Dichotomy and Reconciliation in the Desert Southwest

There is a curious dichotomy that exists here in this desert… A definite fear and loathing that accompanies the endorphic wonder.

There is an overwhelming sense of incredible wildness and wilderness, vast open spaces - and the edgy sense that getting lost is a reality still in our modern, crowded and ever-shrinking and interwoven world… The slot of Arrow Canyon had a flash flood this year that wiped out the I-15 at the other end for well over a week, tamarisk washed in from miles away still stacked along the edges of its towering walls. Tarantulas and cats claw, barrel cactus and hawks still rule here.

But coupled with Las Vegas, you can have a foot in two very distinct and disparate worlds… The midnight glow creating its own Borealis effect from scores of miles in any direction - even when hidden behind ranges. A hyper-cosmopolitian reflection of the modern with fancy strip malls, casinos, the uber-fashionable - and more scraped/lost earth every day.

Its a difficult thing to reconcile…