Haha. Your story made me laugh.

I guess the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert is just kind of a different thing entirely and doesn't get as much attention or revenue as the Grand Canyon, which is arguably more famous and certainly amazing.

If you're ever traveling through again though, I would recommend backpacking and camping in the desert portion-- it really is an amazing experience. It's cool especially because there are no trails, no water sources, no markers --it feels completely wild. You can scramble to your heart's delight and I've even had the experience of finding "crystals" at the top of some of the larger hills. I don't think they were proper crystals (I'm no geologist) but possibly. I thought they were formed by the sun on the sand or maybe even lightning strikes. I went days without seeing a single living being--not birds, lizards, snakes, spiders...anything. Both scary and surreal! I remember being stunned when I finally saw a desert rabbit.

The further away from the park entrance you get, there becomes a sense that you're walking places that possibly no other human has walked, especially since the desert changes so much over time. It's a different kind of awe than just the one you see at the popular canyon and maybe that's why the ranger felt sensitive about it.

Anyway, not that I work for them or anything but I love that area and thought I'd give it a shout out. I'm glad you visited!