Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Unknown - Chapter 3a - by nova

chapter 3a

It wasn't far to the bridge and I was glad. If it had been any further I would have had Jacob stop the truck and switched places with the kid in the back. Jacob was trying to get me talk by asking questions about Salt Lake and I really didn't feel like answering. We both agreed that the Tabernacle was worth going to see and hear. Thankfully that got us to the bridge.

We were waved through after Jacob chatted briefly with the young Navaho who came out to take a look at us. We didn't pay -- we were waved through and proceeded slowly through a serpentine course designed to get us dead if the need arose. I took a look around and was impressed.

The entrance to the bridge on this side had a decent size building at the bridge head. It had probably once been a visitor's center. It was surrounded by a round shaped sandstone hill that had been gouged deeply to run the road through.

The hill, the locals called it Beehive mountain, had more than the usual number of shallow caves with some being used for heavy weapons emplacements. It looked to be all Navajo here too. I found out later the Beehive was once considered a sacred mountain by them. As usual that hadn't stopped progress. Progress. I spit on it.

Rolling across the bridge let me take a good look at the leftovers from this progress. The Glen Canyon Dam, a giant sized progressive dump of concrete in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in the world. A feat of world class engineering built in the wrong place an anchored by sandstone, natures version of frozen sand drifts.

The dam had failed not long after PowerDown rather spectacularly. Enough debris was still in place to keep a much smaller Lake Powell filled with runoff and in time I suppose the water stained sandstone left behind would be scoured clean. It still pissed me off to look at it. The only thing uglier was the coal fired generating plant which should have been blown up the day after Powerdown.

Why where these ugly pieces of shit built? To generate electricity for cities that never should have been built in the first place. PowerDown had taken care of the cities, especially in the south west which had already sucked down or polluted the aquifers that kept them alive. Changing weather and the resulting drought that never seemed to go away made sure that the survivors of PowerDown who wanted to continue to survive migrated the hell away.

8 comments:

  1. Good stuff nova. I've been watching this show Jericho lately, kind of simliar, you seen it?

    thedreamer

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  2. I saw one episode I think. Not much into watching TV until the 'Skins start playing.

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  3. I like your insight on the Southwest.

    Have you read any of the Tony Hillerman novels? Navajo Tribal Police characters solving murders. Interesting.

    Jim in MO.

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  4. Can you imagine Vegas during the collapse? LA refugees, no gas, power out, water stops. Ugh.

    I've talked with guys that say they intend to drop the I-15 bridges in Virgin River canyon when the hordes come - I think they might be serious too, strange days ahead.

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  5. theDreamer, I watched Jericho. Not so bad, but not so good either. Falling Skies (a new show that is on right now) is even worse. One show that is somewhat worth watching is "Survivors" on the BBC.

    IMHO, when it comes to post-apocalyptic stories, TV does a horrible job. Some films are great (Road Warrior, The Road, 28 Weeks Later, Dawn of the Dead, etc). But it is the literature that really can go the distance...hence, all of us rallying around Nova and his tales of woe. :)

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  6. Jim,

    No I haven't. I should for the local color.

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  7. Rottenclam, the best thing about "Survivors" is Julie Graham! I think she's delicious.

    Jericho was OK. They needed an economist on the writing team. I thought "Jeremiah" was interesting.

    Trey ~

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  8. I agree with the observation about the damn dam. I've flown over it many times and it flat does not belong there. The airport and
    gas station does, though :-)
    Forrest

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