Day 119 - Muscatine to Monmouth - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far - CycleBlaze

August 5, 2021

Day 119 - Muscatine to Monmouth

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We had a longer than average route today, but a better than average ride.  It was a day full of good things - the roads, the views, the weather, the food and the people.

The first thing we did was ride easily through a construction zone in Muscatine down to the river.  The bridge was two lane with almost no shoulder, but there was also almost no traffic and the drivers were great.

Mississippi River bridge at Muscatine
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Bridge close up
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The mighty Mississippi
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On the east side of the bridge, we entered Illinois.
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As we started down the far side of the bridge, Kerry started to pedal faster - and faster.  I had no idea why he was pushing so hard until he said he saw a cyclist ahead of us.  He just had to catch up.  We did and met Steve, who is from the Houston area and riding the Northern Tier from Anacortes, WA to Portland, ME.  We had a nice talk and wished each other well before riding on.

Steve
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Seth WeitzmanI also met Steve while pedaling through a canyon in western Montana. My Warmshowers host in Fargus Falls, MN wrote that he met Steve too. Small world!
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Seth WeitzmanWhen we were comparing tour notes with Steve, we found out that he haad meet you. Cycle touring is definitely a small - and friendly - world.
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2 years ago

We rode behind Steve for a short distance, then passed him and lost sight of him.  Just about then,  we saw another cyclist ahead of us.  He stopped on the side of the road as we approached.  He was also riding the Northern Tier, from Astoria, OR to Bar Harbor, ME.  His name is Mike and he is from Boston.

Mike, riding for ALS research.
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We talked with Mike for a few minutes and here comes Steve.  After seeing so few touring cyclists since we left North Dakota, it was great to have a little cycle tourer meet up on the side of the road.

Kerry, Mike and Steve
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After bidding good bye to Mike and Steve, we continued on our route.  We turned off the Northern Tier route a couple of miles later, so we didn't see them or any other cyclists the rest of the day.

We slowed for me to take a picture of this old barn.  There was a lot of noise.

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A flock of sheep was outside the barn.
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Not a good picture, but on the other side of the barn, there were a number of cows on the hillside.
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And, just past the cows, we saw and heard more sheep. It looked as if all this was part of one farm.
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As I said, we enjoyed good roads today - well paved and very low traffic.  At one point, we commented that it had been several weeks since we were in an area that could be described as "heavily wooded".

A heavily wooded road
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Other sights today...

I think these are two miniature horses.
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Mother Nature reclaiming and old barn.
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An old silo.
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And some inanimate wildlife..

Buffalo yard art
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And a great big rooster
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Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 4,460 miles (7,178 km)

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Rose SamsonNice pictures!
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2 years ago