We had a real slow start to the day today. First, James helped send off his father by looking for a way to get back to Greenup where his car was parked. They were unable to find a taxi or rideshare. Fortunately, a man working at the nearby Motel offered to give Mr. Dill a Ride back home for a reasonable fee of $30. James and his father were also not in much of a negotiating position, to say the least. After Mr. Dill left, we continued lounging around in our tents until around 11:20, at which time I (Sam) went to the gas station to buy two ice cream sandwiches and a snickers bar for a nutritious breakfast. James and I ended up packing up around noon and were then on our way. I probably saw my favorite sports team mascot while passing Teutopolis High School, home of the Wooden Shoes. We reached the town of Effingham, excited to stop at Subway for a sandwich and a break. Unfortunately, Subway closed their lobby at 4pm, which made no sense. We stopped at a Speedway gas station that also featured some indoor seating and slot machines. As we peered out of the window exhausted, we laid our eyes on a Comfort Suites Inn. We made a deal. If one of us could win big money on Slots, we would call it a day and sleep at the hotel while indulging in a gluttonous dinner. We had also never played the slot machine before. Sadly, James and I lost $30 dollars between the two of us in the span of 5 minutes and will never touch a slot machine ever again. After sitting at Speedway for a little over an hour, we were back on our way. Darkness soon came upon us, and we put on our reflective shirts and headlamps. The road we were walking on had nearly no shoulder, and we decided to call the night a few miles early due to the dangerous road conditions. We ended at about 10:30pm and pitched our tents on the side of the road on a nice inclined patch of grass.
8/11/22
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