The western United States is in a severe drought. This is the worst it’s been in a very long time. The mighty Colorado river is drying up. Lake Meade’s hydro-electric dam won’t be able to produce power if the reservoir gets much lower and house boats are no longer allowed on Lake Powel. These are scary times…
A few years ago, I stumbled upon a desert oasis on the Colorado/Utah border. The surroundings looked a lot like what I imagine the terrain of Mars to look like. There was water, in the middle of nowhere and I couldn’t figure out how it got there. My best guess was that it was a natural spring.
I went back there this mother’s day weekend. My son, me and my dog did some off-roading and a day hike to try to find this spot again. We found a wasteland and quicksand instead. The water had dried up and most of the wildflowers were gone.
We left and went deeper into the desert to see what we could see. Luckily, the cactus was beginning to bloom. I found a handful of wildflowers as well.
It was a good day all in all, but it made me start to reconsider my residence. It’s impossible to be a farmer without water. Perhaps it’s time to go east….
Nomadic Farmer 