Despite the fact that I wasn't riding a bike set up for anything but going around town, wasn't physically ready for multiple days of riding, barely spoke Chinese, and hadn't made any kind of detailed plan other than "follow highway signs" I had luck on my side.

Hebei is located on the North China Plain.

The name does a pretty good job of describing the physical features of the area.

It is north.

It is China.

It is a plain.

We're talking flat. I mean really flat. Not just the sort of flat that bicyclists refer to when they talk about riding on nice smooth flats. The sort of flat you think of when talking about floors in office buildings.

I've been in office buildings whose floors weren't as perfectly plumb level as the streets of Shijiazhuang city.

Also, after despite poor planning (read: no planning) I inevitably managed to find a way home each night.

In the end I gave up and took the train to Beijing.