Adjusting the biking schedule

I get completely addicted to biking.    My favorite route has about six good hills on it and the hills are even more addicting!!!   But......they hurt my knees.   Gearing down and taking a little time off to set a new schedule is the new plan.   There is the boring route with no hills and simply speed and endurance which I need to do about every other day or I will have to give up biking altogether on the off days.    I am taking the whole weekend off to give my knees a break before they get any worse.    I can bike like the dickens up many a hill but have trouble walking up stairs?????   Not good.