fortunately i am not “it”.

the other day i was up on tussey mtn, no paved roads, loads of dirt and rough fire roads. i was out on my trek, with the 650b 33mm tires and mafac racer brakes. I had just finished riding down a really long, really rocky section, and was a bit shaken, but otherwise fine. I hit a dirt road at around 25mph, carving around a turn, close to the shoulder. I see a coiled rattlesnake inches away, too close to dodge and not crash. Its head is raised and in the 1.2 seconds that it takes my wheels to pass by, it strikes. I hear a brief rattle, and looking back, I see the snake stretched across the road, having missed me by god knows how many inches.

Today I was riding back along the edge of Mt Nittany, close to some high brush that borders a thicker forest. I hear what sounds like a deer in the brush, and look up, seeing a black face looking back. In the time it takes me to realize that its a bear and not a person, the bear is on his hind legs, and sort of falling down the berm at me. he doesnt seem mad, just curious, like he is checking for traffic, which he very well may be doing. He comes off his hind legs, and his head is less than 3 feet from my right leg. It all happens too fast to be scared. I look back, and he is just standing by the side of the road. 300 yards up the road, a mini peloton of lycra riders is charging at me, and I shout a warning…