A close encounter with a 'moo' kind on Mexico's Highway 200

HIGHWAY 200, Jalisco, Mexico - The Admiral was driving our Toyota Tundra at a relatively pokey 50 miles-per-hour this afternoon on Highway 200 - bringing us home after a foray to Puerto Vallarta - when we were suddenly confronted by four or five very large bulls filling in both lanes of the highway.

As in really filling in.

The Admiral did a splendid job of braking and swerving, simultaneously putting on the truck's flashing lights for any traffic behind us, neatly avoiding creating any highway hamburger with our Tundra as the grinder.

Unfortunately the van driving behind us - quite fast - didn't fare nearly as well.

The driver slammed on his brakes to avoid slamming into us and in that process did several very impressive spins in the road before ending up in the ditch. The Admiral watched it all happen in the rear view mirror. I heard the tires screech for 30 seconds while I did my best duck-and-cover as I braced for impact.


Van from its good side


Tow-truck driver's dream (or nightmare)

At first, the driver of the van tried to say it was the Admiral's fault - until he saw the four bulls make a return, sauntering appearance on the highway. Perhaps they came to check out what havoc they had just wreaked - or see if they could dump another vehicle off the side of the road.

We offered assistance, but the driver insisted only that we head on down the road to the Pemex service station near the road to Tomatlan to ask his amigos there for help. His brother was on duty and after I explained where the accident happened, the brother was busy texting on his phone, no doubt for someone to head back north.

When we left the actual scene of the accident, the driver of the van and the owner of the loose-on-the-highway-bulls were nose-to-nose and gesturing pretty wildly about the whole incident.

And the driver's ladyfriend in the photo? We never got her name, but she seemed pretty nonchalant for having survived what could have easily been a fatal rollover crash.

On the balance of the trip home, we drove a pretty staid 50 mph, with eyes peeled for wildlife of any kind. And yes, we did encounter another herd of wayward bovines. But the second group was walking on the side of the 3 kilometer gravel road leading to our place, (the Pink Flamingo) in downtown Arroyo Seco.

And no fast-driving vans were behind us.