Moominmama's Adventures: Western Colorado

Wherein Moominmama arrives in western Colorado and nurses a bad cold...

Over the past few weeks in Utah, Moominmama inhaled quite a bit of red dust. Spring is particularly windy in the desert, but in addition to the dust, Moominmama apparently inhaled a virus which promptly took up residence in my irritated sinuses.

That makes the transition to Colorado a welcome one. There's more greenery; I'm back among spring wildflowers. I'm also taking time to recover. It's rare for me to get sick on the road, but this is an exception. 

After a day of misery, I've started feeling better, and since I am near the Colorado National Monument, I ventured out.

The hike took me to what's called Independence Monument, apparently a major landmark for westward travelers on the wagon train, as it marks roughly the halfway point between the Missouri River and the Pacific Coast.

Given the angle I approached it, the monument looked more to me like a work by Picasso, with misaligned eyes, slanted nose and mixed-up mouth.

In answer to the question posed to me in Utah: hoodoo you love? This is the one!

If geology defines much of the desert west, so does hydrology. Moominmama is camped across the road from the great Colorado River. It features heavily in the news out here because despite its size and significance, it cannot provide water and power for the entirety of the seven states it now serves. 

While the snow this winter will help, it doesn't change the long-term trajectory. Providing water and electricity for both the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin isn't sustainable at current rates, and negotiations are ongoing.

Some cities, like Tucson, AZ, have started to capture and store rainwater in creative ways (i.e. relying on indigenous techniques). But most food crops require a lot of water, and the impact on California could affect us all since it's a major growing region for the entire country.

Moominmama is sure she will hear more about this as I travel the region. But in the interest of rest and recovery, I will keep this post short, leaving you with a photo from my last hike in Utah: the Lower Calf Creek Falls. (Hiker on the left for scale!)