Eye to Eye

On my way to work last week I was headed down a highway at about 60 mph.  It was quiet and there weren't many other cars on the road yet.  As I sipped my coffee and put the cup down something caught my eye.

I was looking at an adult doe and she was looking at me.  She was on the shoulder of the road facing as if she was about to cross the highway.  I was much too close to her to stop but I did begin to slow down.

As I changed lanes to put some distance between us I was talking to her and our eyes were watching one another.  "Please don't come into the road", I begged her as there were less than two car lengths between us.
At the last second she turned and ran back into the trees.

This was not the first deer I have encountered on the road, but usually I spot them much quicker.  If this happens again it seems like having a staring contest is a good strategy.