Woke a bit before my alarm so I didn't have to rush. Managed to leave before 5 which was plenty of time to make it down to Luthersville via 54 and only be passed by a couple cars. I used my heated soles because it was forecast to be 29 and lately my toes have been colder than usual. Only a few minutes in I realized they weren't on, dead batteries. I neglected to make sure they were charged and that was a bad idea. I ended up being warm enough that it wasn't a problem but I would have been happier if they were on. I used my thick gloves and was pretty warm. All the little dead end roads that had dubious end points were mostly a cinch. And utterly devoid of any activity early on a cold Sunday. The highway sections of 100 and 109 were pretty sparse also. 109 was worse closer to Lagrange but it has a good shoulder so it was pretty nice riding. I decided to stop early at the Mountville Dollar General to avoid having to go off course for the Kroger in Lagrange, peeled off a bit of clothing too. After breezing through Lagrange, I did another set of dead end roads only one of which I failed to complete because of a dad and his son and a basketball goal taking up the whole road, I said pleasantries and did a quick u turn, leaving it for another day. Soon it was midway through the ride and I rode the trails at R Shaefer Heard park. I've been here many times but it's been awhile. There are new trails and trails that have been reworked and the info on Open Street Maps is quite incomplete. So I did Turkey Trot and went on my way. It was fun and I definitely remembered sections. Crossed into Alabama and saw what might have been a bald eagle in its nest by the dam. I was only in Alabama for a bit and then back to West Point. Stopped at the third Dollar general and rolled on. I definitely started to feel a bit tired after this. I figured I'd come out of it after the typical long ride doldrums. Crossed sand creek on Monument road in Harris county for the second time and did the tightrope walk on the bridge that has no deck anymore. I grabbed the truss for stability and walked on an ibeam with my bike rolling beside on the adjoining one. After some nicely deserted paved roads I rolled into Pine mountain. I stopped at yet another Dollar general for water this time mostly but also snacks too. The only route snag I had was one gated gravel road taken by a serious pine plantation with giant fences. Thankfully it was only a short road and another connector was close by. By this time I was in a bit of a malaise and so I talked myself into yet another DG stop in Greenville for insurance. I soon after began to feel a bit better after some chips and other snacks and a bit of water. The temp started dropping as the sun slowly sank down over the horizon over the pastures. The Rocky Mount store had a couple of four wheelers and a battered, ragged out Ranger, all revving up as I rolled past the intersection. I fully expected to be passed by these soon and sure enough I heard the shrill cacophony of a straining 2 stroke engine piloted by a teenage boy with a death wish fly by me at at least 60 mph. As he slid back into the right lane his machine tweaked a bit and for a half second I thought he would lose control and I would see someone die. The other four wheeler came by right after, albeit much slower. The ranger hung back and stayed behind while I went down a hill at 35mph and as we went up the other side of the hill it passed me as soon as I rolled by the two four wheelers stopped beside the road, obviously fiddling with the speed demon. Soon after, once on gravel and as it grew dark I put on arm and ear warmers and was glad of the solitude. This didn't last as I had to ride on Luther Bailey road which I swear I've experienced less traffic in the middle of a Saturday but whatever, everyone gave plenty of room. I'd just like to climb the hill up to 16 ONE time without a car that waits and then passes at the last second right in front of an oncoming car. Anyway I found myself in the situation of needing to bump up my mileage which is usually the opposite of the case at the end of these long rides. I had failed to take a diversion of a road that branched off where the four wheelers were so I was short. So I rode the path beside Keg creek north and then knocked out Rockaway with only a couple cars passing. Still need more miles so I did a long path way home a bit east of the shortest, and ended up with a respectable 206. Definitely ready to be done and don't really know why but it felt harder than it should have been? Still a good and enjoyable ride. Lovely weather and a glorious day of very light winds.