I normally listen to the train tracks, as the rails sing from the vibrations to announce an incoming train, sometimes even before you can see it. Today, however, the song of the cicadas was way too loud for me to hear the higher-pitched noise of the rails before it got close to the station.

I've been told that the cicadas can be loud as a jackhammer, but when they're off inside the tree line distance makes the sound go softer.

Dave R.