Ride of the People of the Corn

[Bruce Day]

RAGBRAI 2014. 450 miles across the northern counties of Iowa, a small town ride. I ride with the USAF team, 125 riders and 12 support personnel. A great time as usual. Only one bad day , a half day when I was caught in a rainstorm with cold and strong winds. Soaked and starting to feel sorry for myself when a woman comes along singing " My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.

We rode through Clear Lake, and who can miss the Surf Ballroom, where the music died in 1959 with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valenzuela, but as you can see the music didn't die and the Winter Dance Party is still held. People come from all over including foreign countries. ZZ Top plays this fall. New groups and old favorites. I sat in a booth for an hour just taking it all in and listening to old time rock and roll.

Small towns and dancing in the streets.

A field full of wildflowers. Overheard a woman " we don't have anything like this in Los Angeles".

A great dinner and relaxing evening in the comfortable Lake Okoboji home of Jeff and Weezie Christie, fellow USAF retirees. Pheasant dinner from birds a mile or so away.

Many miles of Amish communities with horse and buggies and women selling pies and pastries. Did I mention the pies? Cherry, blueberry, raspberry, too hard to choose, so I had them all.

Ice cream made in churns turned by old hit and miss farm engines. When you use 4000 calories per day to power the legs engine, I eat way more than usual.

Watched a custom car maker in a small town with an early 50's lead sled chopped top Olds crammed with a turbocharged Cummins diesel engine. Torque and hard to keep the tires in traction.

So our long day was 105 miles and the short 40 miles. High temp was 86, low daytime was 73. Great weather and I'm looking forward to next year.

[chris dawe]

Thanks Bruce ,I look forward to this post every year...something I would like to do if I ever made it down that way ,by the way...I especially like the Mermaid !

[Dean Romig]

Old time rock 'n roll, lead sleds. and the Surf... Oh Yeah! These are a few of my favorite things! No kidding, the Surf Nantasket at Nantasket Beach here in Massachusetts... anybody remember it or been there?

Thanks Bruce!

[Richard Flanders]

How about a picture of the car Bruce??? Those of us from around Detroit need to see that!

[Bruce Day]

I don't have a photo of the chopped olds but here are some if the builders other cars. 50 woody without wood, a 57 fairlane and something in front I forgot what it was.

[Bruce Day]

And for those who like big iron , my old airplane loaded and waiting A handful of throttles , get the gear and flaps up and head north.

[Bruce Day]

Crew door

[Bruce Day]

Four MA 2 Browning 50 s

[Big D]

Isn't that Ford a '58?

[Dean Romig]

Twin headlights I believe makes it a '58.