Contrary to popular belief, not all of Colorado is full of
towering peaks and pine forests. (The eastern part of the
state looks a lot like Kansas) Here in Grand Junction we
basically live in the high desert. If one looks at pictures
of when the area was occupied by the Utes, more than 100 years
ago, it looks a lot like, well...a desert. That's because
water is the lifeblood of most of the west and irrigation
(and air conditioning) has changed the face of the west.
Those that have it guard it furiously, while those that don't,
pay a lot for it. It's funny that folks in many parts of the
west go on watering their yards like there's no end to it.
Green green green. Keep those yards green. This isn't the
rain forest, or even Iowa...it's Colorado and water isn't an
infinite commodity. Ok...I have to be honest...I frequently
argue that there is no water shortage in the world. In reality,
there is about the same amount of water on the planet as there
has always been. Some of it though is now really hard to get
to or is in a non-potable state. Anyway...I digress. I was
reminded today of exactly how dry our area is. While walking
across our yard...it crunched. Now, I've heard this sound
many times. Walking across my parent's yard in August comes
to mind. But remember...this is April 12th! Yes, we will
begin watering our lawn soon (although we are planning a nice
little xeriscape project) and that crunch will soon go away.
But just below the surface, (and without that valuable water
nearby) the desert lies waiting.
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