How was I to know that I inadvertently interrupted a cattle drive?
On Sunday morning, I was driving a couple of miles ahead of Roger along a road just outside of Rapid City, South Dakota, surrounded by grassland with occasional herds of cattle. I spotted several cattle gathered behind a wire fence by the road, with a calf right next to them that had somehow gotten outside the fence. I became concerned, because twice before on this trip we had seen young livestock that had been hit by cars. Long story short, I Googled the number for City Hall, pressed the number for after-hours emergency assistance, and was able to speak to someone who said she’d try to find someone who could go help the calf.
I drove on, and a few miles later, I was surprised to see a whole herd of cattle outside a fence, walking toward a driveway. I stopped to take a photo through the open window, and the animals turned around and started walking back in the direction from which they had come. It was then that I noticed a guy on a four-wheel ATV behind me on the road. I motioned to him to come over so that I could ask if he knew who owned the cattle back at the mileage marker where the calf was outside the fence. He sped past me without stopping and joined another guy on an ATV, and the two of them herded the cattle back toward the driveway. It was then that I realized they were ranch hands trying to move the cattle across the road, and by stopping the RV at the crossing point, I had startled the animals into changing direction. I guess that makes me a darned city slicker.
