My three day journey taught me some valuable lessons. First, never ever ride a bike with stitches in the seat. Not long after, I replaced the seat a Brooks leather saddle with suspension (springs under the seat). It only took about two weeks of commuting to break it in. It is far more comfortable than any other saddle I have ever owned. It really fits me like a glove. I no longer have numbness or any other indelicate problems to worry about.

Another lesson I learned is to be more cognizant of the weather. Heat is going to build up over the course of a day. The breeze from bike riding masked the fact that I was riding through a blast furnace for most of the trip. I need to remember to take breaks to cool off and eat and drink as much as I can. I have a tendency to forge onward when I should sit in the shade and cool off. It's a ride, not a race. I will bring a camera next time so that I can have an additional reason to stop.

I think I was pretty good about adapting my trip goals to the unexpected tunnel closure. The lack of a motel makes me somewhat wary of relying on ACA's information exclusively in the future.

Motels are soulless places. It is hard to think of anything more depressing than a night in a moldy Econo Lodge. I don't know from nothing about camping out but it could not have been much worse than where I ended up staying. The Valley View wasn't too bad though.