Probably going to be the last ride to Paradise this year, but who knows? The forecast was for a sunny afternoon, little wind and a temp of 60 degrees at 3pm. So I planned a late start from Ashford to try and catch the best weather. Skip had earlier said he did not want to start late morning but at 8 am, called to say he would meet me around 11. Overcast and sharp cold at Ashford and stopped twice before Longmire to add more clothes. Sun finally broke out around noon. Before leaving I had to gently tell Skip that I would be spending some time at Paradise and not repeat the previous trip with him when we spent only 5 minutes before heading down. Driving 2 hours to get to Ashford; biking 3 hours to Paradise and only spending 5 minutes at Paradise is stupid. So he kinda compromised by spending 15 minutes at Paradise before heading down and I stayed for awhile longer. Started the descent around 3 and the roads had a lot of sand and for some reason were wet. A little sketchy descent and cold. Blackberry pie and coffee with a side order of french fries ended the ride in style.