Speciman Ridge

I went on an 7 mile hike with a naturalist from the Yellowstone Association, a non-profit organization that does research and education about Yellowstone. The trailhead was just before Slough Creek in this beautiful valley:

Wildflowers covered the ground. It's hard not to be happy when you're hiking in wildflowers...

The view from 1000 ft:

The view of a petrified tree stump at 1500 ft. :

This 'wood turned to stone' is the fossilized remains of redwood trees that were in the park when a massive volcano buried the trees in sediment. The tree is preserved due to lack of oxygen.

Heading back down...

Our fearless leader, Phil informing the group:

A petrified log:

Wildflowers:

Another petrified tree stump:

I accidently took this pic while pulling my camera out of my pocket, but the sky was pretty today: