See Jim Carson's web page for many ratings of STP ("would you do this ride again?") and you'll get a better idea of people's experiences with it. There are many people who love it and do it year after year.
http://www.northwestcycling.com/x/ri...cgi?ride_id=71
"My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved;I have been given much and I have given something in return...Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and an adventure." O. Sacks