Deer on the Road

Heart Mountain, north of Cody, Wyoming, rises over 2,000 feet above the surrounding plain.

Not a big deal, but for the fact that the entire mountain is over 300m.y. older than the plain it sits upon.

How did that happen? No clue. Probably "slud", as Dizzy Dean said. Best explanation. Aliens put it there trails distantly in second place.

If it did slide, it traveled almost 50 miles, speed approaching 100 mph.

Wow.

If Heart Mountain were more picturesque, it would be a World Wonder. But it's much too close to the magnificent Absoraka Range, and is best known for the nearby eponymously named WW II Japanese Internment (prison) camp.

In 2000, either the last year of the previous millennium or the first year of this; depends on you, I went looking for Heart Mountain, see if twenty years improved my insight.

Couldn't find it.

What I found, at dusk, was 50 mule deer on the road.

Which raises a question only slightly less perplexing than Heart Mountain: what the hell were the deer doing on the road? No food there, no water. Seasonably warm, no need for reradiation from the asphalt.

One thing they were not doing is moving. Had to thread the car through and around them, often off the road. Took ten minutes to go a half mile.

There are two dead deer along the roads at Mississinewa. One has spots.

That is just wrong.

There is no sane reason to drive fast on those roads. There are roads for that very close by.

A redtail came up off a dead raccoon and, as I watched, two more flushed. So stunned, couldn't guess as to whether it was a family.

Then, what else?

Surely, more skilled, ardent, and experienced birdwatchers often see three redtails together. For me, the first and only.

As the Republicans continue the war on every thing sane and humane, one must wonder if all have sold a collective soul.

Reportedly, a New Hampshire legislator, voting to defund Planned Parenthood, said "We aren't paying for you to party".

Misogynistic, puritanical, self-righteous, hypocritical self-serving bullshit such as this has always led me to a profane invective.

Not this time.

I am stunned.

Monday I tried to cool my dogs by soaking towels in cold water and saddling them up. My big girl Abbe thanked me by shedding hers on 500 rounds of ammo. I spent all day Tuesday heating towels and spreading the rounds to dry them.

More gunstuff: guy wrote in a mag that it was easier to shoot .40 S&W in a polymer semi-auto than .357 mags in a revolver. That would be false. May have permanently damaged my arm shooting 180-grain rounds with my smallframe Glock. Pistol was jumping out of my hands, leaving bruises.

Next day fired my Vaquero, .357 mag, no problems, no pain.

The adage says "Don't believe everything you read".

Always trusted print, as there is a record.

And along comes a TV show, "Hard Copy". What?

Television is a collective lie. Infomercials, commercials, Fox News, campaign ads.

Marshall Mcluhan was right. It's a cold medium. You have no chance, you have no choice.

Except to turn it off.

Few do.