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Finally I got to see the source of many Colorado water problems. Less than a fortnight ago, we flew to Eugene, Ore., for the May 24 wedding of our younger daughter, Abby, to Aaron Thomas. On the way into town from the airport, I saw immense fields of what looked like never-mowed lawns gone to seed.
The appearance was not deceiving. That's exactly what I saw; according to the local boosters, Lane and Benton counties in Oregon produce 95 percent of the grass seed sold in the United States.
Eugene gets about 36 inches of rain each year on average; we average less than half that much. Their summers are milder, too, with an average July high of 81 degrees; Denver's is 87, which means more evaporation. Little wonder that it takes so much water development to make alien bluegrass feel comfortable in Colorado.
Oregon has a reputation for strong land-use controls, and Eugene has a reputation that makes Boulder look like a citadel of free-market capitalism. Thus I was surprised, as we came into town, to see land-use planning that resembled Broomfield -- the Generica of isolated cookie-cutter housing developments, big-box stores, strip malls and the like.
But once we got into the older part of town, where Abby and Aaron live, Eugene looked more rational. Lots are small, the narrow streets are rigged for bicyclists and the sidewalks are wide. Every three or four blocks, there's a small market that sells everything from greeting cards to wine, and they get plenty of pedestrian business.
Downtown was an easy ten-block stroll, and thus on Memorial Day we could practice some traditional family values and walk to the railroad depot, where we boarded a comfortable train for Portland to meet the Hays family (old college friends) of Seattle for lunch and some urban exploration before returning that evening.
It was simple and civilized; the Amtrak Cascades train is modern, with hydraulic equipment to keep the cars level on curves, so that the ride was smooth as we rode the 124 miles between Oregon's two largest cities in two and half hours.
Naturally, anything that sensible is endangered in this era of diminished state budgets -- Oregon is hurting so bad that the public schools were ending their sessions weeks ahead of schedule -- so the train may not run for much longer, even though it seemed quite popular.
As for our other travel, I was pleasantly surprised. Our planes ran right on schedule, we did not undergo intensive searches and the Transportation Security Agency people were all polite and friendly.
The only hassle was at DIA. We used Economy
Parking,
which means catching a shuttle van to the
terminal -- or more precisely, to the second level of a
parking garage next to the terminal, followed by an
elevator ride and a long walk with heavy luggage to the
check-in area. Getting out is a similar travail.
Since everybody else -- taxis, limos, rental-car shuttles, etc. -- gets to use the convenient upstairs doors next to the check-in and pick-up areas, this can't be on account of security. My guess is that it's a way to punish people who aren't spending enough at the airport.
As for the marriage, my new son-in-law has good Colorado roots. Aaron grew up in Silver Plume. His father mucked at Climax for years. A great-great-grandfather helped build the first telegraph line into Denver. Aaron played washtub bass in a jug band, and once worked at the Mercury Café in Denver, where he met Abby when she was attending CU Denver.
Aaron now manages a coffee house, which seems to be a common fate for English majors; Abby, with a history degree, is the chief records clerk at a medical clinic. Given Oregon's high unemployment rate, they both feel fortunate to be working full-time.
Their wedding, a small family affair, was outdoors in a city park that was bright with blooming rhododendrons despite the gray sky. This being a modern wedding, Martha and I both gave the bride away, then stepped away to brush away a few tears.
An event like a wedding makes you wonder what kind of world we leave to our children. Five years ago, I felt pretty good about our legacy. Our air and water were cleaner than ever in my lifetime. The United States was generally at peace, and the economy was growing. The national debt, a burden to any generation, was going to get paid off.
And now the national government is careening toward
bankruptcy, most of the world fears and mistrusts the
United States, and our environmental protections are under
serious attack. What Hunter Thompson called cheap-jack
hustlers
are back in charge with a vengeance, and even
if tears aren't an effective response, sometimes they're
all that's available.
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