Driving down route I-40 in Winslow, Arizona, you can stumble across something mind-boggling. Follow the signs along the road to see the Meteor Crater and you will witness something truly humbling.
The meteor crater is insane. The impact site is large enough to engulf a 60-story building or accommodate 20 football fields on the floor of the crater - this monster is nearly a mile across, over three miles in circumference, and 550 feet deep.
You may have seen this place in the movies, but they do not do this spot justice. If you have the time and you're in the area, I highly recommend stopping and checking this crater out. You can even get a tour pass that is redeemable for a week if you're hanging out in the region, (at no extra charge), so you can come back and see it again.
Off in the horizon I was starting to see snow-capped mountains. Coming from Texas where it is very flat, it was crazy to see a mountainous landscape again! On the far side of that mountain pictured below is Flagstaff, a turning point in my road-trip. Flagstaff, Arizona is where the decision was made to spontaneously switch up the route to head to Las Vegas. Driving through Arizona and Nevada was unreal. It is truly breathtaking.
Whenever you travel, you come across road blocks. Life is all about how you handle them, in my opinion. My road trip from Austin to Portland was trying in many ways. I had to skip a lot of the things I wanted to see most (Antelope Canyon, Angel's Landing, etc.), but I made the most of it. When I didn't like the options I had, I made my own.
Instead of heading through Utah as planned, I switched it up to head through Nevada instead. It was a really fun and unexpected journey. When life hands you lemons, you most certainly make lemonade.