April 24, 2014 (see pictures)


Hi everyone,


We had a great travel day.  You could definitely see the landscape change from one state to another. The combination of the sculpture of these plateau's and the hills is amazing.  We crossed the Continental Divide and ended up at one point being over a mile above sea level. 


We gained an hour so by the time we arrived at the RV park it was only 2:30.  Since the crater is just 5 miles away we went ahead to tour the largest crater made by a meteor preserved on Earth.  


About 50,000 years ago part of an asteroid hurtling about 26,000 miles per hour and estimated about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons struck the rocky plain with an explosive force greater than 20 million tons of TNT.  In seconds a crater 700 feet deep and over 4000 feet across was carved into this once flat rocky plain.  In some of the shocked meteorites, the intense pressures transformed small concentrations of graphite into microscopic-sized diamonds. 


To give you a better idea as to the craters size, imagine twenty football games being played simultaneously on its floor, while more than 2 million spectators observe from its sloping sides.


Fortunately for science and all of us, Meteor Crater has sustained relatively little removal of material since it's formation 50,000 year ago.  Meteor Crater is the first proven and best preserved impact site on Earth and is designated a Natural Landmark by the Department of the Interior. 


One more site to cross off our bucket list.  Truly an amazing sight to see.


We also saw the Milky Way (yes my granddaughter Kylie you can see the Milky Way) last night as the RV park we are staying at is away from any towns so the stars are amazing and spectacular.  


Love to all,
Jim and Debbie