True love stories: Couple bikes 3,529 miles for honeymoon
While cycling from Oregon to Maine, they proved their love could go the distance.
When most of us dream of our honeymoons, we think tropical landscapes and pampering, all-inclusive resorts. But there's nothing wrong with a 3,529-mile bike ride, either.
Debbie and Tim Bishop walked down the aisle and hopped onto their bikes, trekking cross-country from Seaside, Ore., to Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
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"Starting our marriage on this trip was great. We truly bonded," Debbie said.
The two have now documented their adventure in a book, "Two Are Better." And while they describe their marriage journey as a "dream come true," it wasn't always so dreamy.
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For a year, Debbie and Tim talked online. They met digitally in 2003, and when they met face-to-face for the first time a year later, there "were no fireworks."
"We were both sort of leery, very cautious," Debbie explains.
But there was one thing that bonded them: bike riding.
For seven years, the two would get together every few months for bike trek. Tim feels that he wasn't yet ready to settle down; he was distracted by work. Debbie didn't wait around. She dated two other guys, in 2004 and 2007, but ultimately, they "didn't work out."
In 2010, Debbie and Tim agreed to take a three-week break from their relationship. Tim used that time to think. He made a list of 91 reasons why Debbie might just be the one. He explains:
“She liked biking. She was a Christian. She didn’t drink. She was nice looking. Industrious. I enjoyed her company.”
After making that list, Tim realized he wanted to spend his life with Debbie. On April 22, 2010, the couple climbed a mountain in Maine. Tim popped the question.
"I was so shocked. I said, 'Really?' After I got over my shock, I was elated," Debbie said.
They tied the knot in June of that year and shortly after began their 3,529-mile journey. It took them 61 days. "If we could do this," Debbie said, "we could do anything."
The Bishops' travelogue includes not just their love story, but also the lessons they've learned about marriage and life.
“You don’t know when your window of opportunity will slam shut for good,” Tim writes in the epilogue. “So, get at it! Debbie and I are convinced more than ever, that two are better than one.”
Tim and Debbie prove that not all great love stories start as fairy tales, but it doesn't mean you can't have a happy ending.
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Photo: Debbie and Tom Bishop / Cauchon Photography
love: friendship, dating, sex & marriage
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