So many people…
Phoenix was the worst. We pulled off the road some distance north of there, saw no one around, but twenty miles farther was a red light and a shopping mall in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Arizona is no better than Maryland, except with rocks and cactus instead of honeysuckle and trees. The shot below is from SW of Tucson, pretty empty, but the air is still befouled.
Dirty air from south to north
All the way north to Flagstaff, smoke from coal-fired power plants and urban smog lay low all over the mountains. In all the wild, wild west, not a horizon to be seen. The landscape is inspiring, though, or would be, if you could see it. Sedona is a silly theme park, but go there anyway for the drive up the canyon with its beautiful foliage this time of year. Take money, too: you have to pay to park along the road and look! I guess that’s privatization for you, the same disease that put power plants in pristine air.
Friends, the gods will not be kind to us. Send your children to Canada and hope they call you later.
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- Secret Boon
- Winter of ’08 [revised & updated]
- Sumbitch
- Antelope Butt Regrets
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
A Catch-22, ain’t it? Everybody wants TV, VCRs,DVDs, mega-home entertainment systems; and that’s just the tip of it. Not to mention the stuff we “need”-fridge, AC, etc. All the freakin’ comforts. After spending 20 years with the power company before I came here, I saw what was happening, and now the systems are so overloaded that “rolling blackouts” and “brownouts” are the norm. It’s only a matter of time before the whole system collapses. New Mexico requires that 10% of all electricity come from renewable sources. TEN PERCENT!!! A blip on the screen! And nuclear is included! One of the sunniest places on earth, and we practically IGNORE THE MOST RENEWABLE SOURCE in the solar system!
But be careful what you wish for. If we tore down every coal, coke and gas fired power plant and replaced them with hydro, solar and wind power, the costs would be astronomical, and our out of sight electric bills would cause many to freeze, swelter or starve to death in no time! You’ve said it before buddy, and I reiterate; We’re Fucked.
I totally agree with you on solar energy, and not just for New Mexico. I don’t necessarily agree that converting would be costly. In any event, it IS bleeding obvious, isn’t it, that we’re ignoring the best free energy source there is?