Dinosaurs beware!

A few months ago Garry and I were watching a TV documentary that featured Meteor Crater, located on the dry, open plains of northern Arizona. It was created about 50,000 years ago by the impact of a 50-metre wide nickel-iron meteor.  In seconds the impact created a hole 1,200 metres in diameter, 170 metres deep, enclosed by a jagged rim that rises 45 metres above the surrounding area. While meteor craters are a common sight throughout the solar system, on Earth they're relatively rare.  Unlike other planets, or even our moon, on Earth natural erosion by wind and water slowly erases the presence meteor craters.  As a result, Meteor Crater is rather unique.

On a whim I googled this landmark's exact location and discovered it was less than an hour's drive from the Painted Desert. We'd already made plans to visit the desert as part of our Southwest Road Trip, before stopping overnight in a nearby town. Regular readers will know I'm total space nut and so our travel plans were quickly modified to incorporate a visit to Meteor Crater.  This included changing our hotel to one located in Winslow, Arizona.

This change of plan proved rather fortuitous. We later learnt that the classic trans-continential highway Route 66 passed through Winslow; a highway made famous in all manner of popular culture including a hit single by the Eagles.  Their single, "Takin' it Easy", includes the lyrics, "...And take it easy. Well, I’m a standing on a corner, in Winslow, Arizona..."  The town has subsequently immortalised the song, building a small park in the centre of town. Here you can take your photo with a bronze statue of a guitar-carrying '70s rambling man, who looks across an intersection dominated by a giant Route 66 logo.

Winslow's place in American folklore actually extends back more than century.  Until the 1960s, it was the largest town in northern Arizona. It was built in the 1880s by the Santa Fe Railway Company and soon became a major stop. Today, the train still stops in town, right outside La Posada, a magnificent 1930 hacienda-style inn. The inn was once marked for demolition but was saved and restored a decade ago. We had dinner in its vast dining hall, and were lucky enough to see the last remaining passenger train service pull up outside the window as we dined. Afterwards we ventured across the hotel lawn to see the edge of the track, separated from harm by little more than a low brick wall.

The following morning dawned bright and clear.  Perfect conditions for exploring Meteor Crater.  Incredibly, the entire site is privately-owned. The land was sold in 1903 ago to Daniel Barringer, a mining entrepreneur who was planned to mine the meteor's iron and nickel deposits. Sadly, most of the meteor had vapourised on impact, leaving only a few fragments buried deep beneath the crater floor thus making its recovery totally uneconomic.  His mining venture ultimately failed.  However, his descendents have since transformed the site into a popular tourist venture that includes an impressive museum and guided rim walk.

As we wandered past fractured and pulverised rock it was easy to see why NASA once trained moon-walking astronauts here on the geological features of an impact crater. Today, in a nod to Meteor Crater's contribution to the Apollo space program, the museum has installed a life-size cut-out of an astronaut on the base of the crater.  This gives you an impressive sense of the crater's size as it took me almost an hour to locate the cut-out on the crater floor.  Only then could I truly appreciate just how big this hole is.  

In fact, Meteor Crater was so wide I couldn't fit the entire scene into a single photo.  However, all is not lost.  I found a free app called Autostitch online which let me merge three separate images into the funky panorama shot you can see above (click on the image to see it original size). As Garry sagely noted, the crater really is little more than a spectacular hole in the ground.

Still, it was fascinating to stand on its rim looking in one direction across the scarred interior, before turning to take in the vast, open plain upon which its located.  Such a stark contrast makes the staggering power and destruction of a large meteor all too real. Those poor dinosaurs. They really had no chance at all when a similar impact struck the Earth millions of year ago.

Sticks and stones

Petrified wood is an amazing phenomenon. It’s the fossilized remains of ancient trees that retain the shape and texture of real wood despite being made entirely of stone. It’s created when the tree’s organic material is replaced over thousands of years by minerals, often quart and other silicates. The word petrified comes from the Greek root petro meaning "rock" or "stone"; literally "wood turned into stone".

Conditions have to be just right for petrifaction to occur. The wood must first be buried by sediment that inhibits aerobic decomposition. Mineral-laden water must then flow through the sediment depositing minerals in the tree’s cells as passes, forming a permanent stone mould. Erosion of the surrounding sediment then exposes the rock logs for all to see.

I remember learning about petrified wood at school. At the time my Science textbook included fascinating images of the Petrified Forest in Eastern Arizona. I was totally captivated by the concept of logs made from stone and longed to see them for myself. My childhood dream came true this week after Garry and I spent a day driving through the Petrified Forest National Park.

First designated as a national monument in 1906, the 94,000-acre park is scattered with fossilized vegetation dating from 225 million years ago. Petrified logs are literally lying everywhere you look. They’re a fascinating shade of red, often lying in jumbled line of truncated segments. Up close each log really does look like a tree trunk. The trunk’s rough, crevassed bark surface is clearly visible, occasionally broken by classic branch knots. It cross-section reveals hundreds of narrow growth rings, each preserved by colourful minerals. It’s amazing to see.

Despite the heat, we ventured out to explore several walking tracks that took visitors passed the park’s best preserved logs. Some were more than ten metres long, others were as wide as we were tall. Interestingly, every log was always found in short sections. We discovered the reason for these segments on one of our walks. Basically, the hard mineral logs are buried in layers of comparatively soft sedimentary sandstone. Over time these sediments erode. Flash floods form deep crevasses in the soft rock, occasionally exposing the end of a log. These exposed ends eventually collapse under their own weight. A new length of log is then exposed and the process repeats until the entire log has been excavated from the ground.

The process of erosion has resulted in some incredible sights. At one location we saw exposed logs resting precariously on the crest of narrow ridges, tens of metres above the surrounding valley. Elsewhere the erosion has simply exposed colourful layers of sediment that ring the hills for miles around. In fact, just a few miles north lies the equally spectacular Painted Desert.

You reach it by crossing over Interstate 40. This highway bisects the entire state of Arizona. It replaced the famous two-lane highway, Route 66, became immortalized in American pop culture. Today, the road that once passed through the park is gone. However, its route is still traced across the desert by a decaying row of old wooden telegraph poles. They’re a haunted memorial of another, more simple time. The route is more formally memorialized by a rusting old car mounted in stone on the park roadside.

I was rather disappointed by the Painted Desert. Prior to our visit I’d seen images of a dry, red and eroded valley floor. The undulating, multilayer rock formations looked stunning. However, our visit came at the tail end of weeks of heavy rain. As a result the entire desert floor was awash with grass and plant life. Instead of seeing classic images of a harsh baren desert we encountered something that looked remarkably like a local sheep farmer’s paddock.  As a result, I've enhanced colours in the images posted here to bring the spectacle to life.

The entire experience was made all the more amusing by Garry’s constant comments about the amazing desert colours. I simply couldn’t understand why Garry thought such grey and green landscape was so spectacular. It wasn’t until we were leaving our final outlook stop that we suddenly realized his polarized sunglasses had helpfully tinting the entire scene a vivid, desert red. I tried them on and instantly entire desertscape was transformed. We both had a chuckle at the misunderstanding that had dominated our afternoon. Judge the differnce for youself below..

Expanded VLA

Almost any science fiction fan can identify an image of the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. This impressive collection of 27 mobile antennas was the opening backdrop for "Contact", a screen adaptation of Carl Sagan's popular novel, starring Jodi Foster. In the movie, Jodie's character detects the first signals from an alien species while relaxing in the shadow of the array.

The VLA sits on the Plains of San Agustin, a desolate plateau in western New Mexico, more than 50 miles from the nearest city. They make for a spectacular scene as you crest hills circling the plateau. Each of the telescope's white dish antenna measure 25 metres is diameter and weighs a hefty 230 tons. They ride on railway tracks that enable them to fan out along a Y-shape configuration up to 37kms apart. Two of the three rail arms even extend across local highways.

The complex was originally authorized by the US congress in 1972. It officially opened in 1980 after more than 16 years of steady construction. The US National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), a joint venture between the nation's universities and the National Science Foundation, maintains the facility and controls its use.

In 2001 the NRAO began work on the US$98 million Expanded VLA (or EVLA) project. The project, due for completion next year, is an extensive technology upgrade designed to make the telescope ten times more sensitive to faint radio frequencies. Its 1970's-vintage electronics, analogue data tranmission systems and computing technoology are being replaced by modern optical fibre technology and a new, powerful supercomputing able to process in an hour the same volume of data collected by the VLA during its first thirty years of service.

Garry and I visited the EVLA today enroute to Arizona. We couldn't have picked a better day to visit. The array is currently being transitioned from its most compact formation. This meant we could see all 27 antennas in close proximity and watch its special red transporter unit carefully relocate the gleaming white dishes. Visitors are enable to take a self-guided walk around the facility including a close-up look at one of the active dishes. We were also lucky enough to see a dish ungoing repair in the facilities giant covered workshed.

Room enough to swing a cat

Where do you go when you need to test a missile?  White Sands Missile Range of course.  This restricted area stretches more than 50 miles along the edge of the Organ Mountains.  Almost every missile in the US military arsenal was tested here at some point.  More than 65 years after opening, missile testing continues on the range today.  Each test closes the State Highway 70 that crosses the range, often for hours at a time.

Some of the range's earliest test subjects are currently on display in a spectacular missile park.  The park and accompanying museum sit on the edge of a secure military facility.  Visitors are required to park their car outside the perimeter fence and walk through a secure checkpoint.  As you cross you're warned not to take photographs beyond the boundary of the missile park, with your camera always facing west.

It seemed somewhat ironic that we could wander unfettered between dozens of missiles on display, taking photos at will while the latest nuclear delivery system was being tested nearby.  However, Garry and I both noted that almost every missile in park was first tested at least three decades ago.  The latest technology was clearly not on display.

The park is also home to one of the world's best preserved German V2 rockets.  More than 200 of them were shipped to White Sands at the end of WWII as America sought to master this new technology.  The V2 currently on display has been carefully cut open to reveal its interior. The engineering was fascinating.  It was clear the Germans were far ahead of the times, even more so given that Robert Goddard had only launched the world's first successful liquid fuel rocket less than 25 years earlier.

New Mexico is the perfect place to test a missile.  The state is vast and empty. In the last two days we've driven hundreds of kilometres, soaking up views of an arid, empty landscape.  As you can from the photo above, at times the road seemed to stretch forever. 

The area's harsh climate was also bought into stark relief when we visited Elephant Butte Lake.  This is a man made body of water formed when the Rio Grande was dammed in 1916.  Currently, its almost empty with a series of prominent mineral deposits ringing the lake edge more than 25 metres above the current water line.

It was here that we also stopped for the night.  We stayed at the Sierra Grande Lodge & Spa, a restored hotel in the nearby town of Truth or Consequences.  The hotel sits atop a natural mineral hot spring.  As guests we were invited to enjoy a complimentary soak, before enjoying a refreshing massage. Ahhhh. Relaxing!

A view that's out of this world

 

We've just completed Day Two of our grand road trip. The last couple of days have been an entertaining blend of space science and natural wonders. Here's a few brief highlights.

Yesterday began with a visit to the International UFO Museum & Research Centre in Roswell. This walls of of this cavernous building contains a series of simple displays capturing original photographs and eye witness accounts of the 1947 Roswell Incident. Sadly the exhibit lacked a cohesive flow. As a result much of the drama surrounding this controversial event was lost.

Our second tourist stop, the Roswell Museum & Art Centre, was a little more rewarding. Among its exhibits is a reconstruction of the lab operated by Dr Robert Goddard, the man who build the world’s first liquid fuel rocket. The lab is filled with his original tools and machinery, donated by his wife when she died in 1982. The museum also displays a variety of Goddard's early rocketry artefacts, including some of his earliest pioneering efforts.

We then headed west to Alamogordo, stopping briefly to take in the historic streetscape of Lincoln, where the outlaw Billy the Kid kicked off his criminal exploits. Our bed for the night was at the White Sands Motel, a classic, family-owned roadside motel. The original architecture and illuminated billboard sign have been lovely preserved, while each room's interior has been meticulously restore.

We spent today touring the New Mexico Museum of Space History and the spectacular white dunes that give White Sands its name. The Space History Museum sits on a hill overlooking the town. Many of its exhibits are devoted to the missile and rocket research conducted in the area. Highlights include a rocket sled used to test human tolerance for rapid deceleration and the Big Joe rocket, which tested the Apollo’s command module’s emergency escape rocket. I was also reminded that the Space Shuttle landed near here once, just once, in 1982 when alternative landing sites were plagued by poor weather.

We then drove out to the White Sands National Monument. National Parks in the USA are often called monuments. The area’s famous white sand consists of chalky, powered gypsum, a rare form of sand. Gypsum dissolves readily in water and thus rarely survives long enough to form giant rolling dunes.

A 16-mile scenic road loops through the dunes, offering one stunning vista after another. We stopped several times to trek climb the dunes and admire the scene around us. The park also offers a couple of educational walks, each signposted with a series of information panels.

The adventure begins

We've arrived safely in Roswell, New Mexico. Our long-haul flight from Sydney to Dallas passed without incident, landing almost 20 minutes ahead of schedule. This allowed us to make a leisurely transfer to our onward flight into Roswell.

Arriving at Roswell was quite spectacular. The airport includes an expanding "airplane graveyard" where retired commercial aircraft are parked when they're taken out of service. Several hundred aircraft of all sizes from 747s to small commuter jets stand glinting in the afternoon sun. Our plane taxied past every single one of them on it's way to the tiny terminal building where another dozen 747s sat dormant.

Roswell has two claims to fame. Ten miles north of town rumour has it that a UFO crash-landed here more than 60 years ago. While the crash has long been attributed to debris from a weather balloon, conspiracy theorists continue to claim alien bodies were recovered from the wreckage of an intergalactic spacecraft. No doubt we'll learn more tomorrow when we visit the International UFO Research Museum in the centre of town.

Roswell is also home to Dr Robert Goddard, the man who invented liquid propulsion rocketry. He experimented on a series of ever larger and more sophisticated rockets on the outskirts of town for more than thirty years. Every modern rocket, from Apollo's Saturn V to the recently retired Space Shuttle main engines, can trace its origins back to his pioneering work.

Today a statue of Goddard stands proudly on the main street looking up at one of his carefully preserved launch towers. Earlier this evening we stopped briefly to pay homage to his bronze edifice while returning from dinner. I swear it's a coincidence that our hotel is located just across the street.

• Posted from my iPhone
• Location: W Country Club Rd,Roswell,United States

UPDATE:
You follow our travel adventures in New Mexico and Arizona starting with this post. Click through our journey as it unfolded by selecting the New Post link at the bottom of each post.

Counting down the days

We're making final preparations for our road trip through New Mexico and Arizona.  We fly out for Dallas on Saturday morning.  Stay tuned for dozens of images and adventures in the weeks ahead.

Party in the house tonight

It's been a while between posts. I guess you could say it's a sign of the times as our lives return to normal in Australia. I've also been unable to share news of efforts that have taken up much of our time in recent weeks; for good reason. Garry and I have been focused on preparations for a surprise party celebrating his father's 70th birthday. Last Saturday we hosted 19 people for dinner in our apartment; seating everyone at a five-metre long dining table.

It took weeks to prepare the table alone. We we had to create custom joinery to link our existing dining table and outdoor tables, source matching linen for an extended table setting and create appropriately themed table displays. Highlights included helium balloon sculptures at either end of the table, two golden "70" numeral stands we created from cardboard craft pieces and a forest of matching glassware. We even found a store selling quality cotton napkins manufactured in handy dispensing rolls. Should the mood grab us we now have everything we'll ever need to recreate a five-metre banquet table in future.

However our efforts weren't in vain. The final result looked spectacular. Unfortunately in our haste to get ready for our guest's arrival on Saturday we forgot to take any photos. Several guests did so I'm sure we'll have images to share in due course. The evening went well and the praise from those present has been flattering.

Everyone enjoyed the food, the company and the celebration theme we'd created. Garry ordered a special "70" shaped cake and luxurious mini-desserts from a local patisserie, while I'd bought crusty artisan bread and a selection of French champagne. Dinner included a groaning cheese board, super fresh produce from the Sydney Fish Markets, a variety of spectacular salads and a couple of tasty roasts. However the highlight of the night seemed to be our choice of wine. The Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc kept disappearing as swiftly as the ice bucket was filled.

Happy 70th Murray!