Once I'm that well prepared a great feeling of calm and confidence comes over me and I know I can take anything.  Now I can play.

This storm swept over me with gale force winds pushing from behind.  At one point I made a wrong turn.  Realizing it right away, I turned around and headed back into the driving rain.  The wind was so strong that, even standing up out of the saddle, I could barely make enough forward progress to keep the bike from falling over.

A couple of hours later, a few miles south of Muddy Gap, in Lamont, I found Sandy's B&B at the old schoolhouse that she lives in.  She gave me a discount on a bed for the night (I was the only guest there).  She does that for everyone that arrives under their own power.  Sandy is a wonderful soul and we spent hours talking that evening and the next morning before I left.

These are the days that empower me.