Lightning, Rainbow, and Moon / by Tomiko Jones

13 February 2021
Sonoran Desert, Arizona

Happy Lunar New Year! Year of the Ox! I woke up yesterday at sunrise, the first day of the new year, and it felt like rain. I checked the forecast. No rain. On my way to one of my favorite places, Organ Pipe Cactus NM, a good place to start a new cycle, I could see the storm on the horizon (dash cam still from video, see tiny horizontal lightning), followed by a double rainbow, still raining while the sun is shining over the Tohono O’odham Nation, and finally, caught the moon setting just as I made camp off a dusty road, the smell of rain, creosote and the cleansed air lingering. The road to Quitobaquito Spring re-opened today, and tomorrow I will visit. The last time I was there it was not yet interrupted by the draining of the aquifer, nor bulldozing of earth, artifacts and sacred grounds to construct the new border wall. Bought three new books at the visitor center and renewed my annual National Park Annual Pass.