Are you familiar with the Petrified Forest in the state of Arizona in the United States? It is a national park in the Southwest.

For me, it is fascinating for several reasons.

It is well renowned for its large collection of petrified tree trunks. They were growing in the area about 200 million years ago. At that time, these giant trees were growing on the banks of a river delta. When they died, they were buried under silica-rich sedimentary deposits. Over time, this silica fossilized the plant matter of the trees. These trees are fascinating because the trunks are perfectly preserved. Observing them is a strange journey through time. I always imagine dinosaurs running between the trees. Fossils of a theropod dinosaur have been found in this part of Petrified Forest.

The petrified trees are in the southern part of the park.

The second point of interest in the Petrified Forest National Park is in the northern area of the park. There you can find geological formations created about 250 million years ago. They are multicolored, many emanating a strong, bright orange color. It is for this reason that this geographical area is called Painted Desert. It is magnificent, especially at sunset. The bright colors seem to glow then. Words cannot describe the beauty and awe of such a place.

Petrified Forest is primarily an immense desert zone crossed by only one road running from the north to the south. The national park covers approximately 346 square miles (900 square kilometers).

To walk within Petrified Forest is like venturing backwards in time. Each time I visit this place to observe the petrified trees or Painted Desert, I measure how fast time passes and how young the human species is compared to all these geological formations. The first human beings arrived only 8000 years ago in this region. They grew corn. The last inhabitants left in the 14th century after a change in climate prevented them from effective cultivation of crops.

To me, Petrified Forest represents the passage of time. It is a place that reminds me that I must enjoy every moment that passes. It also reminds me that I must not procrastinate. When I walk among the petrified trees, I tell myself that the stress and worries I create for myself are useless. Time inevitably moves forward. Lost moments are never found again.