The bugs that we did not see

I have never been a big fan of bugs.
When younger I would only camp in the early spring or late fall to avoid mosquitoes.
However, I have gotten tougher with age and camp all summer long. Mind you I go with a complete arsenal of weapons to fight them off when they are bad. Coils, repellent an foggers are always on hand.
Expecting to find throngs of bugs on our two week vacation to the Black Hills and Denver, we were very pleasantly surprised to find very few and even no bugs in just about every place we camped.
As we enjoyed our bug-free vacation, we spent a day at Mount Rushmore during the first week of our trip.
Taking the Iron Mountain Roadway to the world famous memorial, we enjoyed the majestic pine trees and the winding roads that took us through caves that framed the famous Mt. Rushmore as you passed through them.
It was at the memorial that we learned of a bug that is not biting us or even physically seen by us. The Mountain Pine Beetle is ravaging the old growth forests of the Black Hills.
When we left Mt. Rushmore we took a different route back to Custer State park and when we rounded a bend and saw the tracts of brown dying pines it became very clear that this majestic place is in deep trouble. I am glad Kim and the kids and I were able to see it. I just hope it can be saved but it did not look good from our vantage.
It reminds me of the battle we fought against Dutch Elm Disease here 30 years ago. The streets of Rainy River were framed by those tall trees. Now only a handful are left.
They are thinning the forest there in hopes of stopping the beetles... I only hope the win the battle so future generations can enjoy the forest in the Black Hills.
–Until then,
Ken