Enjoying The Greenbelt While It Lasts

I was out for a walk yesterday when I noticed this spruced-up drainage channel. I cracked up when I saw the tidy pile of caliche rocks around the pond, with its white gravel bed. Raise your hand if you think this pleasantly arranged area will be intact after the first good flash flood. You haven’t lived here long, have you? If you’ve witnessed a couple of good gully washers, you know the whole thing is destined for some spot downstream, God knows where.

I relish my daily walks through the Greenbelt because I believe its days are numbered. Did you know that it’s actually not a mystery as to why the Anazai disappeared from this area? One of the major contributing factors was a 60 year drought. I’m starting to think Boise, Idaho looks pretty good as a contingency city. Lots of water. I spent a blurry, intoxicated teen-aged summer there, tubing down the river that runs through town and riding bikes with my boyfriend in the middle of the night. I remember the stars were incredible and the sun didn’t set until 10:00. It was 1980, and smoke from Mt. St. Helens filled the sky.

Have you ever thought about where you’ll you go if we run out of water? I think we can safely say we’re no longer the only ones in the country facing this question.