The first day of our second week of travel found us traveling from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Williams, Arizona. It was an easy drive, so we did not feel rushed. The landscape changed, as we got further into desert. We saw beautiful sandstone caves and weatherworn sandstone formations. We crossed the Continental Divide near Thoreau, New Mexico. It was interesting how how many casinos we saw along I-40.
Once in Arizona, we took a detour to see Meteor Crater. It is the world’s best-preserved meteorite impact site. Meteor Crater is nearly one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and more than 550 feet deep. It was formed 20,000 to 50,000 years ago and was the first crater in the world to be identified as an impact crater. NASA used the crater site to train the astronauts for the testing and collection of samples before they went to the moon. It was a very interesting site, with a small museum and observation area to view the crater. We walked to the top of the observation area where the wind was so strong that Claire felt like she was going to be blown away! It is pretty incredible to see a crater that huge and know that it was made from something falling from the sky. We were so glad that we had seen the signs for it and had decided to stop.
We arrived in Williams, AZ relatively early and picked up our train tickets at the depot. The hotel is just a short walk to the train station. It seems to be a very cute town that has really capitalized on the Grand Canyon Railroad and old west ties. The day ended with a beautiful sunset. We are all looking forward to taking the train tomorrow to see the Grand Canyon.
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| Strata in the mesa |
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| Sandstone formations |
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| Meteor Crater |
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| Claire being blown away at Meteor Crater |
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| A gorgeous sunset to end the day |
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