97' California Vacation

April 12th

Meteor Crater Meteor Crater 2
It is so hard to believe that something so small (relatively speaking - hundred feet across) could cause such destruction! The hole that you see here is nearly a mile across and is deeper than the Washington monument is tall. Back earlier in the century there were attempts made to locate and mine the iron meteor core that created this. The person that attempted this (to sell the pure iron) built the many structures that you might see on the crater floor or along the walls. After his death the family has held the land in the public trust and it is now used for tourism, research and sometimes NASA training, and research.
Looking back toward Flagstaff This is a view back toward the Flagstaff area from Winslow, Arizona (the site of Meteor Crater). Though only a short distance away (less than 100 miles), the landscape is much different. In the Winslow area you can see it is much flatter, more barren and rocky. In the distance you can see much more vegetation and a mountain system. On the way back through from Winslow to the Grand Canyon we took a short cut from the main highway and went thru a mountain pass on the side of one of those peaks at an elevation of nearly 9000 feet. There was much snow left there, and the weather is much colder than even a short distance away.

Here are several views of the Grand Canyon. The weather there was most interesting that day. Just outside the park area it was bright sunshine, and although cool, was nice. Upon approaching the Canyon itself the sky clouded up and it got cooler because of this. The clouds were actually forming down in the Canyon itself and blowing up out, dropping snow or drizzle then dissipating rapidly. It was very crazy to witness, but at the same time it was a wonderful contrast. Debbie and I really enjoyed the time there (as long as we could keep warm).
Grand Canyon 1 Grand Canyon 2 Grand Canyon 3
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