by Pamela Hintz

Bloomington, IN. I wondered why I was here after doing the Century the weekend before. But Saturday morning of the Hilly was looking to be an absolutely gorgeous day. I had participated in the Hilly the previous year, so there was not a lot of anxiety to deal with. I love all of the fanfare that accompanies the Hilly, all the people, the excellent rest stops, the music…and the challenge!

Day 1 was beautiful with the temperature in the 80’s and a remarkable blue sky. As we rode through the gently falling leaves and surveyed the untouched rolling farmlands, the experience almost seemed surreal. It was great seeing our SMW friends – Ann & Tony, Brenda, Candy and Steve – at one of the rest stops. The last stop of the day looked like an oasis and I was getting overheated. The last half of the day we had to battle hurricane-like winds. I hoped it would snow the next day. There was an accordion player at the rest stop. I asked my sister, Delphy, to dance the polka with me, but she declined. Upon completion, I decided I didn’t want to do this again tomorrow. But after 15 minutes and an adult beverage, things were looking up and I decide to go for it.

Day 2: We anxiously watched the weather report. Cloudy, chance of rain 70%, and highs only in the low 50’s. Oh boy. Was this going to be another Century?? Looks like I got my wish for the cold. I don’t know if we just started extra early or if we got faster this year. Charlie and Bill didn’t catch us until lunch time! It still hadn’t rained, but it certainly was cold! The worst hill of the day was right before the last rest stop. I was not in a great mood after making it up that one, but I was NOT going to let it defeat me. We made it back to the car around 2:00 p.m. and I felt exhilarated! We had made it up every hill, both days!