@lauraritchie After the ride (and after I've recovered, rehydrated, showered), I am refreshed, rejuvenated. I'm thinking more clearly, I'm less worried about things. After a long ride like that I do need a day to recover; sometimes I'm productive (like when I wrote my Art article), sometimes I'm not (like yesterday), but it doesn't matter.
Where it's magical is on the breaks during the ride, eating some dry bread and eggs, hearing only the sounds of a forest or small town, thinking of nothing.