A Plug for the Dobell Ranch

Holbrook, Arizona...you really gotta want to be there.

But Holbrook is the jumping off point to visit the Petrified National Forest, a wonderland of rainbow-hued fossilized trees that drive people crazy with the desire to take some of that petrified wood home which is a big no-no, yet people still filch bits of this treasure from the national park at an estimated rate of 12 tons a year.

What exactly is driving people to risk vandalism, guilty consciences, and potential ancient curses (not sure about the curses but I’m throwing it in for good measure)?

The petrified wood from southeast Arizona is arguably some of the most beautiful in the world and has earned its moniker “rainbow wood”. The bulk of these petrified trees have been classified as Araucarioxylon arizonicum, an extinct species of conifer that is the state fossil of Arizona. The petrified wood in this part of Arizona was deposited around 225 million years ago during the Late Triassic period in a chain of events that probably began with a volcanic eruption that knocked down and buried the trees, allowing the slow process of mineral replacement to occur.

The worst part about people defacing the national park is that 90% of the petrified wood lies outside of the park boundaries and can be obtained legally and ethically. I checked out a couple of the local gift shops and the prices were exorbitant which is why I recommend a visit to the Dobell Ranch, adjacent to the national park. 

The Dobell Ranch flies under the radar and has no web presence although 4th generation Noah Dobell operates an Instagram page as stixn2stones. The ranch is a visual feast even before you see the rainbow wood. 

There is junk (or art, depending on your frame of mind) EVERYWHERE, as well as piles of petrified wood and a decidedly casual rock shop. 

You can dig through spoil piles for your own fossils at the rate of $28 per 5 gallon bucket or purchase a piece that they’ve polished. 

(trying my hand at digging)

I'm not one to buy fossils, even fabulous ones, as I'd like to find my own but I couldn't resist a fabulous piece that Noah was in the process of polishing. It cost a mere $30, displays bright yellows and reds, and weighs in at 5 lbs.

Noah, hard at work.

My treasure, hot off the polishing table.

It's easy to get distracted.  I had to pose on these big chunks of petrified wood.

And again.  Deal with it.

I was so anxious to clean some of the pieces I had dug up that when we got back to our room, I used my toothbrush to scrub at them.  

The grit probably just helped make my teeth a little shinier that night.