day 1 mini-loop

One more practice ride before mini-Loop. 

Cold morning but the route started climbing right away. Back up from the wide prairie to 5,889' at the summit. Then 20 miles downhill to Prairie City. Second breakfast which I regretted because the service was so slow and the day was getting hot. 

Then east on 26, now following the route of my 3010 tour.  Soon came a brutal hot climb. The first part to the prairie schooner was the worst. We all stopped and took shelter inside the display which was funneling through a nice cool breeze. Spent a good deal of time recovering before heading out. 

The rest of the climb was not as bad. Still very hot but every now and then a cloud would roll by or a breeze would spring up. I stopped a lot. There were some shady places which were delightfully cool as we gained elevation. The summit was 5280'. 

Then a long downhill to Austin House. The heat picked up as we lost altitude. Camping out back is very nice.