Homeward bound on the borderlands between New Mexico and Arizona I found myself daydreaming. My traveling cohorts were discussing the advantages of the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State. They talked about everything from mascots to party streets and the dos and don'ts of party crashing. It could have been Ohio state now that I think of it...Whatever the University, I found myself without a foothold in the conversation.
The March sky was slowly turning from blue to gold to purple- a beautiful high altitude swan song for the day. I wondered where the first star would show up in the friscalating dusk light. Would it be Venus or Jupiter? It could be Mars.... Lord knows actual stars aren't as bright as the sun's reflection off our neighbors in space.
I remember saying something from the backseat along the lines of "Keep your eyes peeled and we might see an elk.... this is the time of day when they tend to come out near the road." They both looked at me as if I was interrupting a heavy intellectual debate. I could read in their faces that they would much rather continue talking about Midwestern universities.
"Look. There is one over on the side of that canyon!" I said as Mason Jennings blared from the small speakers in the Chevy Aveo. They both looked over squinty eyed.
"I think that's a rock." said one. "Are you sure? It's not moving..." said the other.
As we came closer we noticed the outline move and rear its head toward the moving headlight shadows cast by the juniper and piñon pines. We soon came around a bend in the road as it passed into Arizona. The sides of the road opened up from the saddle of the hills and we soon came to a large meadow filled with Elk. Soon we were surrounded by a group at least one hundred strong. A big bull stood in the road proudly displaying its enormous rack; halogen headlights accentuating the steam coming from its nose and mouth.
"Oh my God! Slow down babe... I want to take pictures!" one said. "Goddamn it!" said the other.
