Bike Herding

Here we were riding our bikes as we do several times a week our here in eastern Oregon. We had been using the paved road (Sod House Lane) because it’s flat and has little road traffic. Two weeks ago we changed our starting location because one of the ranches had sheep grazing in their pasture and, as we rode by, a grey dog that looked a lot like a sheep, came through the wire fence and out on the road to bark at us and let us know that he did not want us near his sheep. We rode past quickly and went down the road. Looking back I watched the dog standing on the side of the road waiting to see if we returned. So when we did turn around and ride back to the truck he was there. As a precaution I had picked up a stick which I intended to use to discourage him should he decide to attack us. Well, he didn’t do more than growl and posture which I was thankful for. But as a precaution, the decision was made to start our future rides further down Sod House Lane, past the sheep pastures.

And so we come to last evening. R and I have parked the truck at our new starting spot and are heading west. Who should we encounter but two cows and their calves walking along Sod House Lane. These bovines are not as tame as the ones at the ranch so when they see us they start trotting away from us. So here are four cows trotting and two bike riders peddling west on Sodhouse Lane in the late afternoon. It was a interesting site and we got a kick out of our herding abilities. After about a mile, one pair veered off to the left, through a gate and into a pasture. The other pair went a short distance further, veered to the right, jumped a fence and kept on going. R and I kept pedaling until we got to our turn-around spot and reversed our direction. Cows aren’t the most intelligent four legged creatures on the planet.