shortly after visiting the cemetery sphinx statue, we stopped what looked to be a large yellow dog slowly crossing one of the paths. it took my brain a few extra seconds to process what i was seeing: a coyote! this was only the 4th time i'd ever seen a coyote, and never one in the middle of the day at such close proximity. another couple stood in front of us, but they'd seemed oblivious to the animal, too busy studying a map. after the coyote walked by, i asked them if they saw it. the boy said he did, but seemed very nonplussed by the whole experience; the girl was more surprised, didn't even realize what had happened. from where we stood, we continued watching the animal scamper across the cemetery until it finally disappeared. it was a lot larger that i expected (about the size of a large dog), and seemed to be rather robust, no sign that it was having a hard time finding things to eat. it didn't seem scared, but had a wild look to it, like it'd just as soon run away than make contact with humans.