DeSmet, SD to Tyler, MN 75 miles
Crossing over the Minnesota border was amazing:we had made it through South Dakota! I was biking with Rachel and Simon at the time and when we crossed over the border we did a small celebration dance. Well, Rachel and I did. Simon just sorta hid and pretended he didn’t know us. We had waken up that morning to a severe thunder and lightening storm and had delayed our departure as we waited for the worst of it to pass over. Luckily for us, it not only passed over but stayed ahead of us the whole day so we didn’t have to bike in the rain at all. The roads were extremely wet, but it was still enjoyable and we made sure to take several long breaks along the way. After the prairie is was extremely refreshing to see the green prosperity of southern Minnesota, even if it was only in the form of corn and soybean fields. We have found so many different ways to entertain ourselves along the rides. Besides the many hours I spend riding by myself and just thinking about things or singing to myself, we have come up with a variety of ways to pass the time. For instance several of the riders had complicated riddles which you have to ask “yes” or “no” questions to solve. I’ve spent many miles solving those. Rachel and I played “I’m biking across America and i’m bringing with me… an atlas, a bike…etc” and i’ve come up with several songs that I’m sure will be big hits if I can ever remember the tune or the lyrics. I guess there is just something inspiring about a cornfield 
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We had a rest day in New Ulm, MN but we spent the day with our good friend Ashley in Minneapolis. She took us out dancing in the city and I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the people, the noise and the pace of the city. It was so surreal to be in a city after days and days in the corn and on the prairie. Catie, Rachel and I always joke around about how we are socially awkward now in public because we forget that we’re not out alone in a field with no building in site and only the small possibility that we will see someone else (who generally is a big rider or a farmer on a tracker). We also went to the mall of America and although I was tempted to shop, I realized that buying anything would just add to the weight of my duffels and that accessories are completely unnecessary when the only place you have to wear them is in a campground or a public park. After New Ulm, MN we biked to Owatonna, MN (76 miles) which was an easy ride and an enjoyable day. There have been very few hard days since South Dakota because all my muscles are strong now and I have faced pretty much every type of problem that the weather or terrain can cause. It was extremely foggy in the morning when we left New Ulm and I felt like I was in a scary movie. I let the other girls go ahead of me, so I felt completely isolated and hidden by the mist and the cornfields. As I was riding along, one of the other Big Riders, Tony, emerged from one of the fields where he had been “checking out the height of the corn”. He offered to “pull” me up to the other riders so I got right behind his wheel and we sped along at 22 to 23 miles an hour for a couple of miles until we caught up with a group of the other riders. In Owatonna we camped at their local fairgrounds and were greated enthusiastically by the locals. The next day we biked from Owatonna to Winona,MN where we were able to stay in a college dorm. What a luxury!! Unfortunately Catie fell and hurt her shoulder at mile 45 (90+mile day) so Rachel and I went with her to the emergency room. She had to sit out for one day but got back on her bike the next day like a true champ. Rachel and I waited until we found out she was ok, and then got dropped off back at the place where she had fallen and we had all stopped riding so that we could finish the ride. Every Inch. 
. We had drank a lot of coffee in the emergency room so we were whizzing along for the next 20 miles or so. Then we were fortunate enough to pick up a wonderful tail wind and found ourselves at the college at 6pm, just in time for dinner.
One of the most amazing things about Minnesota was the size of the towns. We had noticed gradual population increases as we got further East but it was in Minnesota that we actually went into some towns with restaurant chains, numerous stoplights and plenty of public restrooms. One one day we were biking and found ourselves in a large town with lots of cars and people walking around (I can’t remember the town name right now). All of a sudden, we saw a stretch of stores including a Starbucks, a Chipotle and an Arbys. Oh the choices!! Rachel and I bought burritos and Catie carried them in her backpack for us until the lunch stop. I found myself peddaling to the rythm of “bur-ri-to, bur-ri-to” I think that will be one of the only times in my life that i can eat a 3lb burrito and still be looking for second lunch 2 hours later.
