Sometime during the night we were woken up by a thunderstorm; Maya says it was 11pm. The rain continued into the morning and only stopped around 7:30am. Luckily we had reserved a lean-to campsite (see photo) and had pitched the tent and brought all of our stuff under the cover of the structure. We finally got moving down the road at about 8:45am with a planned stop for breakfast an hour and a half away at Vergennes. About 45 minutes into it the rain started. We both put on rain jackets, but below the waist we got soaked. The rain was just slowing when we stopped for breakfast. We were hit by another shorter rain squall after breakfast, but the whole experience of riding through a bit of rain probably sounds worst than it actually was. Post-breakfast the route involved some ups and downs--one real climb, but nothing like the first two days. We made it back to Winooski, our starting point, in time for a late lunch, which we decided to go out for before changing and having a shower. These three days of riding were the longest, 2nd longest, and 3rd longest day rides Maya had ever done, and she was carrying more weight on her bike than ever before. For her lack of physical preparation, she did great. I enjoyed the slower pace. I found gliding down 1% to 2% grades at 15 mph a real pleasure. The hills with 15 to 20 extra pounds on the bike were at times a real challenge--I had to get up out of the saddle a few times. However, the fun of the trip was not in the physical challenge, but the experience of the road with Maya before her post-college work life starts, something that can be had at any speed, though there is something to be said for taking it slow.