Friends,looks like a piece of rotten wood, right?, you would be wrong, this old wood has turned to stone and has lichen growth almost covering the surface.  You can see the wood grain in spots where the lichen growth is minimal.  We walked into the petrified forest yesterday, a three mile loop, but lots of steep up and down.  Spent six hours hiking in, shooting photos, and walking back out.  The temperatures were in low 70s, bright sunshine, no shade, and blasting North Dakota wind.  We were exhausted by the time we got back to the car.  The day would have been perfect if not for the constant wind, at times it tried to blow me over, so i was careful not to stand too close to any edges.  The bottom image shows a scenic of the area around this ancient forest.  Enjoy til Tomorrow MJ