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We report on experiences using OWL DL in the design of an exchange format for biological pathway information. Although the working group charged with this task was not initially very familiar with OWL and knew that the technology around OWL wasn't mature, they chose it because of its ability to express complex relationships in a formal and computable manner. The subsequent journey has not been smooth. Delightful discoveries about OWL have alternated with surprises about how difficult it is to operate correctly inside open world description logics and the Semantic Web generally. This paper highlights experience that may be of interest to the OWL community, including ontology developers, tool developers, and those interested in promoting the adoption of the Semantic Web.