Meteor Crater Day
Yes, it's a big hole in the ground! But it's one that Jim has wanted to see since he was 10. He got a little orange book with a piece of the crater while visiting the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. He says he must have read the book 50 times. It was then known as the Berringer Crater for the guy who studied it for years and theorized it was an impact crater. It wasn't until the 60's that it was confirmed as being formed by a meteor about 150 feet in diameter but weighing several hundred thousand tons!
The impact happened 50,000 years ago and created this gigantic hole which is 550 feet deep and nearly a mile wide. The meteor disintegrated on impact and flung debris around the crater for miles. Astronauts trained here before the moon flights and left a 6 foot astronaut cutout along with an American flag on the floor of the crater. Look on the right side in the bottom of the crater. Jim took the 1 hour tour along the rim; I had on sandals and couldn't go!
We're staying for a few days at the campground here which is nice but windy. The guides say it is not unusual to have 60 mph sustained winds in this area with 100 mile gusts! Hooowee!
