It rained a bit overnight, so we were glad we were under the shelter. We awakened to very chilly temperatures. Our fingers were numb as we prepared and cleaned up breakfast and broke camp. Before leaving, we met Katherine Krogh, who came to chat. Turns out she works with elderly patients and she graciously gave us a donation for Alzheimer’s. We were preparing for a challenging day today, as we would be climbing the highest mountain on our journey. We knew it would take forever so we planned a low mileage day. It was chilly in the valley, so we figured it would be cold as we climbed. On our way out of town, we met a cyclist heading from Colorado to Austin. We chatted a quick minute and were on our way. Much to our surprise and delight, the climb was much more gradual than expected. We had many spectacular views on our way up. There was a long descent into Hillsboro, which about froze us to death! Once in the town, it started raining steadily so we were glad to find a wine tasting room open...with a cozy fire! Nikki, the proprietor, was very kind with lots of good information about the area and it’s inhabitants, which numbered less than 100. We enjoyed a beverage and some lunch until the rain stopped. The ride to Kingston was all uphill with switchbacks but very scenic with lots of pines. Near the top, a woman stopped whose sister owned the 19th century era inn where we were staying. She offered to carry our gear to the inn, so Kelley took her up on it. When we got the the inn, Sherry showed us to our room and more importantly, where the hot tub was! She also offered to carry our gear to the top of the mountain in the morning. After a dip in the hot tub, we cooked our rehydrated meal in the 1880’s era kitchen on a gas stove from the same era. Total cycling mileage: 30 Total hiking mileage: 2.5