I headed out earlier tonight and decided to do the big loop. I was great as I rode it backwards which saves the technical climb till the end vs a technical drop at the start. I was about half way out looking at the tracks in the soft powdered dirt. All bikes except maybe one dog. I rounded a corner and saw a Coyote looking at me over his shoulder. As I got closer it looked pretty stocky for a coyote, I think it was a young mtn lion. I should have stopped and looked at the tracks, but I was not really thinking of stopping. I went further out where there is a lot less trail use and saw some interesting tracks, not a dog, not a coyote, not sure it was a lion but there was a big pad in the dust. Further along I saw deer tracks. I climbed up Steamer Alley, it looks worse going up than going down, lots of big boxing glove sized loose rocks on the trail (aka steamers). I crested and made the turn towards home. I was screaming the twisty trail when I rounded a corner and a big doe was right in front of me. My hard braking startled her and lucky for me she did a 180 and pranced down the trail. By now it was getting late and dark pushing 8:00 and I was near the end. I was descending a twisty drop when I saw a big black stick across the trail. I could once again brake hard. I decide it was not a black stick but a black rattler, my tire hits a crunchy bush and pustttttitititit. It coils and drifts off the side of the trail. After that no more adventures but it was pretty cool seeing all those critters on one ride. Happy wildlife trails
