dryfj.com / drycyclist.com (kevin cook)

20/24
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My next break spot, a little higher again up Willow Ridge Trail, eating yet another Clif bar, drinking yet more water.

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05330-bike-rest-from-below-800px.jpg The "dreaded steep part" where I must remove my heavy saddlebags from the bike and walk them up the hill separately.ThumbnailsThis manzanita is all pretty and red in the late-afternoon sun and takes my mind off the pain of climbing this hill.The "dreaded steep part" where I must remove my heavy saddlebags from the bike and walk them up the hill separately.ThumbnailsThis manzanita is all pretty and red in the late-afternoon sun and takes my mind off the pain of climbing this hill.The "dreaded steep part" where I must remove my heavy saddlebags from the bike and walk them up the hill separately.ThumbnailsThis manzanita is all pretty and red in the late-afternoon sun and takes my mind off the pain of climbing this hill.The "dreaded steep part" where I must remove my heavy saddlebags from the bike and walk them up the hill separately.ThumbnailsThis manzanita is all pretty and red in the late-afternoon sun and takes my mind off the pain of climbing this hill.The "dreaded steep part" where I must remove my heavy saddlebags from the bike and walk them up the hill separately.ThumbnailsThis manzanita is all pretty and red in the late-afternoon sun and takes my mind off the pain of climbing this hill.

I must make it to the top, no matter how many breaks I must take along the way! I'm still feeling exhausted and sore, but at least those nasty leg cramps have disappeared.

The 10-ton bike is sitting on a fairly level segment here after coming up a short slope that felt rather vertical, though it doesn't look it.

Awesome scenery here, but I'm too fatigued and too focused on my goal of reaching Mississippi Lake today to appreciate it fully.

It just occurred to me that maybe the trail isn't that steep after all; maybe the problem is just that I'm just tired.