This year had fewer hills than normal, and fewer tail winds. I was short on training miles going in, and really felt the southeast wind on our south-east-south-east Sunday route. The rest of the week I felt much better, and by Wednesday was feeling strong.
The site volunteers did a great job running the sites, and many of the towns we went through were very welcoming.
Having all the maps on RidewithGPS was a big help. This was the first year I used them. That gives an audible direction for each turn and notifies of railroad crossings and fruit stops well in advance.