Sloan (day 34)

With the Loess Hills on my right hand side I continued across the flat agricultural landscape to Mondamin a small village with a railway line running through. As I approached the level crossing I spotted The Sandbar, a bar so I had a break from the wind and monotony of peddling through a flat landscape.

Inside sat Jaidie, Kathy, Kim, and Brenda who were having a family get together and as I ate a steak philli they told me about the area and what to expect on the road ahead. As they took my photo they joked that I reminded them of somebody they saw on the Most Wanted list!

At Blencoe, the next village north I stopped off at the gas station and bumped into Annette and Guyla, two pensioners who have been living there for most of their lives and were meeting up to discuss the latest gossip over a fried chicken sandwich. I sat with them as I had (yet another) turkey sandwich and told them all about London and what it was like to live in the UK (before I mentioned home they actually thought I was from New York). If only I had my camera, they were quite a pair of characters!

For the past three days I have noticed that the towns and villages are becoming further apart, sometimes taking 1 to 2 hours to reach. I have to be careful not to run out of water and I’m getting into the habit of carrying extra, so far I have timed it out just right. When I reach North Dakota the towns are even further apart, so it’s good practice. I’m guessing that it will be like the Highlands in Scotland, where you spend a good part of the day on the bike to reach the next town.

This evening I found a Motel in Sloan south of Sioux City, it’s one of those classic ones with the word “Motel” boldly lit up with pinkish neon light, but quite scruffy looking – a bit like something out of a Quentin Tarrentino movie. My goal was to get to the campsite up the road, however it began to get dark and I didn’t want to risk cycling on roads after sunset, especially on a friday.

Distance so far: 3599.75Km

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