“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” Thich Nhat Hanh
Blue Mesa Trail in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. — Photo by Pat Bean
Blue Mesa
Big old petrified tree trunks like this is why it’s named Petrified Forest. — Photo by Pat Bean
I appreciate nature best when I can get up close and personal with it. I had that opportunity when I left Route 66 at the top of Windy Hill and hiked the Blue Mesa Trail.
The paved loop path, just a little over a mile long, drops about 100 feet down to the valley floor. It winds among the stratified rocks that tell 200-million-year-old stories, just as the petrified logs along the trail bear witness to an ancient forest.
Blue Mesa’s layered rocks contain 200-million years of the planet’s stories. — Photo by Pat Bean
A few people passed me on the hike, but mostly I had the trail to myself. It was an opportunity to drink in the peaceful stillness and ponder the creation of this landscape in which wind, water and the passing years were the artists.
My canine traveling companion, Pepper, greeted me as if I had been gone those 200 million years when I arrived back at our RV. I gave her treats and thought to myself that life couldn’t get any better.
Bean’s Pat: http://tinyurl.com/br2wub5 Take a walk with Mountain Mae.
*This recognition is merely this wandering/wondering old broad’s way of bringing attention to a blog I enjoyed – and thought perhaps my readers might, too. The Pat on the back is presented with no strings attached. May 29, patbean.wordpress.com
Pat Bean's blog 
I can feel the all pervading peace and tranquility as you describe your hike. x
Nature is what keeps me sane.
I took the time one year as we were on our way to my parents’ home in Colorado to visit Petrified Forest. Wonderful place. The wind seemed to speak, the quiet was soothing and my kids were awed at the size of the ravens. We were able to get within 4 feet of one that was sitting on a railing. The “forest” leaves you feeling very small as you contemplate its history.
I got pictures of the ravens, too. They have a prehistoric look about them that fits right in with the landscape, don’t you think?
Beautiful! We tried to visit the Painted Desert years ago but it was blowing away at the time (sand storm)! We’ve never been back, but your pictures just might inspire a trip soon!
[…] The human powered adventure possibilities are endless. You could paddle down the Mississippi River. You could walk the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail. You could spend five days backpacking Yosemite. You could even take a short ramble through a petrified wilderness. […]
Such a fascinating vista…
I couldn’t agree more FeyGirl