Cattle crossing

There is nothing quite like the expression on the face of a driver intercepted by hundreds of cattle while commuting through the streets of Costa Mesa.

It’s a unique mixture of puzzlement, excitement, frustration and disbelief that sets in as police motorcycles weave in and out of lanes, lights flashing, blocking off traffic and heralding the arrival of the procession. Then, for most, it turns into glee as the motorist realizes he or she is at the epicenter of a moving carnival.

“At first I thought a bad accident had happened,” said Rich Nicholson, who unintentionally found himself with a front-row seat for the spectacle.

Nicholson was on his way to the gym when he was stopped while trying to make a left turn onto Fair Drive from Harbor Boulevard. A grin appeared on his face when he saw the first horses guiding the nearly 300 cattle around the corner, and he jumped out of his car to take a picture with his cellphone camera.

This was not an uncommon reaction to the Orange County Fair’s second annual Cattle Drive. Thousands of eager people lined the streets along the route, each face lighting up as the stampede came into view.

Families popped out of their houses on Placentia Avenue and sat on their lawns. Customers and workers rushed out of the Jack in the Box on Harbor Boulevard and stood side by side.

One would be hard-pressed to find another event that more clearly and accurately showed the complexion of Costa Mesa: all ages, personalities and backgrounds. It was enough to make a political canvasser or census-taker salivate.

“Us city folks don’t get to see this very often,” said Chuck Reed, who was standing near the starting point, Fairview Park, with his wife and daughter. “It’s a great tradition. It gives me a little sense of life in the country.”

About 80 horseback riders and a slew of lean cattle dogs flanked the herd of Texas Longhorn and Corriente cattle as they passed right by the crowds of people, close enough to touch. For the most part, they were able to keep the group calm, collected and walking at a brisk pace, but there were some moments of unplanned excitement.

On Fair Drive, as the procession walked the final stretch, a brown cow broke away from the herd and managed to run about a quarter-mile behind the group. It challenged the three dogs that ran after it, brandishing its horns and waving them wildly at the much smaller animals. A group of park rangers and bicycle cops held back with worried expressions, but after a couple of minutes, the stray cow charged back toward the herd at a full gallop.

Some members of the horseback team, composed of mostly amateurs, some of whom had just ridden a horse for the first time at the prior day’s training camp, said they had a very important role to play.

“We had to herd those cattle through the streets of Costa Mesa. ... There are children standing on the sides of the road!” said rider Jill Hankey with an uneasy chuckle.

Fellow rider Kurt Steffen had a more relaxed view of his role in the event.

“The dogs do all the work. We’re just here for show,” Steffen said.

The street-side audience didn’t let the cattle drivers have all the fun. Mark Monette stood on the side of Fair Drive wearing a full Winnie the Pooh suit with a cowboy hat, waving a lasso. He had been to last year’s cattle drive, but this time he decided to add a little color to the crowd, even if it meant covering himself with fur in the scorching heat.

Most daughters would cringe at the thought of their dad making such a spectacle, but Mark’s daughter, Steph, said she was immune after years of growing up with her dad. “I’m used to it now,” Steph said.

Not everyone was in high spirits, though. Travis Trevathan, who was unwittingly stopped on his way to show an apartment in Costa Mesa to prospective renters, had an unamused look on his face.

“This wouldn’t be my choice of seats if I knew it was coming,” he said.

For more photos, click here.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].