The first lost item: Fort Madison to Lake Wapello State Park
Sunday April 21, 2013, 79 miles (127 km) – Total so far: 333 miles (537 km)
State Highway 2 in Iowa is known to be pretty hellish for cycle tourists. In places it is in poor condition, and like most roads in southern Iowa, it generally has little to no shoulder. It is also heavily used by trucks. In 2010, I avoided the highway where I could by using the good-quality (generally) county roads. The one thing that was helpful then, however, was the courteous car drivers who almost always gave me plenty of room as I traversed the state. Read more