Back on the bike: the rest of the day consisted of about 15 climbs of 300-500 ft. of elevation, each followed by descents. The ups and downs wore us out physically and mentally.
Well caffeinated, we headed uphill- steeply at first- toward Sherman Pass (Elevation 5,575 ft. ) with about 3,000 ft. of elevation gain. As we gained elevation under blue skies, we saw ponderosa pines, Douglas firs, western larches, then true firs in dense forests.