Xingping Today we had a rough plan of where to ride but we were unsure we could make it back in time and what we would do if we needed to bail again. So we just played it by ear with no need to do the whole route if we didn’t want to. There was rain in the forecast as well that was a factor in or decision making but luckily it didn’t rain at all. Along the way if we saw some dirt, we’d diverge off our route, gladly going to explore. Most of the time it dead-ended and we’d have to turn around but it was always pretty and fun nonetheless. Along the lines of playing it by ear, we rounded the corner and came on this coffee stand that had an amazing view and immediately turned in. At home this property would’ve been so exclusive and expensive. They had pretty good coffee and okay pizza. I was happy to stop and refuel by the gorgeous view. People were also there doing water color paintings of the view. At one point someone sat down at one of the paintings, pretending it was theirs, for photos while the artist waited patiently for them to be done. Emily and I got a good laugh at the ridiculous scene. After lunch we decided to detour off of our planned route because it was getting late. The detour end up having some questionable spots, including our first river crossing of the trip, but we pressed forward each time and it payed off. Thankfully there were rocks we could walk across because carrying these e-bikes across wouldn’t have been an option. On the way back we revisited some of the trails we did on the previous trip but anytime we saw a new trail, we’d turn around and try it. Speaking of revisiting, on the last trip we crossed a bridge into Xingping that was so idyllic with the water, sunset and karst formations in the background. We were shocked when we came around the corner and crossed the bridge to see the water drained and concrete and rebar for the foundations of whatever construction project they were working on. At lunch, while we were watching all the people pose for photo after photo in front of the view, Emily was sarcastically wondering if AI could one day help us generate the perfect Instagram photo so we wouldn’t waste so much time retaking photos to get the one they wanted. My take on it was it would be great if AI could help people be present and enjoy our surroundings rather than being stuck on our phones. During this trip, I’ve been noticing as we’ve passed people on their phones, they’ve not bothered to look up at us even though our presence was really unusual considering the location. Also during lunch, Emily was pretty stressed about the route and what we could or couldn’t accomplish. She was also worried about taking us somewhere that would lead us to a similar situation as yesterday where we’d be “trapped”. I told her, “I think I have the right mindset where I wouldn’t feel trapped.” I.e. I was down for the adventure and up for exploring dead-ends if that’s what the ended up being. I think it eased her mind or maybe shifted her mindset about what we were doing. To just enjoy the adventure. My hope for AI is that it can one day free everyone to enjoy things like exploring new places like we’re doing. I got the replacement e-bike this morning and now that I’ve had two days on the bike and another sample point, I think what I was experiencing yesterday was actually my fault and not the bikes. I think I was in too high a gear without realizing it so the motor didn’t have sufficient torque for the load. Today I was realizing that, depending on the situation and load, downshifting would actually give me more assist. And sometimes up shifting would too. It was all about managing the load on the motor. I guess both yesterday and today have been a learning experience because for a given load, there’s a proper combination of assist and gear choice.