One summer day while cruising through the wild and rugged landscape of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota I spotted about a dozen cattle roaming free just off the road. A few of these future Big Macs were nearly on the road, and I suddenly imagined a KLR vs. cow collision. My sense of self preservation kicked in and I rolled off the throttle. No other vehicles were in sight so I gently swerved to the center of the road as I passed. No need to crowd them.
A short distance beyond the cattle, I pulled over to stretch my legs. I parked the bike and wandered over to a nearby sign (below) that provided some interesting background to these cows. I am not a rancher or cowboy and have no particular interest in cows, but the historian in me found this interesting.
A short distance beyond the cattle, I pulled over to stretch my legs. I parked the bike and wandered over to a nearby sign (below) that provided some interesting background to these cows. I am not a rancher or cowboy and have no particular interest in cows, but the historian in me found this interesting.
In my mind, longhorn cattle are near to John Wayne as symbols of the "old west", especially since The Cowboys is one of my favorite movies. After reading these signs, I saw these animals in a slightly different light and walked back toward them for a couple pics. Of course, they continued eating and paid no attention to me at all, unlike the wild horses I had seen earlier.
As I rode off again, I realized that with only 10-25 steers in the park, I was fortunate to have come across them at all. It also struck me how a little context can turn the not-so-glamorous sight of some open range cattle, into something a bit more interesting. While I appreciate the history these animals and their connection to the Wild West past, I appreciate a good steak even more!
