Why did the chicken cross the road?

Last night as I was driving toward Portland on 99E, I observed a scene that was soooooo Oregonian.
It was a rainy evening, and since it was 6pm it was dark as well. Street lights shine off the wet pavement and create a good view of traffic. But where there are no street lights the road is dark and black.
Traveling down the hill from Oak Grove into old Milwaukie, I saw the oncoming traffic stopped. Not because of a traffic light but just stopped in a dark area of 99E across from the Kellogg water treatment plant. I slowed down, trying to determine if I should stop as well. I saw no police lights, no bicyclist, nothing but some bump in the road infront of the first car. I slowed even more and tried to focus on the bump. It moved!

I was watching a large Beaver (or maybe it was a Nutria but the tail looked like a Beaver tail) waddle slowly across 99E, from the river side to the creek side.

By the time I figured out what it was, I had already passed the scene. There was no danger of me hitting it since the Beaver was still in the lanes of oncoming traffic and moving slow.
But I feared for the cars following after me, since there was no street lights in the area, would they see the lumbering lump when he finally made it into the northbound lanes?

As I glanced several times a second into my rearview mirror I was amazed to see all traffic stop for this creature.

He made it!

Oregonians!! Gotta love ‘em.