Across America North - day 29 - Sioux Falls, SD --> Worthington, MN
I know it's a good day when I roll up to the hotel door in my big ring. Today was the
easiest 70 miles that I've ridden in a long time. The land is greener so it's easier on
the eyes. The hills are not as steep so they're easier on the legs. The wind is still out
of the south but more moderate, more gentle than the wind west of Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls has a very nice bike path through the city. We stayed on it for about 8 miles
and turned on to pretty good roads (not chip-seal) for the trip to the Minnesota state line
at about mile 26. Our introduction to Minnesota was a construction detour because they
were repaving the whole road. The picture of the state line marker required a hundred yard
trip over the stripped side of an asphalt road. Several miles of sandy gravel later, we
were back on the interrupted route and back on a pretty good road. The construction crew
routed us onto a closed road for part of the detour. For a bit, we had our own private
road with no chance of cars either direction.
The hills were very manageable for us climbing-impaired riders --- not too long, not too
steep. I suspect that, while there may be quite a few hills left, the hardest climbing is
behind us.
I brought a small scale and seem to have the only one on the trip. At this point in the
trip, people are wondering about their weight and inquiring about borrowing the scale. One
person did this today and brought it back beaming with happiness. He lost the 8.5 pounds
that had resisted all previous attempts. Another guy also came by to weigh himself. He
was already lean and was still slightly dismayed to find that he'd lost only one pound.
Other people have inquired about coming by to use the scale and that was the last I heard.
Tomorrow's route is 110 miles. The next day's is 100 miles. After that are several days
of about 90 miles. We'll spend 3 nights in Minnesota and be in Wisconsin next.
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