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Apache Junction
| Shade was a no-show. There were no mature trees around, and all I could do was lay and sweat. The foundry-like temperature was very tough on my dog, and I promised him our stay would be brief in this land of Saguaros and skeletons. Phoenix is a land under assault, with development springing up everywhere, Apache Junction leading the way. A large conduit named the 'Central Arizona Water Project' stood bursting to its brim with deep blue water sparkling in the Arizona sunshine, all stolen from dying rivers and vanishing aquifers. Newly framed houses stood unfinished, speaking of new water demand, and all in the shadows of dinosaurian rock formations. I pictured a future where these rocks would be carved into the likenesses of America's architects of oblivion: Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzalez and Condi. We sought shade elsewhere, finding it at a cookie-cutter convenience store more suited for suburbia than the land of Geronimo. The dogs trudged through the heat like toys with low batteries as I went inside, opting to fill my 'big gulp' with ice rather than liquid. I returned to stand in the shade of a tall palm under which we had parked. Looking up, I discovered the secret of this lone tree- upon closer inspection, it was a fucking cell-phone tower! Ugh. Enough was enough. I said an Earth-prayer for the Quail living on the construction site next door, loaded up, and headed north to Sedona. Next: 'Sacred Sedona' |
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