As we drove from Sacramento to Dallas, there was almost never a time when we didn't see the pollution. We began our drive down 99 deep into the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, which now has the worst air quality in California (and the highest asthma rates). The air was heavy and the pollution clouded the sky. The next day, we drove on through Bakersfield, Barstow and the Mojave Desert on the way to Phoenix. Everywhere we looked, we could barely define the outlines of huge mountains shrouded in almost opaque air. Even in the desert where one imagines open spaces and clear air, the pollution was seeping in from LA. When we arrived in Phoenix, the temperature was 110 and the air pollution was clearly visible. It really wasn't until we arrived in Texas, just outside of El Paso, that we began to see clearer air, although as we drove closer to Dallas-Fort Worth, the yellow-tinged area was back again.

What amazed me most was not that the air of our cities is polluted, but that the air of our cities is now polluting places I imagined to be pristine. Surely between saving money on gasoline and health care costs, we could make a life changing argument for cleaner burning fuel?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive