Today’s distance / ???????: 25.1 miles / 40.3km
Average speed / ????: 7.2mph / 11.7km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 3h 27m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6997mi plus 386mi (?) / 11,269km plus 622km (?)
Ascent / ??: 140m
Descent / ??: 110m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30°58′37.5″, E119°07′41.1″
Despite my ‘realaxing’ spa experience last night, I woke late at night and did not sleep well. The room smelled like paint fumes, no doubt due to a recent paint job – the place was very new.
Once I was on the road I finally joined with China National Highway 318, which will take me all the way into central Shanghai, about 200km away.
However what I didn’t know was that the first 100km or so of this stretch of G318 is an expressway. The only alternative was a rough, dusty side road called X018 with frequent traffic. I endured that small road for a while before giving up and sneaking onto the expressway for the smooth wide shoulder. There was less traffic on the expressway, and actually quieter than the sideroad!
A headwind was blowing, and I was tired. Very tired. On the expressway there were no serviced for the full 30km that I was on it. I was low on water, and had no snacks. By the time I arrived at the closest exit, I was well and truely done for the day. I got off the expressway, passing through the toll gate fast and without stopping with officials waving and shouting. As always, they did not pursue.
I checked into a small hotel for the night and slept the rest of the day.