The Irish/Filipino who went up a hill, that turned into a mountain, hit 190 BPM, bonked, walked up the mountain, and coasted downhill to the hotel.

That pretty much sums up my ride.

But here's some pictures of the ride for you to enjoy.This is about 5 miles into the ride. I put in just over 12 miles. The first mile and a half was out of town, then a quick right turn and it became 7 miles of easy uphill. I wasn't going fast, maybe 10 MPH average, but I was enjoying the scenery. Then this happened.I guess in the picture, it doesn't look like much, but if you can imagine walking up a ramp and then coming to a 1/2 mile curving flight of stairs, that's about as good as it gets. Or, for those of you who've done the Kalaupapa trail on Moloka'i, it's like that when you hit the first switchback. It starts to go up. There was a quick flat side street before the steep part, so I cut off on that, to regain my breath and get my BPM down, and then made a valiant attempt at climbing the beast. I had the bike in the lowest gear, I was swerving from side to side to lessen the grade, but still my heart rate shot up to 190 BPM and I had to pull over, about 200 feet from the top.Threw my bike in the grass and sat down. I had bonked, I was done.I'm not smiling in that picture, I'm breathing so hard, I can't close my mouth. But at least I look good in my sunglasses and helmet.

I walked my bike to the top, and sat down again in someones yard. It felt like walking the bike was harder than riding it. I again, caught my breath and got back on the bike. The legs were a little weak, but I crested the hill and headed back to town.

Here's the final tally on the miles and the calories.Forgive the bad lighting, I was already in the elevator up to my room when I took the picture.

I got the ride off of mapmyride.com and rode 1/2 of it backwards. Meaning, I started at the end of the listed ride and rode to the beginning. Right in the middle there, it seemed like it wasn't going to end, but all in all, a really great ride. So pretty with the fall leaves raining down on you as you speed down hill. Totally worth the pain.

Day off again tomorrow in Erie, PA. Should be snowing! If not, there's supposed to be a nice flat ride out onto a little island in Lake Erie.

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One final note. This is my first show in West Virginia. I've been on the road for 12 years now, and I have only two states I've not done a show in, Alaska and Wyoming. Once I get those, I'll quit touring. Similar to what I said about my passport. Once that expires I'm stopping touring. That was two years ago. I'll never cut my hair! In 1998, I cut my hair.

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