Partying w/Stanley...in the rain!

I worked last night 11pm - 7:30am. I only work 2 nights a week-and they are always in a row, never on the weekend, and never on a holiday. It is a sweet set up and I love my job. My first night is always rough because I'm lucky if I get 2 hours sleep going into it. Usually I get none. I came home this morning and was asleep by 8:30. Then awake at 10, then 11, then 12. I finally got up at 12:15-not enough sleep and I'll be feeling the pain at 3am tonite! Anyway-I got up and got right on my bike despite the fact that it was already drizzling outside. We had beautiful weather here in Central NY last week and once I get out on my bike-it is REALLY hard to ride inside on the trainer. So out the door I went-ready for a hill workout. Hills are not hard to come by in these parts. In fact-we live at the highest point in Manlius-so high we are the only neighborhood on a well-cuz they couldn't get the city water up to us! Anyway, I was feeling good and getting bored of doing hill repeats close to home (I didn't wanna get too far away cuz it looked like the skies would open up at any moment and 49degrees in the pouring rain is not fun). So I decided to head over to the infamous Stanley Road-the biggest climb around-and up until today I had managed to avoid meeting up w/Mr. Stanley. So I'm riding along, there were some pretty big hills and then suddenly I am at the top of the steepest freakn hill I've ever seen. Now it is really raining and the road is quite sandy. I realize that this is it-THE WALL-as I have now named it. The problem-I was going to have to ride down it before I could ride up it. I had my ass hanging off the back of my seat because it was so steep I seriously thought i may do an endo (go over the handlebars-for you non-cyclists). I had no idea you could ride up a hill going that slow and not fall over!!! Not to mention that my back tire was spinning in the wet sand. Stanley was everything I imagined and more. We will meet again soon...