Meteor Crater!...

      From Las Vegas to Orlando we had a several choices of routes.  We looked at the possibility of going north to I-70 so we could visit Valerie's daughter, Lindsay, in Boulder. But a look at road conditions in the Rockies, compounded with her class schedule during our planned dates precluded that option.

View from the rim at Meteor Crater National Landmark

      Common sense told us we should take the southern I-10 route, but we've traveled it so much of late.  After a look at the long range weather forecast, we decided to take I-40 east from Kingman, Arizona, a trip of almost 2400 miles.

Warm soup for colder climates on the road!

      Valerie had noticed a sheared off screw beneath our kitchen slide-out in Vegas, so we cautiously brought it in and hit the road while the crock pot warmed our dinner -- Valerie's sister Amy's Mexican Pozole Soup.  Although Amy did not prepare this in the crock pot, her recipe is this:  1 tablespoon oil, 2 pounds pork cubed, juice of 1 lime, 6 cloves of garlic, 3 cups water, 29 ounce can of Mexican hominy, 16 ounce can of Enchilada sauce, 7 ounce can green chilies and 2 chicken bouillon cubes.  Served topped with chopped cilantro, green onions and radishes, it is one of George's favorites.

Cattle along the road manage to find a way to the bottom of the crater without injury.

      We drove a little more than 300 miles February 20th, our first road day, and decided to stop at the Meteor Crater RV Park east beyond Flagstaff.  With the time change we arrived just at dark and planned a visit the few miles out to see the meteor crater, which we had until now, driven past with regret.

Interesting view from the Visitor's Center at Meteor Crater

      The Visitor's Center had ample RV parking.  Admission was $15 for seniors.  We watched the movie and toured the museum and gift shop.  Valerie took the approximately hour long hike partially around the rim led by Eduardo, which was most informative, while George walked the dogs.  We were glad we finally took the time to stop and see the best preserved meteor crater on Earth!  http://www.meteorcrater.com

Interesting fossils on the different types of rocks around the crater

      Valerie put finishing touches on whole grain spaghetti and turkey meatballs for the crockpot for dinner.  We left and shared driving responsibilities for almost 300 miles, stopping for a manager approved overnight stay at Walmart in Edgewood, New Mexico, just beyond Albuquerque.  The weather had significantly cooled off, but we knew Florida sunshine was our ultimate goal, although we still had many miles to go.