Tried this again, but going left out of the canal access at around Mile 18 and up.. up ... up. You basically get ALLL the climbing out of the way in the first three miles after leaving the towpath. Wasn't steep but wasn't something you just burst right up. You are, however, rewarded with 2+ miles of downhill, which today was also downwind, so bonus. Then a little more climbing and THREE miles of downhill. Body had its moments -- the 17 miles of steady output on the towpath was ... ok. It was a long time to pedal without stopping though, after so much MTB riding. Allegedly there was Canadian wildfire smoke; didn't see or smell any. Temps high 70s and quite comfortable. Pretty good NW wind, which you could feel on the open sections from 9.8 to 12 ... not so much in the woods on the towpath.