Chapter 11: Badlands National Park

In the darkness before dawn, the Green Tortoise Adventure Bus crawled to a halt along the curb of a dark empty parking lot in Badlands National Park. With the last breath of the engine came a profound silence. I arose from the back platform where British Sue and I had been sleeping. I gingerly tiptoed over the people on the front platform. Driver Brian was asleep with his arms resting on the steering wheel. Jewels had fallen asleep on the Buddy Seat leaning against his shoulder. He stirred briefly as I cranked the noisy swing-arm to open the door. I embraced the cool night.

The atmosphere of this strange new world stood perfectly still. Neither cricket chirps nor cicada songs desecrated this altar of silence. It was an alien environment entirely devoid of sound, like the ticking hand ...