As planned, I did the Caliente CW Loop. I got up at 5:45AM-ish. I followed my timeline to the dot. I arrived at the starting point around 8:30AM-ish. It was an ideal departure. I didn't forget a thing. There was a slight headwind in the first 15 minutes, leading up to the major climb. I was having to hold back. When the first climb arrived, I approached it with a bit of wisdom. I let the climbing legs to set in. It took about 15 minutes or so, after which I was settled into a steady tempo. The climb went fast. The morale felt good. I was anxious to get things going. I was in and out of the saddle, trying to preserve my energy and keep the leg muscles happy. I was micro-managing my effort, keeping an eye on the sporadic ailments. My hands didn't go numb, to my surprise. I didn't hold back with weaving when the gradient went upwards of 9 or 10%. I think I stopped twice before reaching the summit in order to take photos. When I reached the summit, I pulled over at my favorite vantage point. I fed a Clif Bar and chugged some Gatorade and water. I went through the provisions analysis. I calculated that I had enough to make it back, barely. Definitely if I could refill at the cafe. After the first rest point, I descended into the valley. I made my way towards the last major climb. I was having bio signs and I couldn't find a suitable place to pull over. Finally, I found a place nearing the last climb. I was stretching at every moment. The left shin muscle was a bit sore, so I was having to adjust my tempo, stretch, stretch, stretch. I made it to the fire station climb quicker than I anticipated. Once I reached the summit, then I pulled over to feed another Clif Bar. I took a photo and then headed down the mountain. The morale felt better. The downhill was a joy. Definitely put a smile on my face. I stopped at the local Cafe. They had a small refrigerated cabinet with beer and soda. I think they had some quick snacks. They didn't have any ice cream sandwiches. They did have ice cream, but I was a bit reluctant to buy any. Perhaps next time! The lady attendant was able to refill a bottle with water. Plenty to make it back home. Later, I would ponder if it was tap water or filtered. So, I went through my Gatorade before drinking the water, just to be safe. I feel fine at the moment. I got back on the road. The sit bones were getting sore, so I was having to stretch at every opportunity. The legs were getting fatigued. Adjusting the tempo and out of the saddle riding helped. I was listening to the music. Guessing home much time to reach the last landmark. The miles went quick. I was keeping an eye on the overall time and calculating the ETA based on my speed. I was pretty close. After reaching "the fork" in the road, the remainder was just getting back to the car. The weather was more or less what I predicted. At the start, it was in the 70's, sunny skies, cool air. While climbing, it got cold in the sheltered zones. By the time I made it back, the temperature rose to above 80 degrees. Overall, the ride was a success, and based on it, I will be good to go for the Spooktacular ride. Concentration was good. Minimal lapses, minimal gremlins and the morale felt good. Although, a bit impatient to start. Balance and form was good. Nutriton was good. It went as good as it could have. Feeding Clif Bars at the right time, staying hydrated with Gatorade and water. Ailments were minimal, some left shin soreness, quad fatigue, maybe hints of knee soreness, sit bone soreness. All mitigateable. Gear worked flawless. Other notes, I saw one cyclist descending off the fire station wall as I was ascending it.