How is it I am always the one to start these awful tangents that really do not need to be explored.

The road is very low traffic and I was doing maybe 10 mph looking at the birds and wildflowers as I rode 4" from the side of the road. I just thought it was a downed limb or truck muffler, something I did not want to hit but nothing that would try to jump out and hurt me. More than once I have seen one of these guys stop traffic for hours till they feel like moving along which normally results in them disabling multiple vehicles as people try to scare it or drive by.