By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review
NORTH ENGLISH – The EV History Center held their first program of the year on March 30, hosted by Tyler Sullivan, the poet and marathon behind the popular Facebook page “Iowa Scenic Views by Foot.” Sullivan explained that, in 2015, his then girlfriend lived in Mason City. While driving there from his hometown of Iowa City, he travelled through counties he had never visited and began to think that there had to be something special in every county. Sullivan decided to choose something new to explore each time he visited, which transformed into his current project, where he is attempting to visit and run at least one mile around every town in Iowa.
“In my mind, still to this day, almost ten years in May, these towns are magical. It’s places where people go to church. It’s where they go to school. It’s where they like to grow,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan also writes poems about the places he visits, which he has self-published in two books thus far, “With You Every Step Along the Way” and “Living This Thing Called Life.” During his North English visit, he read excerpts of his poetry and showed images of his travels.
Sullivan stated that he has only three counties left to visit: Wright, Humboldt and Harrison. He has run around all but 35 cities, including the cities in the counties he is yet to visit, plus West Des Moines, Boone, and Washington, which he plans to visit last. Sullivan also plans to visit 250 different museums across the state this year.
