Antelope Canyon

Our destination: canyon country surrounding Page, Arizona. Page evolved during the building of the dam that created Lake Powell on the Colorado River. Tourist websites PR it as the gateway to beautiful Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Recreation Area, Hub of the Grand Circle Tour of Canyons, Navajo-land, National Monuments and Parks. There are two huge power plants there--one on Lake Powell and the other a coal-burning electric plant.

At Antelope Canyon, we met a lovely Navajo woman, Dixie, who reluctantly explained to me that her people were promised they'd get electricity once the plant was built. (see her photos of the canyon on the Navajo Parks website) Today its voluminous plumes of steam make it the elephant in the living room no one wants to talk about. Dixie and her family still are without power. The official website of the power plant, ironically named Navajo Generating Station, claims there is no environmental impact.