A Summer Thunderstorm in the Tonopah Desert, Arizona
In July 2010, the Arizona “anti-illegal immigration” bill
known as SB 1070 went into limited effect. I will not debate its
merits here. Suffice to say that I did not agree with its intent or
methods of enforcement. Rather than support that discriminatory
legislation, I decided to take my business elsewhere. My August 25, 2010 medical appointment in Scottsdale, Arizona would be my last. Watch the video, "Thunderstorm, Tonopah Desert, Arizona"
On that final trip to Phoenix, I chased a desert thunderstorm east along Interstate I-10 through the Tonopah Desert. Not to be confused with Tonopah, Nevada,
the Tonopah Desert of Arizona features a series of mountain ranges,
just to the north of the interstate highway. From West to east, those
are the Big Horn and Belmont Mountains, followed by individual peaks
named Hot Rock Mountain and Flatiron Mountain. In the east, the
majestic White Tank Mountains rise above this lightly inhabited stretch
of Sonoran desert.From Salome Road, where it crosses I-10 until well past Tonopah (fifty miles east of Phoenix), I watched as a thunderstorm to the north paralleled my direction of travel. Since I was moving at seventy miles per hour, I was able to photograph and then overtake the developing storm as I drove along. With the late afternoon sun behind me, various rainbow forms appeared as I drove. The visual effects ranged from the startling to the sublime. I hope you enjoy the view as much as I did, taking snapshots out the window as I drove.
The
most significant human created features within the Tonopah Desert
Aquifer are Interstate Highway I-10, The Arizona Public Service Palo
Verde Nuclear Generating Station and the Central Arizona Project settling ponds, which are designed to bring Colorado River water
to the desert. If you think that nuclear power plants do not use much
in the way of natural resources, it is time to think again. Via a large
canal, water is diverted to the ponds, where some of it evaporates, but
much of it seeps into the aquifer. Photographic
images of the nuclear plant show it sitting beside a huge lake. All of
that cooling water comes either directly or indirectly from the
Colorado River. No wonder the Colorado River runs dry before it ever
reaches the Sea of Cortez. The whole system is like one huge nuclear
swamp cooler designed to cool Phoenix, Arizona.My hope is that the electorate of Arizona will soon welcome everyone back to that great state. Perhaps they will remember the missives of the ascended masters, which entreat us to welcome and include all people who love this Earth. Until then, my travel plans within the Four Corner States will focus on Nevada, Utah and New Mexico. I will miss you, Arizona highways.
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By James McGillis at 10:54 PM | Travel | Comments (0) | Link
