Day Five – April 10th, 2009
From Flagstaff, I drove to Meteor Crater.
Meteor Crater
I think this place would make for a nice sunrise/sunset.
Meteor Crater
Petrified National Forest
I took a photo of this sign but that’s about it. I asked the attendant at the entrance how long it would take to get through the trail and I recall he said three hours, and unfortunately I didn’t allocate enough time, so I bypassed to head to the VLA. I did stop at a gift shop to get a piece of petrified wood, which looks and feels like a rock – pretty amazing.
Petrified National Forest
Very Large Array (VLA)
This array is indeed very large. You may recognize this place from the movie Contact and many others that include this scenery.
Very Large Array – Radar Dish
Very Large Array – Sign
Conclusion
This was an amazing trip and one that I would like to repeat. However, if I go again I would allocate twice the amount of time. Rushing through travel is not fun and one of the reasons I am hesitant to do group travel. I like to be in control of my time and how I spend it. All of these places are worthy of overnight stays – especially for photographers who want to get the best photos during the golden hours of morning and evening.