Evening Light

 

 

 

 

I was just thinking…

 

 

A fly annoys me.  I swat it.  A tiny spark of life goes out.  No matter, it was bothering me.

 

A mouse has invaded the shed and is eating the bird seed and peeing on the floor.  I could live trap and relocate it, but that’s a lot of trouble and I want an immediate solution.  I kill it with a mousetrap.  A larger spark of life goes out, but my problem is solved.

 

We adopt a small pet.  It becomes family.  We spend thousands of dollars feeding and caring for it under normal circumstances, then thousands more on vet bills over the course of its life to keep it as healthy and happy as possible.  That spark of life, we hold onto it as long as we can, and when it’s gone, grieve the loss as of a family member.

 

Along with our selective compassion, is the fact that most of us eat meat.  That’s how we evolved.  How many hundreds of animals, or maybe thousands, have to die each year so that each one of us can survive?  We don’t really have to think about it, the meat we need just shows up in a supermarket package for us to prepare and consume, while an entire galaxy of lights are extinguished every day.  We care so much about some sparks of life, but by necessity, like every other predatory animal, are indifferent to others.

 

We’re strange creatures, we humans and the paradox of our inconsistent compassion.

 

 

State maps

 

 

Montana

 

 

There is a lot of Montana left to explore.  We’ve got the mountainous western part pretty good though.

 

 

Idaho

 

 

We filled in a few counties, but still a long way to go.

 

 

 

But Wyoming, that’s different.  We only had one county to go.

 

 

And our route home through Idaho, with an option through the town of Kemmerer, got us that last county.

 

 

Now we’ve been in every county in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, and Washington.  Oh no.  All the other states are contiguous, but that leaves Washington hanging out there all by itself.  If we filled in Idaho, that would connect everything, but that’s a lot of counties.  Nevada would be easier, and we only have three counties to go in Oregon.  Another challenge for another trip.

 

Roadside elk

 

 

 

 

He was too busy munching to look up at us.  We were too busy driving to wait for a better shot.

 

The only elk we saw in the park.  We figured they were all at higher elevations and would come down in the fall, which is what they do, but this one was clearly here.

 

Norris Geyser Basin

 

 

 

 

 

 

And beyond.

 

 

Back to Yellowstone

 

 

Not literally, but it’s still in my head, colored by minerals and algae.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An overnight stay in Rawlins, Wyoming

 

 

Continuing on today to see Becky and Brian in Erie, Colorado.

 

2026 Summer Trip Map link

 

On the way here, we took a scenic route between Rawlins and Laramie we’ve been looking at for decades but not gotten to: Wyoming Highway 130 through the Snowy Range.  It only adds an extra half hour to the trip if you don’t stop.  But forget that.  You’ll stop.