Friends, on our recent trip to the badlands, we were fortunate to find one whole day when rain and thunderstorms were not in the forecast.  The walk into the Petrified Forest is only 1.5 miles but the terrain is very rugged and for me it was challenging.  We spent about five hours in the sun and wind, hiking in and exploring the ancient ruins (trees). These trees were a tropical redwood and are 65 million years old.  Younger than the dinosaurs but older than the mammals.  The top stump is about six feet tall and sits high on a mud pedestal that will eventually erode away and dump the stump  🙂 into the valley below.  The bottom image shows a stump that is about six feet in diameter.  til Tomorrow MJ