Meteor Crater

I’ll admit I haven’t figured out how to describe the location of some places out here in the western states.  Meteor Crater is actually even harder to describe because it is named after Meteor – the post office that was closest to it.  In reality it is actually close to I 40 near Winslow, AZ. The site was formerly known as the Canyon Diablo Crater and fragments of the meteorite are officially called the Canyon Diablo Meteorite. Scientists refer to the crater as Barringer Crater in honor of Daniel Barringer, who was first to suggest that it was produced by meteorite impact.  

The crater is privately owned by the Barringer family through their Barringer Crater Company, and surrounded by the 326,000 acre Bar-T-Bar ranch.  The site is proclaimed to be the "best preserved meteorite crater on Earth" Despite its importance as a geological site, the crater is not protected as a national monument, a status that would require federal ownership. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in November 1967.

Meteor Crater is the spectacular result of a collision that rocked the American Southwest approximately 50,000 years ago. The crater lies at an elevation of about 5,710 ft above sea level. It is about 3,900 ft in diameter, some 560 ft deep, and is surrounded by a rim that rises 148 ft above the surrounding plains. The center of the crater is filled with 690–790 ft of rubble lying above crater bedrock. One of the interesting features of the crater is its squared-off outline, believed to be caused by existing regional cracks in the strata at the impact site.

The object that excavated the crater was a nickel-iron meteorite about 160 feet across. The speed of the impact was about 29,000 mph (almost 38 times the speed of sound) . It is believed that about half of the meteorites bulk was vaporized during its descent through the atmosphere. Impact energy has been estimated at about 10 megatons. The meteorite was mostly vaporized upon impact, leaving few remains in the crater.
Since the crater's formation, the rim is thought to have lost 50–65 ft of height at the rim crest as a result of natural erosion. Similarly, the basin of the crater is thought to have approximately 100 ft of additional post-impact sedimentation from lake sediments. These erosion processes are the reason that very few remaining craters are visible on Earth, since many have been erased by these geological processes. The relatively young age of Meteor Crater paired with the dry Arizona climate, have allowed this crater to remain almost unchanged since its formation. The minimal erosion that preserved the crater's shape lead to this crater being the first recognized as an impact crater from a natural celestial body.

The crater came to the attention of scientists after American settlers discovered it in the 19th century. They named it the Canyon Diablo crater after Canyon Diablo, Arizona, which was the closest community to the crater in the late 19th century. The crater had initially been ascribed to the actions of a volcano. That was not an unreasonable assumption, as the San Francisco volcanic field lies only about 40 miles to the west.
In 1903, mining engineer and businessman Daniel M. Barringer suggested that the crater had been produced by the impact of a large iron-metallic meteorite. Barringer's company, the Standard Iron Company, staked a mining claim to the land and received a land patent signed by Theodore Roosevelt for 640 acres around the center of the crater in 1903. In 1906, Roosevelt authorized the establishment of a newly named Meteor, Arizona, post office. The closest post office before was 30 miles away in Winslow, Arizona. Standard Iron Company conducted research on the crater's origins between 1903 and 1905. It concluded that the crater had indeed been caused by an impact. Barringer, estimated from the size of the crater that the meteorite had a mass of 100 million tons. Iron ore of the type found at the crater was valued at the time at $125/ton, so Barringer was searching for a lode he believed to be worth more than a billion 1903 dollars.

It was not until 1960 that later research by Eugene Merle Shoemaker confirmed Barringer's hypothesis of a meteor impact. The key discovery was the presence in the crater of rare forms of silica found only where quartz-bearing rocks have been severely shocked by an instantaneous overpressure. The only known mechanism of creating it is naturally through an impact event, or artificially through a nuclear explosion.
Geologists used the nuclear detonation that created the Sedan crater, and other such craters from the era of atmospheric nuclear testing, to establish upper and lower limits on the potential energy of the meteorite.
The impact created an inverted the earth stratification, so that the layers immediately exterior to the rim are stacked in the reverse order to which they normally occur; the impact overturned and inverted the layers to a distance of one to two kilometers outward from the crater's edge.

Because the crater terrain resembles that of the moon it was used for Apollo astronaut training The Astronaut Wall of Fame pays tribute to the brave men and women of America's Space Program.

If you’re looking for a place to stay that The Meteor Crater RV Park is located just off Interstate 40 exit 233, less than a 1/4 mile to the right. The large parking lot includes a Mobil Gas Station and Country Store for checking in. Set up your lawn chairs, look into the night sky from the Meteor Crater RV Park, and enjoy one of the finest star and sky shows offered in the American Southwest.  The campground makes anice base of operations for visiting the other local attractions.

Winslow, AZ

I’m a pretty simple guy. I think I have led a pretty good life since there are not many things that I really want to do or see before I can no longer travel.  As a matter of fact the only thing left on my bucket list I managed to accomplish on our southwest swing.  There is a line from Jackson Browne / Glen Frye song “Take it Easy” that mentions Winslow, AZ.  Winslow is a town on Rte 66 (ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA).  Rte 66 used to be the Main Street of America.  The interstate transportation act built Rte 40 parallel to 66 in this part of the country causing less people to stop because of the faster road with few off ramps.  Many towns were left in financial ruins.  While an increased nostalgia has caused a lot of interest in the old Route 66, for many towns that is not enough.  So I have to admire when a town takes an obscure reference from a single line of a three and a half minute song that only hit #12 on the charts and turns it into salvation. 

For those of you who don’t remember or are not fans of 1970’s country rock, the second line of the song goes, “Well I’m standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona / Such a fine sight to see / It’s a girl my Lord in a flatbed / Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me.”  The town created a wall at an intersection with a mural that depicts the line of the song.  The mural depicts a storefront window with the reflection of a flated Ford being driven by a girl.  On a second floor window sill is an eagle (a tribute to the band) and a man embracing a woman (the guy on the corner and the woman in the truck?).  To make the scene complete there is a bronze statue of a man with a guitar.  Off to the side is a statue of Glen Frye that was added in 2016 as well as an actual flatbed Ford parked near the corner.  While the mural wall remains it was once part of an actual building that burned down in 2004.  The wall was left and the backside of the wall was turned into a band shell park to support the Standin’ on the Corner street festival in September.

While cruising through Winslow take note of the number of businesses that are paying off the theme, including the Sleeping on the Corner Motel.  They also have a nice 9/11 Memorial Garden and a walking path / park that is very cool because before each display are three signs that tell you what is coming up next along with a small railroad display.  Of course there is the Route 66 memorabilia places that are worth a quick visit.

  If you have ever heard "Take it Easy" a trip to Winslow should be on your vacation schedule.  While the wall is in need of some touch up there is a huge campaign to restore it and they are near goal.  I'm sure that even if restoration is in progress it will be set up to accommodate tourists because this is a town that seems to understand. Winslow, AZ is a place to just spend a day walking around taking in the culture and the history – remembering that US-40 almost destroyed this town and if you want to see what could happen take a quick trip up 40 and jump off on US40 (Joseph City). Drive really slow and notice the businesses that AREN’T there anymore ( a campground and a trading post caught my eye).

Homolovi State Park

Homolovi State Park in Navajo, Arizona was established in response to public concern about the devastation of the Homolovi sites by illegal collectors of prehistoric artifacts. Homolovi is a Hopi word meaning "place of the little hills". The damage to the sites peaked in the 1960s when a backhoe was being used at Homolovi II to dig through burials and kivas. The residents of Winslow and leaders of the Hopi people, supported by other people throughout the State, began to work to protect these sites. It was their dream that the entire area would become a State Park.
Homolovi State Park is preserving over 300 Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites. The park is located just over a mile north of Winslow, Arizona, and features historical exhibits, interpretive programs, birdwatching, and hiking. There is a year-round campground, restrooms with showers and an RV dump station.

 From 1986 to its 2011 reopening, the name of the park was Homolovi Ruins State Park. The Hopi tribe lobbied the Arizona parks board to remove "Ruins" from the name, as the Hopi tribe considers them spiritually alive. During a meeting in Winslow on March 17, 2011, the board unanimously voted to change the name and to add the tagline "ancestral Hopi villages" to the park.

The Homolovi cluster of archaeological sites includes seven separate pueblo ruins built by various prehistoric people, including ancestors of the Hopi people, between approximately 1260-1400 AD (or is it CE?). This fertile area is on a floodplain of the Little Colorado River, and the inhabitants grew cotton, corn, beans, and squash. Four of the sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The visitor center displays pottery sherds, baskets, and other artifacts, as well as offering an introduction to the human history of the park area. Information could also be found about the flora and fauna of the park, and there were books and authentic Hopi art work for sale.

Out of the seven Homolovi ruins, two are open to visitors. Homolovi II, the largest and most thoroughly excavated site, has a sidewalk and interpretive signs. It was occupied between 1330 and 1400 AD, and has about 1200 rooms. Archaeologists believe that the inhabitants were trading cotton for pottery with the inhabitants of the Hopi Mesas. This ruin also features three large rectangular plazas and about forty kivas (underground ceremonial chambers). There are also several clusters of pit-houses, occupied before 1260 AD, which appear as mere depressions in the earth. Petroglyphs may be seen along certain sections of a nearby trail.

The historic cemetery of Sunset is of great significance to the local community and its past. Established in 1876, this Mormon settlement was established by Lot Smith and his Mormon followers. The settlement boasted the first post office on the Little Colorado River and was near an important ford of the river. Frequent floods forced the settlers to abandon Sunset in the early 1880s, and the community was eventually washed away. The only obvious remains of this town are the headstones in the small cemetery overlooking the river.
Whether you're an astronomy enthusiast or just enjoy looking up at the night sky, the Winslow Homolovi Observatory (WHO) is open for solar and star parties. The Moore Telescope is computerized with a database of over 40,000 celestial objects and the structure is a donation to Homolovi State Park from members of the Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club, the City of Winslow, and local merchants. The observation area has additional telescopes and Hydrogen-alpha light solar telescopes for daytime solar viewing. Astronomy events are held monthly with special programs througout the year.

Hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders can use the 6 miles of unshaded dirt roads in the park along with the trails leading to archaeological sites. Although there are no specific equestrian trails in the park, horses may be used on the dirt roads. Horses should not be ridden cross-country due to the presence of prairie dog towns.
Picnic tables with shade are located at the park visitor center, along the road to Homolovi II, and at Homolovi II.
Homolovi is an excellent spot for viewing raptors and grassland birds. A bird checklist, available at the visitor center, listed of over 100 species that can be found in the area. Many mammals and reptiles can also be seen in the park.
The entrance to the park is located on Arizona State Route 87, 1.3 miles north of Exit 257 off of Interstate 40.
The park is open year-round from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily.  The entrance fee is $7 per vehicle.

UNM Art Museum

I met the epitome of my art toleration.  As you know I put art into three categories; Art I like, Art I don’t like, and how the hell is this even considered art?  My experience came at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. The museum's permanent collection includes nearly 30,000 objects, making it the largest collection of fine art in New Mexico.

The UNM Art Museum is first and foremost a teaching museum. The museum was founded in 1963 and its collections have grown exponentially over the years reflecting the university’s unique location, the museum’s status as a resource, and the interests of its supporters.
The Museum’s collection includes painting, photography, prints, and sculpture with particular strengths in American prints and works by the Transcendental Painting Group. It also houses the estate collection of Raymond Jonson and Clinton Adams and is the archive for the Tamarind Lithography Workshop and the Tamarind Institute. Begun by Van Deren Coke and enhanced by Beaumont Newhall, the vast works on paper collection includes over 10,000 photographs and early cased objects, more than 10,000 prints, which date from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) to the present day, and nearly 1,500 drawings.
As any good museum, UNM’s art museum rotates display frequently.  Being a university art museum I expect to see a wide variety of art types as well as a good mix of student and professional pieces.  The UNM museum has a very diversified collection including sculptures, lithographs, paintings, and photographs.  Most of the collection is very good but there was a piece by Robert Ryman that is a square white canvas painted…you guessed it…entirely white in an off white frame.   

 The placard that explains the art piece basically says if the viewer doesn’t appreciate his work it is because the museum failed to hang it on a wall that complements the piece!  Really!I can’t wait for your black square in a black frame period! The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm It is closed on Sundays, Mondays and major holidays.  Admission is FREE and open to the public, a $5 donation is suggested to support exhibitions.  There are university lots with metered public parking nearby.