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Tim Shea Reaches Iowa Two Weeks Into Epic Bike Ride Across America

On July 16th, Tim Shea and his wife Marcia kicked off their cross-country bike trek from Vermont to California. Two weeks in, they’ve officially biked 1,356 miles through 6 states – New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa.

You can follow their epic bike ride across America by following their blog at https://biketrip2018.blogspot.com/.

Here’s their latest posting (dated July 30th):

Tim:
Day thirteen is behind us. We had a partly cloudy day, with upper 70’s and lower 80’s and the wind a little lighter. I started in Cambridge, Illinois after a good night’s sleep at a pleasant little campground and headed west towards Iowa. I was joined by Marcia for a ride to finish up the morning and stop for lunch. I had a nice downhill into the Mississippi River valley and over the bridge into Iowa. Feels like the first big milestone. I am happy to get there safe and sound.
I continued through Muscatine, following our own route now off the bike maps, where I had eleven miles of pretty chunky gravel which was not that fun and a little hard on Tutsi. Once I got off that I actually picked up part of the RAGBRI course from Friday and rode into Iowa City and through to Tiffin where I met Marcia. We then backtracked and stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast in Iowa City. A nice treat and a good sleep after a fortuitous find of Mosley’s Barbecue where we enjoyed a delicious pulled pork dinner. So I think it’s 1356 miles of riding so far, and I did 100 miles again today. I’m excited to get to Council Bluffs, Iowa and get some rest, see my family, and meet up with my children who are flying out to see us there. Heading west….

 

Marcia:
I love bed and breakfasts with big soft beds and clean real bathrooms! Cities are not my thing, but Iowa City is a beautiful college town. I met several people while waiting for Tim to end his day at a gas station in Tiffin. They saw me with my car loaded and bike on the back and assumed we were part of the RAGBRI (Register’s Annual Bike Ride across Iowa) which is a very big deal out here. A giant party of cyclists riding across the entire state every year in a rolling party. Bikers recognize other bikers doing the same crazy thing, and all are instant friends. “Be safe!”…is the way all cyclists say goodbye after sharing stories and parting ways. We met these two gentlemen in a coffee shop this morning as they saw Tim’s attire, assumed we were involved in that event, and were curious about who we are, where we come from, where we are headed. It got them to reminiscing about their own youthful adventures, and when they offered to take our picture, we naturally had to take theirs. I saw these buffalo in a town called Buffalo Prairie just before we crossed into Iowa and they begged me to take their picture too.

Tim:
Day 14 is complete…122 miles ridden. I started out on a nice cool morning Tiffin and had 71 miles on highway 6 with nice rolling terrain through central Iowa. I diverted off on paved back roads and then did about 40 miles on the Chichaqua Valley Trail where I was joined for 20 miles of it with Marcia, who did an awesome job. So I felt great, the weather is comfortable and the body is doing well.

The highlight of the day was catching up with coach Ellingson in Indiana at Simpson College where I ran cross country and track under him. It was great to see him after 20 plus years, give him a hug, and thank him for all he did for me. He is a true inspiration.

After that we stayed at the Patterson abode in Polk City. I ran with Scott Patterson at Simpson, and even though Scott was out of town on business, his wife, Julie and his daughters were very gracious to open their home and thankfully their shower to us. We left with a bag full of bagels and Gatorades to continue west to Council Bluffs, my hometown. I’m doing quite well, Marcia and I are hanging in there and looking forward to some rest and recovery on Tuesday.