On day in late June, when I was near the South Entrance to Crater Lake National Park, I chanced to spy a beer bottle near the road. As I picked it up to dispose of it, something in the neck drew my attention. Closer inspection revealed the skull and forepaws of a white-footed mouse, and through the brown glass the hindquarters of this unfortunate rodent were dimly visible.

We can only suppose that this unsuspecting creature entered the discarded beer bottle, flung to the side of the road by an unthinking person, and became inextricably lodged in the neck while attempting to leave. Whether or not he imbibed the remaining contents is questionable, but the smell may have done its share in luring him to his doom.

The moral of this story is clear -- someone not only contributed to the marring of the natural beauty of the roadside, but also lured one of the native animals into a fatal venture.

"Let no one say, and say it to your shame,
That all was beauty here until you came."