A single lightning bolt killed 45 cattle on a Darby-area ranch last week.

The cows, calves and a prize bull were crowded together under some small crabapple trees when the lightning struck, said rancher Jean Taylor.

The incident happened Monday, July 14.

“It was exactly at 10:28 p.m.,” Taylor said. “The clap of thunder woke me up. Some friends told me they felt the shock in their house.”

The Taylors live south of Tin Cup Road.

The family had spent years building their herd of Black Angus cattle.

“They were beautiful cattle,” she said. “It killed cows and their calves and a bull that we had just bought last spring. It’s very sad.”

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With freedom of speech on their side, organizers of Missoula’s first “Bare as You Dare” public bicycle ride have received their final permit, along with the official green light to hold the clothing-optional event.

Come Aug. 17, Missoula will be the latest city to participate in the “World Naked Bike Ride,” a movement launched in 2004 to protest oil consumption and “reveal” the vulnerabilities of cycling in an auto-dominated society.

While the event has grown exponentially in recent years to include 11 countries and more than three dozen cities, local organizer Nita Maddux is keeping a low profile on Missoula’s inaugural ride to avoid unnecessary controversy.

“I really don’t want to blow it out of proportion,” Maddux said. “I want to give people a chance to see that it’s not that big of a deal.”

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