Planning each day is a function of the information at hand. With the understanding that I prefer a 60 mile ride, the actual mileage will may be more or less, depending on terrain, weather, and availability of food, water, and shelter.

Recently, there have been several days where the miles have been around 100. In the first case, I got caught stranded without services, and had to keep riding until something showed up. In the other, there was a nice tailwind, and I saved a day by leap frogging a scheduled stop.

Today was similar. Hard as it is to believe, today was 101 miles. The logic behind it is that, first of all, I had a 20 mph tailwind. My intended stop was 75 miles, so this was not too much of a stretch. Secondly, tomorrow I will be riding into a headwind. Tomorrow's ride was originally scheduled as a 75 mile day, which now will be closer to 50 miles.

Because of the tailwind, the 101 miles today felt, body-wise, like a 60 miler. 

By 7 AM I was on the road this morning. Instead of following the bicycle map, I decided to stay on I-94 the whole day except for lunch and breaks. As I mentioned earlier, I feel much  safer on an interstate than on many of the other roads the route puts me on. The shoulders are wide, typically 8-10 feet, they're clean, and usually have a rumble strip just this side of the white line to warn an inattentive driver, and warn me too. The grades (steepness) on the interstates are much less than country highways.

One new thing that I noticed today is that I am finally starting to eat more. And the body is making it more clear when it wants to be fed. All the mornings of a queasy stomach seem to be gone. Karen and I joked that I was having morning sickness.

Exiting the freeway for lunch, I rode into a quaint town called Glen Ullin. My map said that there was a restaurant in town. True, but it would not open for another five hours. Had a sandwich at the grocery, then back to the freeway. An hour wasted.

My goal for tonight became Bismarck. Yet, having experienced sticker shock with the Dickinson motels, it seemed prudent to stay in a little city across the river from Bismarck, called Mandan. The first motel I called had a room for $45. Perfect.

Tomorrow, after riding 50 miles into a headwind, I will be camping in the city park in Hazelton. My map says it has a restaurant. I hope it does.