From Airplane: Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, or Mars?

Gazing at the clouds under us while I flew from Spokane to Phoenix last week was so fun! I put my other photos in a video that appears lower down in this post. We were over one of the following states: Idaho, Utah, Nevada, or Arizona.

Sometimes, the landscape looked to me like Mars, minus the clouds and any lakes that happened to appear. It was just dirt, no plants in sight. Of course there were roads, but if you have read Ray Bradbury's Maritan Chronicles, then you expect the Mars landscape to have roads.

The most interesting geological aspects from the air were sculptures the wind had made out of the dirt out here in the desert wilderness. I loved looking at the canyons and the ripples in the sand. Also, some areas were the color of iron, copper, or brass. I can totally see how aircraft help the mining industry.

Another thing that hits me when I fly is just how empty most of the land is, out here in the Western regions of the United States. We have settled nowhere near all the inhabitable land. There is still plenty of room to expand civilization.