Out In The Middle of Nowhere...
Just off Interstate 40, at exit 233 in Winslow, Arizona you'll find a massive meteor crater right there in the middle of the desert.
We weren't looking for it, but during our travels we came across a sign for it and thought we'd have a look.
The crater is touted as the world's best preserved meteorite impact site on Earth. I am inclined to believe it!
How Much to get in?
The ticket prices when we visited were $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and $9 for kids. I suspect that this fee covers the maintanance of the museum and awesome air conditioning which is a godsend out here in the desert.
It would seem that when they set up the crater as an attraction, the visitors weren't really getting the scale of just how big the crater is. In order to give people a bit of perspective, they placed life sized items such as mannequins down in the center.
In order to see the objects you have to look through the permanently fixed telescopes that are each pointed directly at a specific prop.
At the top of the stairs sits a lone telescope to get a closer look around the crater.
It is probably a good thing that they have built the museum and walkways. The natural rocks around here are quite treacherous. I could see someone easily hurting themselves out here trying to go solo.
From what I remember my camera battery died soon after I entered the building!
I guess it will give you something to look forward to if you ever go yourself! I can't emphasize enough how welcome that air conditioning is. I'd almost buy a ticket just to sit in there after a long drive through the desert.
This was really another one of our rest stops while crossing the country. During the day when traveling we like to try to stop in interesting places rather than simply going to a rest area; unless it's a restroom emergency!
I liked the wall in the above photo that we saw on our way out. They built it with a landscape shaped hole in the middle which could only be designed to frame the scenery like a beautiful painting.
Well, mission accomplished!