dryfj.com / drycyclist.com (kevin cook)

2319/7119
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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.

05330-bike-rest-from-below-800px.jpg My next break stop: I wait for the sun to stop shining on my tent by sitting in the shade of a nearby oakThumbnailsMy next break along Kelbaker Road is near the road to the Rainy Day Mine site, with the cinder cones in the backgroundMy next break stop: I wait for the sun to stop shining on my tent by sitting in the shade of a nearby oakThumbnailsMy next break along Kelbaker Road is near the road to the Rainy Day Mine site, with the cinder cones in the backgroundMy next break stop: I wait for the sun to stop shining on my tent by sitting in the shade of a nearby oakThumbnailsMy next break along Kelbaker Road is near the road to the Rainy Day Mine site, with the cinder cones in the backgroundMy next break stop: I wait for the sun to stop shining on my tent by sitting in the shade of a nearby oakThumbnailsMy next break along Kelbaker Road is near the road to the Rainy Day Mine site, with the cinder cones in the backgroundMy next break stop: I wait for the sun to stop shining on my tent by sitting in the shade of a nearby oakThumbnailsMy next break along Kelbaker Road is near the road to the Rainy Day Mine site, with the cinder cones in the background

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.