Coal Fire vs ?

 We are about 95 lake miles and over 450 land vehicle miles from Hall's Crossing of Lake Powell. This is a photo of the marina taken from the campground area. I wondered at the time why the sky was so hazy when we were so far from any large cities or freeways. It's been a week since we left there.

 Yesterday we were back at Sand Island after two days around Blanding. (Michael processed 40 gallons of veggie oil there so that helped with all the miles since.) The brilliant show put on by waves of cottonwood trees on both sides of the San Juan completely warmed my heart and the walk east along the low canyon and seeing hundreds more petroglyphs also left me with great warmth for this remarkable place.

 The next day after some nice human interactions we went off across the Navajo Nation and Monument Valley. The Nation is rural and mostly seems impoverished. Just like with the ancients, thoughts and impressions and opinions leaped up over the miles to be released into the clear knowing that I can't and don't know anything.

 But when this coal fire plant loomed up all that went out the window. I have opinions and will voice them. This plant isn't owned by the Navajo Nation but they do lease the land and the coal comes from the Peabody Coal plant near Kayenta. It employs many Navajo people in a landscape devoid of other opportunity to earn a living. It increases asthma rates and is blamed for mercury accumulations in the fish in Lake Powell. It is Mordor, the 8th largest single source of climate change carbon in the country! It must not be just EPA updated or switched to natural gas... it needs to become renewable-- solar and wind. I can clearly see the entire Navajo Nation on solar. There is no reason not to start now rather than scare the entire community. (Signs read: Stop Obama's war on coal fired plants!)

We're in Page and when in Rome you go to the Glen Canyon Dam and read about the Colorado and the whole wonder of all the modern crazy making. It is so much bigger than I can address. The water hunger of the South-west... the inevitability of all that has come to pass and the great exploration and engineering feats that will never be undone. Here at the Page Library I'm reading the Old Spanish Trail Association newsletter (Spanish Traces) and recognize the trail even from the late 1700s leading to today. I'm watching the sun set in glorious ephemeral clouds out over ancient seemingly impenetrable mesas and rock formations. Nothing lasts and my brain is easily over-whelmed. I'm surrounded by Indian teenagers staring down at their phones like teens everywhere. What future are we passing into? Back to my picture window for now... back to the sunset.