21:13.000 of the landscape here and he worked with Roosevelt to 0:21:13.440 --> 0:21:17.239 formally protect it, and ultimately than they did give him 0:21:17.240 --> 0:21:20.679 Petrified Forest as National monument status before it eventually got 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:24.000 upgraded to a National park in the year nineteen sixty two, 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:26.879 and today about eight hundred thousand annual visitors come to 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:30.720 Petrod Forests to look rather than take, unless you want 0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:33.760 to end up floating face down in that pool, yeah, 0:21:33.880 --> 0:21:37.000 or you know, with a half define which is also 0:21:37.240 --> 0:21:42.399 horrible because in twos and inten Congress allotted funds. Yeah, 0:21:42.440 --> 0:21:44.480 in two thousand tents, so not that long ago. Congress 0:21:44.520 --> 0:21:48.960 allotted funds for parking expansion, which essentially did double Petrified 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:53.440 Forest protected land. Um. Currently, the National Park Services working 0:21:53.440 --> 0:21:58.040 in developing new regions which will open up potentially new trails, 0:21:58.320 --> 0:22:01.439 more to explore, more to discuss or so really it 0:22:01.440 --> 0:22:03.120 seems like the park is only going to get better 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:06.600 and better in the future, which is super exciting. Yeah, 0:22:06.640 --> 0:22:09.520 this park was really easy to navigate with the r V, 0:22:09.920 --> 0:22:12.320 but you have to leave at night because it's one 0:22:12.320 --> 0:22:14.560 of the few parks with gates that close and lock 0:22:14.640 --> 0:22:17.359 every night so people don't steal the petrified wood and 0:22:17.359 --> 0:22:20.960 become cursed, you know. Like Steve, you're listening to the 0:22:21.000 --> 0:22:23.800 park Landia podcast in my Heart Radio, hosted by Brad 0:22:23.800 --> 0:22:25.720 and Matt Carrouac. We'll be back with more of the 0:22:25.720 --> 0:22:32.800 park Landia podcast from my heart Radio My favorite Alright, 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:35.439 time for one of my favorite segments, Matt, what was 0:22:35.480 --> 0:22:40.280 your favorite thing to do at Petrified Forest National Park? Well, 0:22:40.840 --> 0:22:43.800 my favorite thing I feel like the obvious one of 0:22:43.840 --> 0:22:46.520 the blue mas at because that's just amazing and I'm 0:22:46.520 --> 0:22:49.560 obsessed with it. But I will I want to also 0:22:49.800 --> 0:22:54.280 highlight the Rainbow Forest Museum. I think it's incredible, an 0:22:54.320 --> 0:22:58.600 immersive and just very cool to see and learn more 0:22:58.600 --> 0:23:00.840 about the dinosaurs and precaus or canials that used to 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.240 live here. When I was in the museum the first time, um, 0:23:04.280 --> 0:23:07.960 there was this large mural, an installation that showed depicted 0:23:08.000 --> 0:23:10.720 like the animals that were once here and what life 0:23:10.800 --> 0:23:14.199 was like some two million years ago. And let me 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:18.560 just say, it look terrifying. I'm really thankful that it's 0:23:18.560 --> 0:23:22.960