Day 4 was finally here! The last ride! Sort of sad, yet joyful. We had already ridden most of these 126 miles many times earlier, so I could really focus on the scenery, the farms, and things other than by GPS! I really enjoyed the freedom from having to really worry about navigating or IF I would survive! For as Mimo mentioned about 30 miles from home, that we all would make it now. Little did he know the heat and water challenges that were ahead. Yes it was another joyful time of the Mimo, Thai, and Vernon show! Vernon the real mountain goat! The day started at 5am for me (yes RWGPS is off by 1 hour). Road out of town just prior to sunrise and had a really quiet ride through farm lands. Again, a big hill climb but it was left hand canyon, which we had climbed day 1, but with the turn to right toward Jamestown. So I wanted to get that canyon part of mile 25 peak, before too hot. Turns out I did that easily and was actually cold on the descent. Funny part here was I had in my head that the Jamestown split was at mile 8 along the canyon length of sign-posts. As I approached a corner, there was milepost 5. Then around the corner up ahead with the Jamestown split! I was mad! I had been robbed of 3 more miles of climbing! How funny was that! yet of course that climb from the split to Jamestown was 3 miles more and a bit tougher than below. While climbing from the Jamestown turn up to Jamestown, I met Rashid's wife coming downhill. She turned around and rode with me back to Jamestown where Rashid was waiting with donuts/coffee (not coffee for me). Great little place. At mile 33.6 is where i stopped to remove my vest and skull cap. Here I took that picture of me against the flat irons. Then again a turn east onto Nelson for a fast descent. Then somewhere around mile 40 the fast 5 passed me at a pace that I could hold onto them! So for about 10 miles up to just after turn to Carter Lake, 53.3, I was with with fast boys! Oh Carter Lake! Rashid had warned me it was a 1-2 mile climb. It was a switchback climb that was tough and slow for me! Grade of 6-8%. What an amazing engineering feat to have Carter Lake UP this big valley! How in the world could there be water UP there when we had been cycling by it every day for 3 days up and back in a valley down below it? Each day I wondered where Carter Lake was! Well today I learned that it was a tough climb and the fun of traversing the 3 different earth dams that were used to create Carter Lake. how amazing to cross over the dam and look down and see how far below the valley was! Then past the Carter Lake Marina and Karl getting some supplies and the short climb up. Then whoa! A downhill - a straight road downhill - whoa a straight road, pretty smooth but with tar filling in the cracks but no holes downhill road. And before I knew it I was at 48.5 mph and braking because I was not sure of how much of a slight corner there was on the way down and then up ahead you can see turn at the bottom but could not judge the banking. I know I could have hit 55 if I wanted to! Then from past Sandy's up to Masonville again. Again with Mimo and Thai but with Vernon also. yes it was here at mile 66 that I sprinted a little hill on a corner not recalling that up ahead was another dam to climb! UGHH. Vernon, M &T had a good laugh at that! So I lost them for a few miles and worked hard to catch up, which I did. This fall-off and catch-up continued until mile 78.5 and lunch at Sandy's inside on a table with the 4 of us. I had a Sandy's hamburger. It was dry like most of my mom's burgers were. But tasty. Also had some green type veggie drink. Fun time to sit there with these 3 other accomplished cyclits. Mimo has a K-Hound award, Thai wore a Craters 1200km jersey and I had been hearing for days about Vernon and his climbing! Off we set for home! Of course the yo-yo effect continued. Me falling off and catching up. This went on until mile 108. Too tired, too hot, too thirsty to want to catch up any longer so there I was alone again. Struggling in what was probably the hardest miles of the 4 days, for me. Finally found a convenience store to get water and bathroom at mile 113.3. That helped a ton! Spent 10 minutes here! 10 minutes to recover for the last 20 miles! Boy I must be wasted, I thought! Those last miles were into a wind, uphills, and tough but each mile took me to my final goal. of course at mile 114 I forgot we had that extra loop west to do! I was mad about doing those and thankful I had stopped for those 10 minutes to get water and rest and cool off. Yet the miles from 120 - 122 were all uphill, it was nice to do, because once I reached the top of that hill, I knew it was all downhill for that last 1 mile! GREAT RIDE, BETTER CYCLING BUDDIES, AWESOME VOLUNTEERS, and Good weather. My 2nd ever 1200km is done, 11 years after the first. On to PBP 2023!