Hey, I live on U.S. 40, and I hadn't seen the story. It's half a mile from several of our favorite hiking spots. It's at an elevationof about 5,000 feet, about 55 miles up the hill from us.
I haven't seen bears in the neighborhood (2,300 feet elevation), but our next-door neighbor said his dogs chased a bear up a tree last week.
Haven't seen rattlesnakes here, either - but my wife has seen both bears in the neighborhood.
-Joe-