It was a cool 39 degrees when I left home, but warmed up to 48 by the time I got back to Goshen and reached 55 in the afternoon. Mandy took our annual picture outside Belmont around 10 a.m. The schedule I made proved fairly accurate all day. I got to Middlebury for lunch at Legendary Grind 15 minutes later than planned, but June had ordered lunch for us, so it didn't take long to eat. She also ordered a blueberry muffin as my birthday "cake." I sent my windbreaker and two pairs of gloves home with her, and I was plenty warm the rest of the ride with my two layers. I gained time when I turned around at CR 850W and headed west (with a 13 mph tailwind), because I could see that by that point, I would have enough miles to reach 51 or 82K by turning around. The only "excitement" of the ride was when I was on CR 250 going from Shipshewana to Middlebury. I decided to go on the wide shoulder of that road because I would have more wind at my back than if I were in the Pumpkinvine. (I wanted to keep my average speed above 11 mph, and it was dipping toward 11.) Two dogs started chasing me, and they were fast. I outran them, but it was not easy. I wasn't able to shift into a higher gear. The trees were not quite at their peak but still inspiring. I got back to Abshire Park earlier than I planned and was home by 3 p.m. I was happy to see that my average speed stayed above 11 at 11.4. Last year it was 11.8, but in 2023 it was 11.3. 20 years ago, on 63rd birthday, it was 14 mph. What a difference