Painted Desert,Arizona

From the Petroglyphs we drove on to the Petrified National Forest in Arizona, which also contains the Painted Desert shown on this page.

This incredibly beautiful landscape is part of the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. We drove through the park during rainsqualls and distant thunder. But this could not keep us from stopping at various viewpoints and admiring the changing colors and scenery.

Even with clouds and intermittent rain, it was beautiful.

One of the sights is the Painted Desert Inn. The inn began life as The Stone House, since petrified wood was included in some of its walls. Completed in about 1920 it operated as a commercial restaurant and shop until it was purchased by the National Park Service in 1936. After restoration by the CCC, it was operated by the Park Service and later the Harvey House Company as an inn and restaurant on and off until 1963.

Today the Painted Desert Inn is a museum. Above two murals painted by Fred Kabotie, a famous Hopi artists, who was commissioned to paint murals in the dining room and cafeteria when the inn was a Harvey House.

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