I often ride over cattleguards and past "Open Range" signs. Obviously they are there for a reason, but I had never seen any cattle until the other day. We ride out to this canyon, and it's a big climb. We cross at least five cattleguards (metal grates that apparently cows don't like to walk across), which probably should have tipped us off that there were cattle in the area.

Screaming down the hill at 30 mph, I spot my first cattle ever. They clearly didn't view us as a threat, and about five of them are crossing the road very slowly. Serious emergency braking ensued. My riding partner and I tried to imagine what a cow vs. bicycle accident would result in, and we concluded the cow would most assuredly come out of it better than we would have.