30-Jun-2012 -- Story continues from 37°N 111°E.

We drive back via Luócūn Town (罗村镇) to Shíkǒu Township (石口乡), and then continue south on national route G209 through several counties: Xíxiàn (隰县), Dàníng (大宁县), Jíxiàn (吉县) and Xiāngníng (乡宁县).

Peter has been doing all the driving on very little sleep, so along the way, we turn off the highway to find a quiet, shady spot to rest for a while. In so doing, we come across another Shānxī-style house carved out of the side of a hill. Unlike the previous one, this one is occupied.

We stop to buy some snacks in Jíxiàn. Shortly after leaving Jíxiàn, we encounter a roadblock, and have to make our way back to an unmarked detour. We assume it’s the correct way to go only because other vehicles are turning off here. It’s a narrow, single-lane dirt road, which is itself blocked by traffic trying to pass in opposite directions. After some delay, everyone manages to sort themselves out, and we get moving again.

At Xiāngníng we turn northeast and follow provincial route S330 to a turn-off just after Xiàshàn Township (下善乡). This turn-off is 1.2 km from the confluence, and following the dirt road south leads us directly to it.

The confluence is smack bang in the middle of the road! We easily achieve an all-zeroes reading on the GPS, then set about photographing the four cardinal directions: north, south, east and west.

We return to Xiāngníng, and check into a nice hotel for a well-earned rest.

Story continues at 35°N 111°E.