July 5, 2015
Day 22: Steep
Today was awesome, for the first part of the day. And when I say awesome I mean working our ASSES off to get up impossible climbs that are so steep we had to push our bikes until our tongues are hanging out and we are about ready to die, AND are ready to kill the person who designed the roads and didn't think to put one damn switchback in to change the grade from 18% to something a little more manageable. And when I say awesome I also mean the GREAT views and BEAUTIFUL Welsh countryside!
There is something about working your ass off that makes the reward that much sweeter. So when we got to the top of today's climb we decided all the work was worth it. Here, see for yourself...
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We rewarded ourselves with lunch and dilly dallied over tea and bought things for camping at the local store and decided the next stretch, about 15 miles, we would take the main road because, though it had more traffic and fewer views, it was less steep and our legs, after the morning's effort, were close to done. We just wanted to get to the campground and rest.
And it wasn't 10 minutes after we left the lunch place that it started to rain, and when I say rain, I mean RAIN, in buckets. So we rode, soaking wet, and kept going, for over an hour, and it only rained harder.
We made it to the town where our campground was located and stopped at a little inn for tea. We trudged in soaking wet, dripping water everywhere, but the owners couldn't be nicer and didn't seem to mind that we were getting water on everything, or maybe it is so common in this neck of the woods they didn't give it another thought?
Either way we drank gallons of tea until we were warm, and semi-dry enough to think, and the subject of where to stay for the night came up, even though it wasn't even 2pm. We must have independently decided there was no way we were camping and one of us, I don't remember who now, said, "I wonder how much they charge for rooms for the night here?"
Personally, I felt like I would have paid a $1000 so when he said, 60 pounds for a single and 85 for a double there was zero discussion. "We'll take them," we all said.
I have to say one thing for the Welsh. They sure know how to make an inn warm, dry, and inviting!
Tomorrow we climb a steep mountain pass. I sure hope the rain stops!
Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 779 miles (1,254 km)
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