Rt 66 - Meteor Crater, AZ

Rt 66 - Meteor Crater, AZ

This was another spot along Route 66 that I had researched during the planning stages for my “Goodbye God, I’m going to Texas” road trip. The crater is the result of a collision between an asteroid and the planet Earth some 50,000 years ago. I didn’t know what to expect for the $18 admission price, but when something is advertised as “the World’s best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth,” I just had to see for myself. Afterall, anything traveling 26,000 miles-per-hour is going to leave a mark when it hits.

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Rt 66 - Two Guns, AZ

Rt 66 - Two Guns, AZ

Two Guns, Arizona was one of my favorite stops during the epic “Hitting the Trail to Texas” road trip. In fact, I visited it twice as I spent two days in the area driving thither and yon. I mean, the name itself demands a visit. The place has an amazing history, dating back to the mid-1800s. Click HERE for an in depth look at just what happened in Two Guns over the years (the Apache Death Cave, the murder of Earle Cundiff by Henry “Two Gun” Miller, the sale of human skulls, gila monster attacks, robbery, man-eating mountain lions and tourism).

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Rt 66 - Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ

Rt 66 - Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ

Day Three of my “Goodbye God, I’m going to Texas” road trip turned out to be a great day for seeing new things and exploring old things. For some reason, ancient cliff dwellings have always held a fascination to me, but I had never had the opportunity to visit any. So when I learned that there were cliff dwellings a short distance from Route 66, in Walnut Canyon National Monument, that became a definite stop on my travels to Texas.

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Rt 66 - Grand Canyon Caverns, AZ

Rt 66 - Grand Canyon Caverns, AZ

You never know what you might find when you’re on your way to a poker game. Walter Peck was heading over to play some cards with friends when he stumbled and nearly fell into a large hole in the ground. Returning to the spot the next day, he and some friends began exploring the hole. Thinking he had found gold while down in the large cavern, Peck later purchased the property and began making preparations to strike it rich. Unfortunately, the assay reports on his find revealed the shiny stuff was nothing more than iron oxide. But Peck was not discouraged, he came up with an idea to bring travelers to the site and tour the caverns, for the small fee of 25 cents. Thus began what would later become the Grand Canyon Caverns.

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Rt 66 - Valentine, AZ

Rt 66 - Valentine, AZ

The town of Valentine dates back to 1898 and it’s probably most famous for the heart-shaped postmark the small contract post office would stamp on outgoing mail every Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, that came to an end in 1990, when the post office was robbed and the lady working there was shot and killed. Shortly afterwards, her husband bulldozed the building and left the area.

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Darwin Falls, Death Valley

Darwin Falls, Death Valley

Getting to Darwin Falls is kind of a two-part adventure. The first part being the last few miles of the drive to the trailhead. It's a bumpy, rocky road that takes you through some pretty canyons and washes. The second part of the adventure is the hike to the falls, and I enjoyed that a lot more than the first part. Wasn't quite as jarring to my internal organs....

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The Trona Pinnacles

The Trona Pinnacles

After close to five miles of bouncing and rat-a-tat-tat-ing over a hardpacked, washboard dirt road the strange landscape seen from a distance was now up close and personal. And it was instantly obvious why the Trona Pinnacles were a favorite backdrop for such movies and TV shows as Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Lost in Space and Planet of the Apes. The place is eerie and looks like it belongs on another planet.

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