We woke up in Winslow and decided to visit a local Farmer's Market as we strolled along the walkway. Bruce and I didn't find any treasures, but Betty found some homemade lotions and seasonings. The weather was warm, but not hot and there was a nice breeze. As we walked down the walkway we were greeted with signs that contained a different message depending on which direction you walked. We eventually made it to some trains on display. Of course my curious husband hopped on board and peered through the window, before noting the "stay off the train" signs. My husband's excitement and need to touch things had become a source of laughter during the trip. We all just shook our head. In his defense, the sign was posted mid train and not visible the the caboose he boarded. But it also did not come as a surprise when he decided to climb the rocks at the rest area. He said his children would be disappointed and say he was too old if he didn't. So he did.
I have been to the are around Flagstaff many times and always wanted to stop at Meteor Crater and Barringer Space Museum. This time we finally had the opportunity. Meteor Crater and Barringer Space Museum is an impact crater about 37 mi east of Flagstaff and 18 mi west of Winslow in the desert of northern Arizona. The crater was created by a meteor about 50,000 years ago. Recent research suggests the impact around 29,000 mph. During the 1960s and 1970s, NASA astronauts trained in the crater to prepare for the Apollo missions to the moon, and ongoing field training for astronauts continues to this day. This was by far the most expensive thing we did on our travels. We debated whether it was worth the price tag of $29 a person. It was interesting and very informative, but I am still not convinced about the ticket price.
Bruce and I walked around the walkway and look out points around the crater. There was a native American playing flute at the edge of the crater and the music added to the peacefulness of the location. We decided against the guided walking tour around the edge. I would hate to get up there and have peg leg start giving me issues. We watched a short film on it's history. It was Indigenous People's Day and a tribe of Native Americans were performing music and dance in the courtyard that was fun to watch. We stopped in the museum's café and got a small snack before loading ourselves back into the car. Betty and Paul commented it was the best cup of coffee they had drank on the trip. There may have been more museum to see, but we had all hit the wall with museums or so I thought.
We were off the the
Apache Death Cave. I had never heard the story about the caves. Paul shared it on our way to the location. Click the link above to learn more about the history. When the GPS told us we arrived, we looked around and we were in the middle of nowhere. There was an abandoned gas station to the south of is and a building or two in the distance. We wondered if we were in the correct location since there was no signage. We drove to the other side of the buildings in the distance and pulled up the photos online. It looked like the right place, but still there was no signage and graffiti scarred the buildings. We debated walking back toward a different stone building that was in many of the photos, but decided against it. We were all tired and the location had us on edge. We were not impressed by the site and agreed this was the dud on our trip. My husband did note a small wire sign on a pole near the front of one of the buildings. Knowing our history with the Native American, may be were in the correct spot after all.
We were ready to be at our next night's stay,
Hotel Elev8. This was a very nice hotel, but not as upscale as we had thought it would be. It was a standard room with a large bathroom. Our favorite amenity was our room patio that walked right out to the pool. We weren't swimming, infact the pool was closed for the season, but it was a nice feature. After resting up, I dug through my suitcase for some nice clothes to wear to dinner. My choices were very limited. We had chosen an upscale restaurant,
Teatro Italian Food & Wine. Our dinner was the best we had eaten on our trip. Sorry, no photos. I had left me phone at the hotel. After our fabulous meal we walked up and down the main street in downtown Flagstaff strewn with café lights over head.
We were in the home stretch. We would reach our last destination, Las Vegas, tomorrow.
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