Day 18 - Mitchell, South Dakota to Worthington, Minnesota
137 miles
3,062 feet of climbing
Today was a fantastic day. First of all . . . no headwind! In fact, we had a slight tailwind! Finally - I felt like I was getting somewhere! Although it was a 137-mile day, the miles clicked by quickly and I was able to finish today's ride by just after 3 p.m. Today's route was mostly flat or rolling with very few long climbs. The only problem I had with today's route was the lack of public restrooms. We did not pass an open gas station or convenience store for 50 miles. Nothing, nada from mile 32 to mile 82, except for cornfields. Sometimes it's tough being a woman. : ) At mile 87, we crossed over the Minnesota border, rather unceremoniously, however, as there was no "Welcome to Minnesota" sign or marking of any kind. The only way I knew I was in Minnesota was because my route sheet said so. The character of the landscape did not change - still very rural and pretty. At mile 102, we rode through the first "big" town of the day - Luverne, Minnesota, which had gas stations, stores, traffic lights and all kinds of things I hadn't seen all day. We had our last rest stop in a pleasant city park in Luverne, and from there, it was a quick 32 miles to the hotel. We had a nice early arrival and had time to rest and recover. Art & I had a very nice dinner at the hotel restaurant and then had no problem falling asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
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| Elevation profile of today's ride (does not reflect awesome tailwind) |
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| Ribbon-y road (photo by PAC Tour) |
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