Petrified Forest National Park

'Petrified Forest National Park' celebrates the Centennial of the National Park Service in 2016 with this showcase of wonderful color. The park contains two sections: the amazing kaleidoscopic wood colorings of the rainbow and crystal forest as well as the painters’ palette of color at the blue mesa and painted desert.



Petrified Forest National Park was my first stop as I began to photograph the Southwest. This visit set me on a timeless journey that would leave me coming back time and time again. The stunning geology of the fossilized wood more than 225 million years old spoke to me as I marveled at the crystallized details. Set against badlands covered in grasslands with mesas rising from the ground, the landscape invited me in to explore and ponder.



Clouds danced above me while a peaceful desert rain moved in and out of view splashing colorful tones beyond the spectrum of the rainbow onto the vast desert. The silence and solitude gave a feeling of immense peace as I walked among the land. Time stopped creating an energy balance of the past, present and future.



Enjoy with Life Love Peace Joy Laughter & Happiness



Kyle Hanson



This was my 27th Book of Photography.