Last May, I saw the haunting cliff palace and other ancient dwellings of Mesa Verde. I stood speechless in reflection of the lives of those who built their homes and grew communities along the treacherous cliffs. I smiled as a women from Scotland was captivated by a sight she thought she'd "never see" in her whole life. But I watched passively as our fantastic tour guide took tourists deep into the park and down into the cliff dwellings. From a perched-high observation spot, I watched from a distance as my husband and other travelers went down deep into the ghostly canyon and climbed straight up the cliff on steep and primitive ladders. As they explored another dwelling the next day, I watched as medics had to assist one hiker who didn't know her limits. But in Mesa Verde, uniquely for me, my asthma was triggered. And I puzzled at why this was happening to me when it had never happened before. I can handle significantly higher altitudes, feel great over 9,000 ft, so altitude wasn't the issue. Besides, we had spent two and a half days above 7000 before hand, stayed hydrated (which I am obsessive about), and did lots of walking. The mystery was solved when our tour guide mentioned the air quality around the ruins. The air quality had been poor he said due to two coal-fired plants near-by.
Now we learn that the Bush administration has more coal-fired plants in mind. Possible sites near the wonders of Utah such as Zion, Bryce and Arches. Last month, the Washington Post reported on the change in regulations that undermines the breathability and visibility around our nation's treasures. Read it here. The Post also reveals:
Don Shepherd, an environmental engineer at the National Park Service's air resources division in Denver, noted that the agency determined in the 1980s that every one of its parks was "visually impaired," and "nothing really has changed that." Visitors to Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in the mid-1930s reported seeing the Washington Monument more than 70 miles away; now, on some days, visibility is barely one mile.
It is startling to realize that soon the grandeur that is the national parks of Utah (such as Zion, Bryce and Arches) may well be shrouded in pollution as well. And I wonder how many more cases of asthma will develop along the way, how many lives will be altered, and how many people will get cases much worse than mine. Believe me, it can be much worse. Unlike myself (who has never once had an emergency room visit due to asthma), it can be serious, or even fatal for far too many patients.
At the Grand Canyon we fellow journey men (and women) gathered at the rim one night. There is only one place to be when the sun begins to set. And so, like so many pilgrims, we stopped what we were doing: We wound back from our day of magnificent hiking. Those who took the tram boarded for Angel's Rest. Others disembarked from swing at the grand El Tovar or stopped sampling the the sweet ice cream generously scooped into cones or sipping lemonade that never tasted sweeter. The magical spell of the canyon had swept us. Surely sunset at the rim will be the highlight of our visit. But it wasn't to be. The smoky haze gave up hardly a color. It was the sunset that wasn't. And I wonder how many more magical American experiences will go the way of the vanishing sunset atop the greatest wonder of the world.
On Monday, Dec. 1, Lowell Feld of RaisingKaine wrote of his attending the CAP summit on a Green Recovery. Read about it here. Our Green Recovery cannot come a moment too soon. And it is linked to our economic recovery in ways the Bush administration does not comprehend, but Barack Obama does. It will take considerable undoing of upside-down regs, and perhaps, some creativity to right the wrong of the so-called right. Let the Greening begin...
Note: This Diary is Cross Posted at BlueCommonwealth
PS I'm glad you got to see Mesa Verde too.