You know the song, and of course we had to go there! We left Amarillo early on Halloween morning with every intention of staying the night at a Harvest Host Golf Course location in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, we neglected to account for the time change we would incur while heading west, and realized we’d get there a lot quicker that we thought! So, we pulled up Google Maps on the phone and found out we could make it to Winslow before dark! We called the Winslow Visitors Center and made arrangements to spend the night in their large parking lot, and set out to drive 553 miles in one day! Not something we’d normally do, but given the time changes, we figured we’d go for it. We arrived in Winslow just before 3:00 p.m. local time.

After getting our camper set up, we walked a couple of blocks east to the famous corner in Winslow, Arizona. There’s not much to Winslow, but the sound of a man strumming his guitar and singing Eagles songs on the opposite corner, the shop selling all the touristy merchandise you’d expect, and a restaurant with outdoor dining were all we needed.

We liked how they had everything staged for tourists to take their obligatory photos. The brick wall behind us is actually a façade with a park on the other side!

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After our photo ops, we headed across the street to Relic Road Brewing Company for a delicious Relic Burger, fries, and local craft brew. It’s amazing how, when you’ve traveled over 550 miles in one day, everything just tastes better!

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After walking around the small town and seeing some of Route 66, we went back to the camper and enjoyed our first Arizona sunset.

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Meteor Crater

The next morning, we decided to see what all the fuss was about with Meteor Crater. We’d seen signs for it along the highway, and figured since it was on the way to our next destination, we might as well stop. It was off the highway a few miles, however, they did have ample RV parking, and it was one of the few things open, as long as you followed COVID protocols.

I’m not sure exactly what we expected, but the reality far exceeded our notion of what we would be seeing! As you’ll see from the slide show, the crater is a massive 550 feet deep and 4,000 feet across. Twenty football games could be played simultaneously on the floor while over 2 million people could watch from the sides. The terrain so closely resembles the moon and other planets that NASA trained Apollo Astronauts in the crater.

Even though the crater was formed 50,000 years ago, there is still iron and nickel fragments in the dust surrounding the crater. Our wonderful tour guide, Priscilla, demonstrated this by holding a magnet to the ground. We watched as the dust moved with the magnet.

There is so much that I could tell you about the history of the crater, including how Daniel Barringer began drilling for iron in the bowl and about the plane that crashed into the meteor site, but I’d leave out too many details. I encourage you to visit the website to get the proper history of this fascinating natural phenomenon.

What to do an how much does it cost?

We highly recommend taking the 1-hour guided tour around the rim, which is included in the admission price. If it’s hot, be prepared to be outside for an hour. Also, it’s about a one-mile walk, but the path is paved. However, check with your tour guide for any information about restrictions.

The admission prices are $22 for adults 13-59; $20 for seniors 60 & over; and, $13 for Kids age 6-12 and non-active duty military. Active duty military are free. If you purchase tickets online, deduct $2/ticket and save a little.

As you can see, Winslow and Meteor Crater should definitely be destinations on your Arizona Bucket List.

Jennifer Skinnell is the author of the Hope Springs Romance Series available on Amazon in ebook, Kindle Unlimited and paperback. Click here for all the details.