The next morning we headed east on I-40 to the Barringer Meteorite Crater. This crater was formed by the impact of an iron-nickel meteorite impacting into the high arid plains of the Colorado Plateau about 50,000 years ago. The body, estimated to have been about 50 meters in diameter and weighting several hundred thousand metric tons, was traveling on the order of 15 kilometers per second and impacted with a kinetic energy equivalent to some 30-40 megatons of TNT.

The Barringer Meteorite Crater.

The result of the collision was to form, in just a second or so, a large bowl-shaped crater 1.2 kilometers across and over 150 meters deep. Nearly 100 million tons of rock were thrown out to form a continuous ejecta blanket around the crater. Strong air and ground shock waves were felt for tens of kilometers away. Relatively little erosion has occurred leaving the crater well-preserved. The Barringer Meteorite Crater now serves as the prototype of the classic bowl-shaped impact crater found throughout our solar system.

On the crater rim.

When we look down into the crater, it is very difficult to evaluate its dimension. Everything gets into perspective when we are reminded that the little dots we see on the floor of the crater are actually large buildings.

We decided to join a guided tour following the rim of the crater. The guide explained to us how they proved that the crater was the result of a meteorite impact, and not volcanic activity, as it was believed at first. For a detailed explanation, please feel free to visit the Barringer Meteorite Crater website.

Ruins of the old visitor center, used at the beginning of the century.

For visitor information on the Barringer Crater, the best website to take a look at is the Official Website for Meteor Crater Visitors Center. While we were there they mentioned that the visitor center would undergo renovations to expand the facilities.

It was interesting to visit the crater. The terrain is so harsh that NASA uses the crater to test their space vehicles before sending them to missions on Mars, for instance. I think this is one of those places that I've always wanted to visit in my lifetime. And now that I've done it, there is no need to ever go back there, since the region changes very little over time.

Enjoying our visit to the crater.

Our next stop was the Grand Canyon National Park. I think the Grand Canyon was the highlight of our trip. This is THE PLACE that I REALLY wanted to see on this trip. There are lots of other places I want to see and things that I want to do in my lifetime. The question is, how many of them will I be able to accomplish? I hope the answer is: all of them! =^)

View towards east, at Palisades Of The Desert, from Desert View.	View towards east, with Chuar Butte at the back, from Navajo Point.
View towards north, with Cardenas Butte in the front, from Navajo Point.	View down Hance Creek, meeting the Colorado River, from Grandview Point.

It was terribly cold and windy during our visit to the Grand Canyon South Rim. I was really glad that I had decided to bring my gloves with me. We entered the park from the East Entrance station, drove from point to point along Desert View Drive, starting from Desert View heading east until we reached Mather Point and Grand Canyon Village. We were stopping at each point to take pictures and jumped back into the warm car as quickly as possible. Trust me, it was COLD! The weather was a bit cloudy at first, but the sky opened up a little bit, before menacing dark clouds came from the west and everything got dark.

The Colorado River, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.	View of Tonto Platform and Granite Gorge, from Lipan Point.
The beautiful layers exposed by millions of years of carving by the Colorado River.	View towards east, with Zuni Point on the right, from Moran Point.

We really wanted to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as well, but during winter time it remains closed. The North Rim is in average 800 feet higher than the South Rim, and receives large amounts of snow, blocking the roads that give access to the North Rim Visitor Center. I've read that the view and the experience from the North Rim is totally different from the South Rim. Well... I think we'll have to go back there in the future.

View towards north, at Walhalla Plateau, from Desert View.	Awestruck by the beauty of the Grand Canyon, from Grandview Point.
View down Red Canyon, from Moran Point.	View of Yaki Point, from Mather Point.

After we left the park and started driving back to Las Vegas, a heavy storm hit us when we were on I-40 heading west. By the time we reached Kingman and started driving north, the sky was clear again, and we were able to see the heavy clouds continuing their journey heading east.

When we arrived in Vegas, we drove to the Mirage Hotel and Casino, where we had reservations for the rest of our stay. We got a room on the newly renovated 22nd floor of the hotel, with a great view of the strip and the volcano. Again, we were very pleased with our accommodations.

Our room at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Vegas.

View from our room of
the Venetian and Harrah's on Las Vegas Boulevard.

View from our room of Harrah's,
Imperial Palace and the Flamingo.