The big hole in the ground on old Route 66

While we were in Winslow, we visited a huge hole in the ground- Meteor Crater to the west on I40. It is one of the enduring Route 66 attractions.

The surroundings are pretty bleak. Sparse low shrubs and bushes dot the countryside as you travel back to the visitor center. Admission was $13 each - we got the senior rate - normal adult admission is $15. As you get off the interstate, you pass the Meteor Crater RV Park, one of the nicer RV parks in the area- nicer than Winslow.

Inside is a Learning Center with interactive displays and exhibits. Astronauts trained here and there is an actual Apollo test capsule. You can't actually descend into the crater so the next best thing is to pose for a photo with the barren crater behind you. (See George below.) A 10-minute film is shown in the theater every 30 minutes. From there you can go out to the viewing area or go with a guide for about 1/2 mile as he points out features. Another guide does speak about the crater in the patio. If you don't have on closed toed shoes or aren't able to walk on rough ground, skip the walking tour.

When you step out to the edge of the crater you see how enormous it is. It is 3/4 of a mile across. The circumference is 2.4 miles. The floor of the crater is large enough to accommodate 20 football games being played at the same time with more than two million fans watching from the sloping sides! Whew!

One way to get perspective is to look at the very bottom, then look at through binoculars or one of the telescopes they have provided. You are looking at buildings!

After you've been blown away by the wind and climbed up and down a couple of sets of steep stairs, you can visit the gift shop and snack bar inside the visitor center.

Actually the crater is not a beauty but the thought that a big rock or chunk of ice came hurtling through space about 15,000 years ago and made this big indentation is enough to make you a little nervous about the sky. Remember Chicken Little? The sky is falling, the sky is falling..... I hope not! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Photos by George Bruzenak