Meteor Crater

When it comes to football stadiums, the Meteor Crater is large enough to

hold ten.  One of my sons kept saying, "It doesn't look that big, but it is really big!"  He was struck with the notion that if you stood the Statue of Liberty on the bottom, the torch would still be well below, 245 feet below, the rim.

We stopped by Meteor Crater on our drive further west, from New Mexico to Utah.  It is a privately owned wonder.  There is a fair amount of conversation about the cost of entry.  You can see clearly what you will get: an up-close view and an educational walk partway around the rim of a meteor crater.  You've probably never done that before.  You're buying the experience.  Only you can decide if it is in your budget and worth it to you.

For us, it was definitely worth it.  The boys were in wonder at the immensity of the crater.  On previous trips to museums, they had enjoyed digitally simulating crashing a meteor into the earth.  Actually seeing the crater created by a massive meteor 150 feet across, weighing several hundred thousand tons, which hurtled toward earth at a speed of 26,000 miles per hour brought the museum experience to life.

On the digital version, the boys liked to play with the size of the meteor and experience the virtual impact and displacement of earth.  In real life, this Meteor Crater experienced an explosion great than 20 million tons of TNT.  If you aren't there when the meteor hits, it is fun science.

The boys also appreciated exploring the Visitor Center and being able to touch a piece of the meteor.

The walk itself was not strenuous, about 45 minutes.  I enjoyed learning about the discovery of the crater and the journey from speculating it was an extinct volcano to proving that it is a meteor crater.

And I especially enjoyed learning about Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a figure central to Meteor Crater's story, and the only person to be 'buried' on the moon.