Really, A Dog?

I’m trying to understand how a cycling route twice as long, and with more climbs, can feel better than a route half as long. Today’s route:

All in all, this was a great ride, all things considered. You may notice the red arrow. That was where the a-hoe in the SUV pulled out in front of me while I was doing about 40 MPH. I guess I can’t be too angry with him. After all, he had his dog on his lap to worry about, and couldn’t be bothered with things like cross traffic.

Good legs today though. Sure would like to do that more often.