Leaving Lowes Motor Speedway also meant, thankfully, leaving some of the busiest traffic areas we’ve seen during the ride so far. This is a good thing. According to the Cycle NC Rider’s Handbook, tomorrow’s ride will be on much less travelled roads which should make for a much more enjoyable ride. Most drivers don’t know what to do with a bunch of cyclists. I’d rather have a car pass me a little too closely than have a car hover behind me for 10 minutes, unsure of whether they can pass me or not. In these situations, I can take my mountain bike off the road and let the unsure driver pass; the road bikes do not have that option available (more delicate tires and wheels). I like my mountain bike. 
The steep mountain climbs have turned into rolling hills… don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. The rolling hills are far less steep, but they are much longer and don’t have nearly the speed-boost (or fun) on the other side. I’ll also no longer have the opportunity to power past the road bikes on the steeper inclines. 
The 60 miles for today seemed short… not because they were easy (though I did consider blowing by one of the rest stops), but because it made for a fourth day of sub-average length rides. The whole trip is ~440 miles over 7 days, making each day about 65 miles on average. Methinks the next three days will be a bit longer than average… don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, either…