Day 18: Meteor Crater and Thunderstorms

This morning we left Flagstaff, wishing we could have stayed a bit longer to enjoy the small-town eclectic atmosphere. The pleasant  temperatures in Flagstaff reminded me of summers in Germany. However, since we must work for a living and have co-workers who are eagerly awaiting our return, we thought it was best to pack up and continue  our way  home. We took a little detour to see Arizona's meteor crater, the best preserved impact crater in the world. After pictures with aliens and astronauts we stood at the rim of the crater - it was quite impressive and humbling. I bought a tiny piece meteorite oxide and am now the proud owner of a piece from outer space. 
On our drive to Albuquerque we encountered multiple severe thunderstorms that were beautiful to look at but difficult to drive through. With high winds and heavy rain that made it nearly  impossible to see the road, Cliff hung on to the steering wheel while I hollered out what I considered life-saving directions on how to drive through a severe storm. We somehow survived and entered Albuquerque through a massive rainbow.