Originally Posted by
teacherlady
Here's the picture.
It's not a very good photo: I was so awed that it took a few minutes to think of getting a picture, and by then she was walking away through the brush above us. However, the tail is obvious, and I've been told that the tail is the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion.
Look, I teach statistics, and know the difference between dangerous and scary. I am certain that the motorized vehicles up there are more dangerous than any wildlife (though I have seen several wild turkeys up there). In fact, I'm probably more at risk from an out of control cyclist than from any predator.
I just think it's really cool that I can get off the light rail from one of the densest cities in the country and RIDE MY BIKE to a place where the deer and the antelope play -- and the mountain lions too! Isn't a bicycle a wonderful thing, and aren't we lucky that we get to ride our bikes here!
OK, now you're making me more scared of Mines, you've seen wild turkeys up there. I've learned from my close calls on Dublin Canyon, they are so stupid that no matter what speed I'm going, and no matter how clearly they see I'm coming, they may just come out into the road in front of me. I'd hate to have one suddenly come in front of me going downhill fast on any stretch of Mines.
It looks like a coyote to me, too. See a few of those in my times out on the road. A few months ago, I stopped on Collier Canyon to watch a coyote stalking a deer. The coyote seemed to eventually give up, although maybe he was just fooling me into riding away. It is cool that we live in a place where it is so easy to go out and ride among wildlife. The downside is that from a bike, the view of road kill is much more unpleasant than it is from a car. Also, when the vultures are circling overhead when I am riding on a nasty uphill, I wonder if I'm in as bad shape as the vultures seem to think.