# Giant Rock, and other anomalous places you’ve been

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rock-and-other-anomalous-places-you-ve-been/1030917>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** vacation-travel\
**Created:** [June 15, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rock-and-other-anomalous-places-you-ve-been/1030917 "2026-06-15T19:45:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rock-and-other-anomalous-places-you-ve-been/1030917/81 "2026-08-30T23:17:03Z")

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> [@X.L.Lent](#):
>
> The[Trona Pinnacles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trona_Pinnacles) located in dry Searles Lake are another example of  
> tufa towers

I used to race motorcycles out there back in the day.

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rock-and-other-anomalous-places-you-ve-been/1030917/82 "2026-09-03T18:51:33Z")

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> [@X.L.Lent](#):
>
> The [Amboy Crater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amboy_Crater) is a volcano that last erupted about 10,000 years ago  
> and is a short hike from old Route 66. It is not a place to visit in the summer as  
> can reach 110°F (43°C). You can hike to the top of the volcano and down  
> into the inside of the crater.

Capulin Volcano National Monument in NE New Mexico is similar.

[![](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/volcanoes/images/cavo-aerial-web-adjusted.jpg) ](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/volcanoes/images/cavo-aerial-web-adjusted.jpg)

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rock-and-other-anomalous-places-you-ve-been/1030917/83 "2026-09-03T20:44:40Z")

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The view from the top of Capulin Volcano on a clear day is really fantastic. To the west are The Rockies, looking east you’re overlooking the edge of the Great Plains and looking south you can see the remnants of a volcanic field.

Amboy Crater had a cameo of sorts (as the base of a volcano) in the 1959 version of _Journey To The Center Of The Earth_. The effects crew lit a fire in the crater to simulate an eruption.

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