Day 4 started out with a 1,500 foot climb with some of the steepest grades so far. This particular climb also helped me understand how to use a heart monitor to keep from burning your legs. You get to the top a bit slower, but you can climb many more ascents if you monitor your heart rate as you climb.
Road work forced us to transport our bikes in the support vehicle for approximately 6 miles. I actually got a ride through this road work area from a local truck driver. During this short 6 mile ride, he shared several stories with me, including some about running moonshine with his dad back during the 1940s. It was an interesting ride, and after he dropped me off, we got back on our bikes and rode another 45 miles. We finished this 105 mile day with another 1,500 foot climb and a 1,000 foot climb (with grades similar to that of the first climb of the day) in the last 20 miles. The good news was that we will start Day 5 with a descent. We wound up with a total climb of almost 6,000 feet for the day.
As we packed up our bikes at the end of the day, a woman from the area stopped by to tell us that a friend of hers had seen two cougars recently in this area. We quickly packed and got back to the hotel.
