Well, the weather is getting colder as it always does this time of the season. I had to wear arms, knees and 2 base layers. I should have wore my full-fingered gloves, but I decided to wear the normal ones. My fingers were cold only on the downhill. Breathing some warmth into them helped. The winds were from the north, so I decided to coast most of the way down. I made it to the top of the descent in good average time, around 10 minutes or so. My concentration was probably the worst of the ride. The way out was not too bad, I felt well within myself. But the ascent proved to be much less than I usually feel. Once and a while I have a bad day like this. I was having to coach myself most of the way on the return ascent just to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. It felt like was in a dream-like state at times. Kind of being passive about what I was thinking and feeling very disturbed. I did what I could to keep my cool and continue with the ride. Fortunately my body responded well. It really did carry the weight of the ride today. For the most part I was able to gauge my efforts well. I think that's what kept this ride on the positive side after reaching the summit. I ended up doing modest intervals, just to give myself something to focus on. Other stuff, balance... My legs felt well balanced. My knee warmers worked well today, I had no discomforts in either leg. My hips felt ok. So, in terms of bodily ailments, today was a good day, no serious discomforts. Gear is also working well today, fortunately no mishaps. My attire was perfect on the return ascent. I felt comfortable in terms of dealing with the cold weather. I gauged that part right. Other notes, I noticed a trail that led up one of the mountains off to south east side while descending. I couldn't get a verification on the return trip.