Wind power from Iowa to Utah

Over the past two days, we have seen a great number of wind turbines. In Iowa, the wind turbines were often in fields of corn or soybeans:

Near Walnut, Iowa

These wind turbines were far from the highway, and barely visible across the Great Plains:

Somewhere along I-80, Nebraska

In Wyoming, we saw several extensive fields of wind turbines, like this one:

Between Laramie and Rawlins, Wyoming

Elsewhere in Wyoming, we saw a wind turbine being erected: a slim white tower, and a crane nearby waiting to place the blades and hub on top of the tower. In another place, we saw wind turbines gracefully turning in the distance, while close to the road an oil derrick clumsily bumped up and down, up and down: two different sources of energy side by side.

And finally, these wind turbines were somewhere near the Wyoming – Utah border:

We arrived in Salt Lake City at about 7:30 this evening, and as we were pulling in to the motel parking lot, Carol said that it looked there are more wind turbines in the Great Plains now than in California.

4 thoughts on “Wind power from Iowa to Utah

  1. Dad

    This is a fascinating traveloque and I read each instalment to see where you now are and what there was of interest in that day.

  2. Dad

    A comment: in the heartland you are finding more actual commitment to environmentally good sources of energy than we have here in New England where it is almost impossible to get permisssion to instal wind turbines in the backyards of ardent supporters of windpower as long as it is in someone else’s backyard.

  3. Jean

    Dad — you’re right: here in the heartland (which apparently extends from Ohio to Wyoming), we’re a lot more progressive than people give us credit for. I suppose “progressive” is not the word, really. It’s more like “practical” — “resourceful” ( in more ways than one).

  4. Dan

    Jean @ 3 — You write: “here in the heartland (which apparently extends from Ohio to Wyoming), we’re a lot more progressive than people give us credit for.”

    Take Iowa, for example — lots of wind power, free wifi at all state rest areas (!!), legal same-sex marriage, as well as being a beautiful part of the world.

Comments are closed.