Giant Meteor Crater: Winslow, Arizona

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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.

Me looking like a gorilla while posing with Amanda

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We weren't looking for it, but during our travels we came across a sign for it and thought we'd have a look.

It is difficult to capture the scale of the crater.

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The crater is touted as the world's best preserved meteorite impact site on Earth. I am inclined to believe it!

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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 was crazy hot the day that we went!

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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.

This path leads up to an even higher point to get a better overall view of the crater.

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At the top of the stairs sits a lone telescope to get a closer look around the crater.

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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.

Unfortunately I didn't seem to take many pictures inside of the museum.

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.

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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!



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27 comments
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Wow that thing is massive. There is one of a similar size in the outback of Australia but I’ve never seen it myself.

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Australia is definitely on my bucket list!

Yes, the crater is absolutely massive. It is impossible to see the scale on the photos, unfortunately. Even when you are standing there in front of it, you are fooled into believing that it is smaller. That's why they put life sized objects at different points in the crater, and have telescopes around so that you can look at them.

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Wow...being so closer something like that is a bit scary but it is the rarest nature event...So it look also great...

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scary ..... as long as you are not there at the moment it happens, lol

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Actually thinking that moment is the real scary thing...:) But being in there while happening moment and surviving could be legendary :)

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right! agree - just have to duck at the right moment......

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Lol...If you say ducking is enough to survive from a falling meteorite :) we need to start to exercise how to duck while a meteorite falling. İt would be life surviving :)

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Always a surprise when one finds a site like this unexpectedly while travelling. Most times one just rushes by going from point A to point B, but the odd time, stopping and checking things out can be very rewarding. Of course it is "the world's largest" - have you ever been to Montana? Whatever places there are, they are also the world's largest. Similar in Canada where I lived in Alberta - there, for example, you find the world's largest Ukrainian Easter Egg!
Your travel reports are great and always entertaining. So much to see! This is a reminder again for myself to post more of it. Reminds me also that I have not followed up on my Portugal post (thanks btw for your nice comments on there).

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I believe I've been to Montana, but only quickly when driving through. We did a trip around the country about 15 years ago where we started in Florida, and ended up in Los Angeles - but we drove the perimeter of the country. It took a couple of weeks!

Canada is a place that I'd like to visit someday. I surprisingly have never been. The reason is kind of embarrassing actually. Back in 1993, a friend of mine 'borrowed' his uncle's car from him car lot without telling him. He invited me to drive down to the coast with him. We got pulled over by the police, who accused both of us of stealing the car. Even after clearing it up with his uncle, they charged both of us with a felony theft. I heard that Canada won't let you in if you have a record, so I haven't even tried.

I plan to one day hire a lawyer to try to get this expunged, but who knows how that will be. The sad thing is that other countries don't realize how harsh and unreasonable the legal system is here in the United States. So from there perspective, I probably look like a criminal on paper! Which is really sad, because I would not steal a piece of gum, or harm a soul.

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(Edited)

That really sucks!
I remember a time when I was crossing borders regularly simply showing my driver license (in those days, it didn't even have a picture on it). Nobody checked computers, you got waved through (you had either US or Canadian plates on your car), just like crossing borders in Europe. No passport needed between Canada and the US .... good old days. I crossed almost weekly, since I lived near the border. That was also when Vietnam draft dodgers settled in Canada and eventually became citizen. It is likely very difficult, judging by this information: Prior Criminal Offenses.
So basically you can travel just about anywhere in the world, but crossing borders between Canada and the US is now almost impossible. Makes me wonder how a US citizen can drive to Alaska? Man, you would be able to feel the difference just taking the ferry from Seattle to Victoria (which would have been my dream retirement place). It is like coming to another world, even though they are practically neighbors. In my time in Canada, I made the long drive from the prairies many times (1200 km - it took about 20 hrs since lots of mountains to cross).
Searching my Flickr, I just realized I had not uploaded my Victoria photos, other than the Royal British Columbia Museum - something I should do very soon, after all, it is the largest part of my live!

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Sunset, Inner Harbor, Victoria

UPDATE:
I found an old post about Victoria you might like:
VICTORIA HARBOR, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Also just uploaded (but more to be added) on Flickr: VICTORIA the Album

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Amazing views of this incredible crater! Arizona is just full of gems (some larger than others lol)

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Looks like a cool place to see. Did it make you look to the sky more?

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I saw that article of yours in Whaleshares many months ago , i guess you want to remember how it was to feel the lightness of vacations 😅

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Yeah, I'm doing a few re-posts recently. My adventures have really dwindled since the coronavirus pandemic. :(

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Oh ..for everyone the same , now you ve got another adventure 🌼

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Que impresionante!!! 😱

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Amazing how beautiful meteor craters are when they're not crashing on our heads...lol

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That is pretty awesome! I totally have to go to this place when my wife and I make the trip out West! I know that @bigtom13 made a post about Winslow a little bit ago because he was standing by the sign on the corner that the Eagles made famous.

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Yeah, we drove through and saw that sign. I don't know why we didn't take a picture. It seems weird now, because we take pictures of everything. Haha! Perhaps for once in my life I was in the moment......nah. lol

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That is too funny! I don't really blame you for that. The same thing has happened to me so many times. Especially now that I blog. I think, I should have gotten pictures of... Whatever.

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Wow! Very nice description of an amazing place!

The guy that originally bought the crater (In like 1910) went broke mining for the Iron that he just knew was buried just under the surface!

The scale just can't translate until you see the place. It's really big!

It's not my favorite place near Winslow, however. I keep going back to Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park. It's a hidden gem of a place on several levels. Part of it (through Painted Desert) includes a piece of old Route 66-another level of interest.

Thanks for a great look at a great place. Come back in November, you'll like it a lot more :)

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Yeah! I remember reading about the guy inside of the museum. Pretty sad! Something similar happened to my great aunt (89 years old now!) and great uncle who claimed a mountain in 29 Palms California back 70 years ago or so. They had some equipment that was registering a massive amount of thorium (I believe it was).

They spent years and a fortune trying to mine it, but could never find it. It turns out that there was a lot there, but it was much deeper (and a lot more of it) than they though. They ended up selling it to a company with deeper pockets and the best equipment.

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely be on the lookout for Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park next time we are driving through those parts. I feel like I've seen a sign for that, but I may be making it up.

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Woo how impressive the crater looks!! You can make a big artificial pond! 😁 The pictures are spectacular, the sky looks beautiful! It is a good place to visit, it is worth stopping to see it. Greetings!

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I think that would make a really big and deep lake! I can't remember how deep they said the crater is, but I know it is quite a large number.

Thanks for coming by!

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It is probably one of the meteor impacts that caused some deaths of some species of animals in ancient America Sir @nuthman.
I also wonder the gulf of mexico crater also was the one that killed most of the things in Ancient america too or even the dinosaurs.

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!BEER
for you

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