Date:
08.06.2018
Altitude:
1023.6 ft (312 m)
Distance:
85.11 mi (136.97 km)
Total
Altitude: 70538.0 ft (21500 m)
Total
Distance: 2774.28 mi (4464.78 km)
Second
day on my way back up north to the Northern Tier route and it was
also my last day in Minnesota. In total I did spend 12 days in
Minnesota, even more days than in New York. I really enjoyed my time
in Minnesota and so far it has been the most bike friendly place in
the US I have been to on my trip. Not only did I leave Minnesota
today but I actually cycled in three states today. I left Minnesota
and after a short stint in South Dakota I entered North Dakota where
I will be for the next few days.
When
I started this morning the weather didn't look too good. There were
thick clouds in the sky and I wasn't sure if I would stay dry today.
But the temperature was quite comfortable, so it was nice to be out
on the bike and it stayed dry throughout the day. There was also some
wind going. And the wind was really my friend today, I had tailwinds
the whole day. So I made big progress fast. Because it went so good I
decided to change my route for the day and go further than originally
planed. I changed my destination for today from Hankison,ND to
Wahpeton,ND, this added about 20 miles to my route.
Today
I stayed for the most part on state highways, after all the gravel
roads yesterday. The highways were in good condition and the traffic
was not too bad. I probably only stayed for about 5 miles on a gravel
road, but even the gravel road was in good condition and nice to ride
on. When I started in the morning in Ortonville, I was already right
next to South Dakota, but I stayed in Minnesota for about the first
40 miles of today's ride. For the first few miles I stayed on the
east side of Big Stone Lake and later next to Lake Traverse, after I
passed Lake Traverse I crossed into South Dakota. In South Dakota I
had to go on the only stretch of gravel for the day. After I left the
gravel road I went straight north to Wahpeton,ND for the rest of my
route. The scenery on the route was great throughout the day. In the
beginning I had the lakes to my left and I went mainly through
grassland along the way. Later in the day I mainly passed through
farmland. The day would have been perfect, if I wouldn't had a flat
tire just about 5 miles outside of Wahpeton. Something punctured my
rear tire and in a matter of seconds the tire was completely flat. So
I needed to change the tube by the side of the road, meaning I had to
unload the bike first. When changing the tube I couldn't find what
punctured the tire, but the tube had a big hole. While I was changing
the tube, someone stopped and asked if I need help or need a lift. I
managed without, but nonetheless it is still great that when you have
a problem on the road that there are people that want to help. All in
all the flat tire probably did cost me about an half hour. I still
arrived before 3pm in Wahpeton, even with the flat tire and the 20
miles extra.
Conclusion
for the day:
It
is good to know, that when I have a problem on the road, that there
are people willing to help.
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