Tales from the Road: Experiencing the Impact at Meteor Crater

I have recently returned from the 2013 US Roller Skating National Championships which was held for the first time in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  This is the first time that the nationals have been held close enough to my home that driving was a preferable option to flying, and so I got to visit a few landmarks while passing through the state of Arizona.

One of the fun places I got to visit was Meteor Crater - one of the world's best preserved meteor landing sites.  Basically it is a giant hole in the ground.  And I mean giant!  This thing is HUGE.  If you put a skyscraper on the bottom even the highest floors wouldn't be able to look over the top.

It has a small museum that is full of information about meteors and other astronomical objects.  Doesn't require a ton of time to look at everything, but a fun rest stop on the long drive.  If astronomy and science are an interest to you - totally worth the stop.  Otherwise... well, it really is just a big hole in the ground.

Meteor Crater!

The bottom of the crater.
To give a sense of scale - the white-ish circle on the right side
is surrounded by a 7-10 foot high fence.

Another view of the side of the crater.

The meteor responsible for the crater.

Another meteor in the museum.

A lovely cloudy Arizona day...

Stay tuned for more Tales from the Road!