We
were up very early this morning, fixed lunches to go. We left Grand
Canyon KOA little after 7:30 am. We had to wear windbreakers because it
was 27˚.
The
first attraction that Erwin wanted to see is about an hour drive east
of here, so we wanted to get there early to go on a tour. We got on
I-40 West, went on it for 67 miles before taking Exit #233 for Meteor
Crater.
Meteor Crater is a meteor impact crater that happened 37 miles east of Flagstaff, AZ. The approximate age of the impact is 50,000! The discovery of the crater was in the 19th century. and it occured during the ! The diameter is .737 of a mile and the depth is 560 feet.
Meteor Crater is privately owned by the Barringer family through the Barringer Crater Company. The Visitor Center is on the north rim and has interactive exhibits, display gift shop, and observation decks. The admission for Seniors is $16 per person (regular rate is $18). We informed the tour guide that we wanted close captions for the video. “No problem, the video is close-captioned”, he replied. Very accomodating!
Before going to the theater we toured the Discovery Center, then went on a 1 mile guided tour.
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| Meteor Crater Visitor Center |
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| 1,406 pound meteorite found in the area |
We swung by
the abandoned western-themed attraction. There are ruins, but in order to get a
close look you will have to drive over a very rocky road and it is a
one-lane road! Vehicles with low clearance should not try to get on the
road.
We checked
out Twin Arrows Trading Post that is abandoned, also. There are two
giant arrows lodging in the ground. The arrows are totally closed off
behind concrete barriers, but if we park at the end of the barriers we
can walk up to get a close look. We did not do that. Not too far from
the arrows is a depleted trading post and it has lots of graffitis.
We
visited Walnut Canyon, a historic national monument that is located 10
miles southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. The rim elevation is 6,690’ and
the bottom of the canyon is 350 feet lower. President Woodrow Wilson
proclaimed Walnut Canyon a national monument on November 30, 1915. Before it became a national monument the migrants and people from Flagstaff
There
are two trails: Rim Trail and Island Trail. The Rim Trail is a short,
easy stroll while the Island Trail is a one-mile round trip that
descends 185’ into the canyon. There are over 20 ancient cliff
dwelling rooms that were built by Sinagua Indians between the years of
1100 and 1250 that you can get a close look of. It was really amazing to see how they were built. The
Indians chose this canyon because there are natural alcoves that were
perfect for protecting the people from the wind/snow.
To
get to the Island Trail you will have to climb down 270 steps and it is
not for the faint heart or those with physical limitations. After you
complete the loop you will have to climb up 270 steps! Erwin and I had
to take few breaks occasionally. Oh, do bring several bottles of
water! Even though the weather was mild when we hiked we found
ourselves drinking water quite often. The most important thing is to
take your time walking and you will be fine.
We
drove on the historic Route 66 to visit Flagstaff, AZ. We forgot that
today was Sunday and the town was very crowded. We did not visit the
historic downtown. We might visit it this Tuesday when we leave
Williams, AZ for Page, AZ. There are murals throughout the town, but we
saw only two of them. We went to see Lumberjack Muffler Man. It
stands 10’ tall, hold a long handle ax with the tractor behind him.
Flagstaff
has a RV parking lot that was not too far from the train depot, so we
went by to check it out. We may come visit Flagstaff this Tuesday, and
if we do it is doable for us to leave our Lil’ Home and we take the Jeep
to explore Flagstaff.
Both of us really had an enjoyable day, but our energies were drained. Oh shoot! I had to cook supper after we got back home.
~Edith
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