An Ounce of Prevention

"What's that?" Jonathan asked, pointing to a large flat-topped mountain.

It looked like an excavation heap, but it was far too big for that. Still, it looked man made. The other mountain peaks around them didn't have flat tops and they were all tree covered.

As it turned out, it was a man-made mountain. As they came around a curve, they were suddenly looking into a deep pit. Alex pulled the van over to an observation point and they got out. A tall chain-link fence separated the observation area from the man-made canyon below. They stared in awe into the pit. There was a black spot that looked like a small waterhole with a stair step network of paths around it. The soil in the pit was red, like the flat-topped mountain. As they watched, a vehicle moved down the road. It took a moment for Carmen to realize what it was. She caught her breath and looked up at Alex.

He was frowning. "Is that a dump truck?"

Carmen nodded. "I think so. It looks like a toy, doesn't it?"

Jonathan leaned on the fence, his fingers clutching the wire. "I think this is the Morenci copper mine. It's supposed to be one of the largest open pit mines in the world. It's the biggest copper mine in North America. There's one in Chili that is bigger, though."

Alex shifted Matthew to one hip and smiled at Carmen. "That boy has done his research."

Yes, he had, and she hadn't. He didn't say that and she wasn't sure he was even implying it, but whether he was or not, it was a fact that made her feel inadequate. It was a mistake she wouldn't make again.

They returned to the van and continued their vacation. Morenci appeared to be a small town and they gassed up again at a service station there before continuing on their journey. They didn't stop again until they reached Safford.