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Tuesday, August 17, 2004

I then pass by this dead fawn on the shoulder of the road. I turn around because it just doesn't seem right for it to be on the shoulder like that. It's a really sad sight. It's been dead for quite a while because it smells really bad and the maggots are in full swing. I drag it into the ditch. If I had a shovel I would have buried it. I hate seeing such things. Perhaps my hiding it will spare others the same sad, gruesome experience.

I finally arrive at Devils Tower and I see the sunset is providing the spectacular backdrop I had hoped for. So with camera in hand, I take a snapshot...and the camera beeps at me. Seems I've run out of juice. God, I'm a bit peeved at the moment. The most important picture of the day (who knows, maybe the trip) is lost forever. Not being the sort of person who gives up easily, I run over to the van and put the camera's batteries in the charger. Maybe 10 minutes of charge will be enough juice to snap a single shot. So as I wait for the 10 minutes to pass by, I watch the sunset slowly become less and less spectacular.

After 10 minutes pass I load the batteries back in the camera and resume my snapshot position. I try taking a picture but the camera beeps at me again. It is no use, the opportunity is lost. Had I not taken pictures of the dead fawn earlier I would have had enough battery juice for the supposedly more important tower pictures.

But then I get to thinking, maybe the fawn pictures are more important. Up until now I don't think I've snapped a single tragic picture on the trip, much less posting it. So maybe it was finally time to show the other realities of my trip, like death. Like death of a fragile fawn.

After the sun goes down I find myself in decision making mode, where to bed down for the evening? I decide to checkout a dirt road not far from Devils Tower. It turns out to be a good find. After about a mile of driving I park in a cow pasture of all places, surrounded by forest. As I settle down to sleep, I can hear cows mooing off in the distance. It's not as good as hearing the howling of coyotes but it sure beats listening to noisy campground neighbors. Plus it is pitch-dark, something that I rarely experience.

Tomorrow I have plans to tour Devils Tower National Monument then head into South Dakota. I plan to spend a little time in Rapid City, SD to catch-up on my travel writing and to find an Internet connection to reconnect with the world-at-large.