For the long drive East, Jen picked out a few hiking destinations for us to explore. We did this partly to help break up the drive and partly because we would definitely never be here again, so we may as well see the cool shit while we have the chance.
The first stop was Walnut Canyon, Arizona. A short loop hike went through centuries-old ruins built into the cliff sides. Unlike most ruins that you can only check out from a distance, these were mostly right along side the trail, so you could see them up close.
After that we went to the Petrified Forest on the East side of Arizona. This place was simply incredible. Not only had all the trees petrified, but they broke somewhere during the process in a way that made it look like they were cut down with chainsaws—completely clean cuts making giant rounds. I’ve seen a lot of petrified wood out in the desert, but nothing even close to this place.
