Wonders of the world (Two holes in the ground that will blow your mind): Part II

Makhteshim and Colored Sands, Negev, Israel

Israel lays claim to the makhtesh, a jaw-dropping type of crater found nowhere else in the world. There are three major 'makhteshim' (the Hebrew plural of makhtesh): Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh HaKatan ("The Small") and Makhtesh HaGadol ("The Big"). These gaping chasms erode into being as water drains through a narrow space, peeling away eras of striated rock and revealing subtle rainbows of descending colors. Narrow roads snake through the rising sands, wheeling you around and down into the basins of these low giants. In certain areas of Makhtesh HaKatan, you'll find small signs marked,  "Colored Sands." Bring a box of Ziplocs and a trowel to collect samples of the iron oxide reds, sulphur yellows, copper greens and even shadowy-dark purple mineral deposits. At home, layer them into a bottle (seal it with a thick layer of wax at the top) for a makhtesh souvenir.

See the makhteshim in 100-plus-degree weather for intense desert solitude that will blow through you like a transforming wind.

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

Step out to meet The Void. This is likely as close as you will ever get to looking The Great Question in its penultimately massive, open eye. The lushly vegetated brother of the makhteshim, The Grand Canyon is like an inverted Everest where the peak plunges down. Nearly two billion years old and over a mile down at its deepest point, it's fitting that several layers of sediments are named for gods.

As you drive through the canyon, you'll be tempted to stop at every overlook. Save your energy for the thickest concentration of parked cars. This is where you'll see the 'big payoff' views--the ones that have inspired great art and life changes. Be illuminated.

Also look for some special squirrels visible almost exclusively around the Grand Canyon. Called kaibabs and aberts, they both have tufted ears that make them appear simultaneously cute and Mephistophelean--fitting for a gorge that seems to stretch beyond the Earth's core.