Dead and dead looking bodies

Saturday I saw a dead body.   When my hiking group was driving back from the east side of Glacier Park on the Going-to-the-Sun road we came upon a traffic accident.   A motorcycle and car were off on the left side of the road in a pullout near a restroom. Another car was in the ditch on the right side of the road.  In the middle of the road was a man's body covered with a tarp.  He was lying on his back and his hands and lower legs were sticking out from under the tarp.

The Park rangers were directing traffic around the body.  We never saw the ambulance or the sheriff's department SUV coming under we were out of the Park and halfway to Coram, MT.   News reports claimed the accident happened just after 5 pm, and I don't think we drove by until after 7 pm.  That's a long time for families to drive by with their kids and have the kids ask why the man was lying under the tarp in the middle of the road.

Seeing a dead body sticks with a person.

Then this morning I thought one of Dan's steers was dying.  Number 10 was lying on his side with his legs sticking straight out.  He was near my yard fence among the other cattle who were all sitting or laying normally while taking their morning siesta.  Number 10 did not stir when I approached.  His ear twitched and he was slowly breathing. So he was alive. His eyes were mostly closed and it seemed as if his eyes were rolled up.  His side was large.  I was afraid he had become bloated and was dying.

I called Dan and left a message then went outside again.  By now Number 10 was sitting up but was groggy.  While I filled the water tank and watched and waited he woke up and eventually began chewing his cud. He was all right.  Apparently he was just sleeping very soundly.  I've never been around cattle who didn't wake when I approached them.

Dan came over to double check and the steer was fine.  All the cattle were very relaxed. The horses too as when waiting for the steer to wake up I noticed several of the horses laying down and sleeping.  That wasn't as unusual as the horses tend to lay on their side with legs out when they sleep.  Usually the cattle I observed sleeping tend to curl up like a cat when sleeping.  They sleep on their belly and tuck their head by their side.

I'm glad I didn't have another dead body.