OK this was in 2017.
I was returning by bicycle to my Airbnb from rehearsal, right about dusk on a country road in Sheffield, MA. A Black Bear (Ursus americanus) stepped into the road about I dunno 50 yards away? I stopped. The bear stopped. As I was wondering what the fuck to do I saw it sniff the air in that way bears sniff the air. I thought, “That fucking thing knows I’m here! Lemme think, what do I know about bears?” We looked at each other from that distance until I very carefully got on my bike, made a u-turn and slowly rode away. I was able to observe the creature with my Take-a-Look rear view mirror. I watched it amble into the woods on the other side of the road. I stopped, waited, then did another u-turn and rode back to my Airbnb without incident. I didn’t take a different route because I’m a damn fool. They say God protects little children, drunkards, and fools. It made for a good story.
Here is the finale. The whole thing is like an hour and a half.