Odessa Meteor Crater

It had been a long while since I had exposed a roll of film. It was so long that I had forgotten how to load the camera. After fidgeting with the M3, I managed to advance the film a few clicks.

I approached the modest crater. A small sign let me know I was there, standing and leaning slightly near the museum building.

I walked along the footpath. Caliche crunched under my feet as mesquite and yucca baked in the sunlight. The desert extended outward and made a flat plane. The bowl was shallow and earth-filled, and upturned limestone marked the crater’s rim. In the bottom, behind a fence, the old excavation shaft sat still. I pressed the shutter, and it clicked.

I slung the camera strap over my shoulder and walked back up the slope. Sunlight hit the asphalt. Heat rippled off the hood of the car.

I turned the key in the ignition. The engine caught, and cold air came through the dash vents. A notification chimed on the phone on the passenger seat. Through the windshield, a man walked to close the main gate for the day. I slid the gear selector into reverse, backed out of the gravel turnout, and pulled onto the road.

Portra 160, Noritsu, 50mm