Sunday, January 12, 2025

Sunset Crater

Susan had spent a day at the Grand Canyon, a memorable first for her. Despite feeling under the weather, there presented itself an opportunity to check out Sunset Crater national Monument. "I'm never too sick to investigate a volcanic crater, lava flow or cinder cone," was my traveling companion's hearty endorsement of tacking on a second, unplanned visit to a geological wonder.

Our sunlight was fading fast, and we we not sure what to expect at Sunset Crater, but we were here and ready to investigate. We got a quick overview of the volcanic setting and timing of the event (about 1,000 years ago) and then parked to marvel at the grotesque forms of pumice and lava extruded about our little trail.

Susan cross a bridge into the lava field


Face-to-face with a once glowing glob of basalt - now cool. So cool!

Grotesque silhouette of Sunset Crater basalt  


A possible piece of wood encased in a lava flow?

It was getting too dark to do proper geology, but I did grab a few photos of the Sunset since i was at Sunset Crater.






It was a skip and a hop to our bed in Winslow, Arizona. Not much in the way of dining options, as it turned out. We got some grub at the Denny's behind the Chevron station at the end of town.


End of Day 3: Only 341 Miles traveled January 1.

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