Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Continuing on....Outdoor Wednesday




Continuing on.... #2 in the Outdoor Wednesday meme. ( I wonder if I'll get in trouble for posting two times in the same meme?)

Cattle.   I think if you are in the cattle/beef business, you say cattle.  If you are just an average joe, you say cows. (of course a cow is female and a bull is male)
Maybe cattle is plural for all and cow'S' is plural for the females?
Maybe someone can help me settle this?

We do have "Open Range laws" in the state of Nevada.  Open Range is so very complicated---and the subject of much debate.  Especially since Nevada is 85% public land (Federal land)

Nevada is one of many western states that are primarily comprised of "open range" land. The open range designation means that cattle, horses, sheep and other livestock are free to roam and feed over any property that is not fenced. Nevada, and other open range states, legislate "fence-out" laws that essentially say: if you don't want other people's livestock coming on your property, then it is your responsibility to fence your land adequately to prevent ingress. Your fencing also prevents egress for your livestock.


You have to be very careful driving in the state---the rural parts, anyway, which consists of everywhere but Reno and Las Vegas ---- because cattle can just be there crossing the roadway at any time.
As the official definition indicates, open range has no fences bordering the roadway.  Cattle and other animals are free to wander where they will.  If this sounds dangerous, it is!  The Nevada Department of Transportation indicates that between 1998 and 2002, there were more than 200 accidents each year on Nevada roads because of cattle in the roadway.  Sometime there is a sign indicating you are in an open range area, but not always.Night driving in the open range areas of Nevada can be an extra challenge, since, besides the reduced visibility, cattle often head to the roads at night to soak up the heat retained by the asphalt. It may come as a surprise to drivers in Nevada that if you do happen to hit a cow or other domestic animal on open range, it may be your fault and you may be held financially responsible for the injury or death of the animal. 

In fact, here are a few pictures we took in April when we were up around Denio, Nevada, taken from the car as we drove by...

not a cow, but a stream  You can never pass up water in the desert, so.... a photo op!







Notice the  window?  The car window is halfway down.  It really filters it and makes the desert look a lot greener than it is.







2 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Wow, the window does make a huge difference.

When we lived in Charlotte there was cattle behind us. When Carl would grill, they would all come to the fence. He said he felt like they were watching him because they knew what he was going.

Tina said...

You live in such a cool part of the country.....not temperature wise, I don't think I could handle the heat.

Loving your Outdoor theme, great photos.

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