No problem with flies. or at least the biting variety. Gnats however were bountiful, clouds of them sticking all over our sweaty selves. The heat really took some of the enjoyment away from that ride. It's such a beautiful place, I kept thinking I would like to do it again in much cooler temps --end to end but at a very leisurely touring pace. The overlooks were all hazy. I did take time to notice the laurels blooming, probably at the end of their bloom. The descents were thrilling. I enjoy the long relentless climbs, though I can't figure out how guys older and heavier than me can still climb faster. One guy, younger at 29, was suffering repeated dual quad and ham cramps so I hung with him which was about my speed. I need to get a stress test, cardiac checkup etc.

@GB-Thanks-You obviously remember my rejected t-shirts designs for TDP. The Urbanite cover was actually done about a year ago for Cincinnati Mag. Urbanite called about two hours before press and asked if I had any bike related art as their previous illustration wasn't cutting it. I just so happened to have that piece, it even had row houses at the bottom, perfect right? But they wanted to crop. Glad you noticed it.