Going spacewise (Meteor Crater, AZ)

May 11, 2010 by libertatemamo 5 Comments

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the drug store, but that’s just peanuts to space.” (Douglas Adams)

Inspired by our vortex experience in Sedona, and charged to break new ground we decided yesterday to take another plunge into the beyond and go into outer space. Or rather, go to where the alien species of space have come to us. That such a place exists in AZ is just a reflection of how strange and wonderful this place is. So, with camera in hand and expectations high we drove 35 miles east of Flagstaff to a desolate place known as Meteor Crater.

Meteor Crater is one of the best preserved crater impact sites in the world. It looms dramatically as a vast, gaping hole in the flatness of the high desert, surrounded eerily by red dirt and gusting winds. The view is dramatic. Formed 50,000 years ago by an 150-foot wide asteroid hurtling 26,000 miles per hour through the atmosphere, the crater is over 4,000 feet across, 550 feet deep and 2.4 miles in circumference. The impact was estimated at an explosive force of greater than 20 million tons of TNT, and changed the landscape forever. It’s a link to our past, a mark of outer space and the connection between us and all the planets.

Overall a highly recommended outing. The crater is supported by a fabulous museum, incl. a free film and a rim-walk (for those who dare). So if you’re looking to touch outer space this is, indeed, the place.