Also for the love of pete, PLEASE GET AND USE A RED BLINKIE LIGHT ON THE REAR OF YOUR BIKE. There's quite a bit of overhanging tree canopy over the road and if you don't have that red blinkie light, the chances of you being seen by car traffic is somewhere between slim and none.
My parents live up on top of The Hill (as we locals call it), and they have a lot of difficulty with cyclists being invisible under the canopy. My parents know to look for them, even more so since I started riding.
Definitely go the alternate route suggested; it's not so steep, not so shaded by the canopy, and it's a better road. No shoulder, though, so be careful.
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