Deep in the wild sage brush desert of Eastern Washington, lie many ancient secrets. Looking out over the expanse of the Columbia River are the scratchings of vanished peoples - the Vantage petroglyphs may be weathered by time, yet still they stand watch over the great canyon of the Columbia.
Before even the Petroglyphs, before the desert, and before the Cascade Mountains rose up in the west, giant forests grew here, and when lava spewed forth and blanketed the land in stone, this forest was buried beneath it. Now the trees themselves have turned to stone and become the Ginko Petrified Forest - the massive logs transformed into intricate crystalline boulders.
In the spring hills about the cliffs and rocky river shore, are wildflowers that bloom in incredible profusion from the arid desert soil. Birdsong fills the landscape, and sweet scents perfume the air.
Across the river are the Metal Horses - a monument constructed in recent years that depicts a herd of wild horses racing cross a rig top. Their forms are lifelike, yet like the petrified forest they stand frozen for all time, new guardians for the desert steppe.
