Please Don't Feed the Wildlife

I'd like to start by saying that I hate Indiana.  I think most folks who visit Indiana feel the same way.  I also think that the state of Indiana knows this.  Take, for example, their state slogan as you cross the line into it, "Welcome to Indiana: the crossroads of America."  Most states try to lure you into staying or visiting on a regular basis with their slogans.

A slogan like, "The Grand Canyon State" says, "You've got to see this thing!"

Or, "So much to discover" says, "There's a lot more to see here than you'd think given that this is the state of Ohio!"

"America's Dairyland" just says, "Yep, we've got some good milk!"

I think it's fair to say that a crossroad is a synonym for an intersection...and I think it's also fair to say that if you park your car in an intersection you are likely in imminent danger of getting into an accident, or being ticketed at the very least.  No one wants to make their home in an intersection, and you'd never "visit" one unless you have to.  This is how I feel about Indiana.

On the much brighter side, we are in Kentucky now, and as of 4:00 central time, we are back in central time!


We drove past Abraham Lincoln's childhood home today.  

Finally, we drove on into Mammoth Cave National Park.

We found a decent campsite that isn't likely to flood, is surrounded by dense forest, and doesn't have any dead or weak looking branches hanging overhead.  We're expecting storms tonight and tomorrow, but so far God has been good to us by steering nasty weather away from us (or, more often, steering us away from nasty weather: Pensacola, New Orleans, San Antonio, Lake Michigan, just to name a few camps that didn't work out).  We've seen a ton of deer, turkey, and rabbits around.  See!

This picture doesn't really show it, but this deer looks terribly emaciated, as do most deer around the park.  Also, it was about 8 inches away from our car when we took this shot.  I've been hunting plenty and have seen bunches of deer out in the wild.  One thing that all deer seem to have in common is that they just don't like people.  Not these deer though...it was obvious that they're accustomed to being hand-fed.  

I feel bad for the poor deer though (very punny!).  Using my imagination, I bet their lives are really tough.  They have gotten so used to eating the oreos, white bread, oatmeal, and fruit roll ups that people willingly throw their way that I'm sure they've lost their taste for the grassy, dry taste of forest foliage.  As a result, they look as though they've subjected themselves to crash diets as they reluctantly munch on the nasty greenery, just waiting for some kind souls to continue slowly destroying their intestinal tracts with processed foods.  

Also, I could have easily killed this deer with a slingshot or just by reaching out the window and strangling it. The little learned behavior of approaching vehicles won't help them one bit when enthusiastic, deer-hunting rednecks first lay eyes on them.  

Well, tomorrow it's down into the caves!