MC Museum Photos #5

These last photos are shots of famous people and famous bikes. I forgot to take a photo of the Evil Kinevil display - it was the biggest there.

Here I have pictures of Steve McQueen's Indian bobber, claimed to be his favorite bike, Peter Fonda's Captain America chopper from "Easy Rider" movie, the "Rat Fink" and Von Dutch display, and the legendary Gelbke "Roadhog", a gigantic home-made motorcycle with a diesel truck engine ...

MC Museum Photos #4

Here are some sweet old antique motorcycles, including the legendary Vincent "Black Prince", a 1906 Curtiss V-Twin, and a 1912 Henderson 4.

The 1912 Henderson 4 (in the case behind me) is completely original, and even has its original 100 year old tires.

MC Museum Photos #3

The old Board Track Racers from the early teens are some of my favorites.

Notice the big motorcycle "Pacer" in front of the bicycle in the display ? This is how motorcycle racing got started, first the motors paced the bicycle racers, then the motor pacers started racing themselves after the bicycle races, and soon motorcycle races we're the headline.

MC Museum Photos #2

They have a lot of race motorcycles in the museum - drag racers, dirt track racers, road racers, hill climbers, salt flat racers and board track racers.

The first photo is of a bunch of antique hill climbers, all in original condition I like the old bikes much better when they are in original, rusty-dusty shape !

The next photo is from the wall in the repair shop, titled "offerings to the gods of speed", with all the twisted & broken motor parts.

The last two shots are of a Chevy V-8 engine powered bike built and raced by E. J. Porters called the "Bloody Mary". The old videos they had of him burning rubber all the way down the drag strip was amazing !

Rest Day in Anamosa Iowa

Today was a rest day, well needed after driving cross-country 1,200 miles the past two days. We visited the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa Iowa.
( http://www.nationalmcmuseum.org/ )

They have over 350 motorcycles on display, and about 30 bicycles. Bev and I spent about 4 hours going through the exhibits, and it was fantastic. I took a few photos of my favorite bikes in the collection.

In the first photo, I am posing outside the museum in the parking lot. The next shot is of a beautiful bronze statue of a 1935 Harley Streamliner that set a speed record on the sandy beaches North of Daytona Beach.

Next are three shots of me next to an old "penny farthing" boneshaker big wheel bicycle - I was trying to pose like the lad in the old photograph on the wall.

We made it to Iowa

We had a long day's drive today, from Nashville Tenn. to Cedar Rapids Iowa. The day started with heavy rain and heavy traffic in Nashville, but the skies cleared up by lunch.

PHOTO 1: We had a great lunch at a Fazoli's in Marion Illinois. Mmmm, breadsticks ! There used to be a Fazoli's right by our house in Tallahassee, and we ate there often with our kids when they were little. Then one day it just closed down with no notice. I always wonderedp what happened, they always seemed to be so busy.

PHOTO 2: Driving thru St. Louis was a thrill. They have about 15 Interstates and major highways come together to cross the Mississippi River together, it's busy busy busy. Bev shot a photo of the Arch while we were stopped for construction.

PHOTO 3: We arrived at Mackey's Union Station Bar and Grill, in Cedar Rapids Iowa, about 8:30 pm, and unloaded the car. Here we dropped off our luggage for next week's RAGBRAI ride, so we got the back of the car all cleared out now, except for my loaded down touring bicycle.

PHOTO 4: We had a great dinner at the Union Station - ate a MaidRight sandwich and drank Flat Tire Ales. It's been a fun trip so far but I can't wait to start riding my bicycle !!