The original plan for the day was to head down to Ashokan. However, the anticipated sunny skies never materialized, with the outflow from Hurricane Helene creating a cloud bank ending just north of Roxbury. It would have made little sense to drive the forty minutes to Shokan with such uninspiring overcast to shroud the Catskills' high peaks. Instead, we opted to stay local and give Dry Brook a try. When attempting it over the summer with Kaylee, the freshly oiled surfaces made it a no-go. This time around, the new stones were sufficiently compacted that it made for relatively safe riding. Even so, yesterday’s steady rain and early morning murk left shaded areas wet and treacherously littered with damp leaves. Needless to say, our descent was somewhat tempered instead of being the usual bombing run so often made in the past when the road surfaces were dry and predictably safe. And once again, Gina totally burned me out on the ascent, setting a pace that often left me panting and struggling to stay on her wheel. She'll be the death of me yet!