IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE

50,000 years ago a meteor fell from the sky and impacted the area of Northern Arizona between Flagstaff and Winslow. While out spinning some dirt I decided to go for a hike..actually, you drive up to it and can hike around the crater.

Before you get to the crater you come across this deserted tower standing watch on a mesa that over looks the whole area. It stands alone with no gate. Solitary. A tower without a guardian. There is however a sign that reads NO TRESPASSING. Yeah...I did..how else could I get the cool pics in my last post.

But I digress. As mentioned the meteor crashed into what was then open grassland dotted with woodlands. Humans had not migrated to North Amercia yet..that would come around 13,000 years ago, Wal-Mart a few thousand years after that. The only audience for this massive impact were woolly mammoths, giant ground sloths and camels...yeah camels!!! Go figure. Anyhow...a couple years later it was turned into a tourist attraction complete with gift shop and a Subway. Here's a look.

I'm out...and about. If all goes well next weekend should be interesting too!!! Come along...you can ride shotgun!!

Took my aunt out for the day...everyone liked her red hat.

THE TOWER

I was in Northern Arizona this past week for a little R & R and was not able to post. I need to pick me up one of them I-Phone thingies. Anyhow...here are some cool pics I took of this long forgotten 'watchtower' out in the middle of nowhere. My aunt says as far as she knows its been like that ever since she was a little girl so I don't have any info on it other then that the location it is on over looks the vast desert landscapes in all directions. Good location for a tower.

These whirlwinds criss-cross the desert plane.




Remember, you can click on any picture to enlarge it.



Tomorrow....the Big Hole!!!!

I'm out!

LAND OF FIRE AND ICE

From one end of the state to the other you never know what type of geography you will find. This weekend my journey takes me to northwest New Mexico and the El Mapais National Monument ...land of fire and ice.

10,000 years ago the Bandera Volcanos errupted changing this land forever; with nothing better to do on a lazy Sunday I took a trip to the caldera of Bandera Volcano.

The hike is a relatively easy one. A slow incline takes you to the top of the non-active volcano. I do recommend good walking shoes though. Although level the volcanic gravel can be loose depending on the trail you take. The land around the chain of volcanos is both green and beautiful and at the same time almost barren in the path of the lava flow.

This is the 1930s era trading post where you sign in. The owners once actually lived here and there is a quaint kitchen inside still in use.

It was quite cool standing atop this once active volcano.

Once you head back from the volcano hike you head towards the ice cave. The ice cave is actually a collapsed lava tube and I believe is the longest known lava tube in the US.

The ice is 20 feet thick and was once used by the men who worked the area for lumber to keep their beer cold. Some things never change. The temperature in the cave never gets above 31 degrees Fahrenheit. As rain water and snow seep into the cave the ice floor thickens. It had reached as low as 12 feet at once time before people were stopped from carving away the ice for personal use.

The deepest ice is the oldest and dates back 3,400 years. The ice cave remains today due to a combination of exhisting conditions that make a natural ice box: 20 feet of ice in a well insulated cave shaped to trap frigid air.

brrrr.... I'm out.

SPACEPORT: A M E R I C A

Recently the design plans were announced for SPACEPORT: AMERICA the first commercial spaceport in the world, located in southern New Mexico.

This will also be the headquarters for Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial sub orbital spaceline; a company owned and established by Richard Branson's Virgin Group to undertake the challenge of making private space travel available to everyone.

Virgin will own and operate privately built spaceships, based on the history making SpaceShipOne.

These spaceships, which are currently under construction, will allow affordable private sub-orbital space travel for the first time in history and give you the opportunity of being amongst the very first private astronauts.

An official launch date has not been set as safety concerns and technology will not be rushed. With funding by the Virgin Group and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority and the construction underway...it's only a few years off. Here's a peek.

www.spaceportamerica.com

www.virgingalactic.com

...beam me up, Scotty.

SUNDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

College football season is here.... Rocky Long's UNM Lobo's defeated the NM Aggies this past sunday...but more importantly....Old Man Winter was in attendance!!

True enough...summer waved farewell this weekend and a 'cold front' is moving in. Now don't get me wrong I'm not talking three feet of snow like last winter but the low 60s in mile high Albuquerque is alot colder then low 60s at sea level back in LA.

This past week I was out around six am and my windows already had condensation on them that I had to wipe off....brrrrr...a cold breeze was in the air. By the first week of next month the mornings will alreadly be in the 40/30s for the balloon fiesta.

I have a bad feeling this will not be a mild winter but a sequel to last winter......brrrrrr

BASTARDOS!!

The bastards!!! What on earth whould possess someone to drive down a neighborhood street bashing in car windows!!?? I had to be at work by four am this morning and around three fifteen am walked out to this. I had parked my truck on the street in front of the house where I have for two years now with no incident. Someone between 10pm and 3am probably used a bat...bashing in all the automobile windows on my side of the street. Why!!!!????? They could have been inside watching "Don't Forget the Lyrics". I just don't understand this crazy world. Of course it would happen on the eve of a holiday weekend. The soonest anyone can fix it is Tuesday. Until then I have to ride around hoping the cops don't stop me or that it shatters when I hit a bump in the road. Fortunately the tint [and tape] is holding it together.