Archive for the ‘RAGBRAI’ Category

Winter dance party memorials

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

In Clear Lake, Iowa:

The poster

Last minute arrangements were made for the above group to play at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on February 2, 1959. I got a chance to stop in at the Surf to check it out. Actually, there is a musty oder to the place; perhaps some of the original curtains have not been touched since that fateful night in 1959, the Day the Music Died.

The street we camped out on

We had wonderful camping spot a a residence located on Buddy Holly Place. About a mile south on this road is the last place Buddy, Ritchie, and J.P. made music.

A memorial inside the Surf

…and another outside the Surf

The next day at the  PBJ, on a location that may have been near the actual crash site, John Condon started the group singing  Don McLean’s American Pie ! You should have been there.

oh, behave!

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Whatever happens on Ragbrai, stays on Ragbrai:

Dr. Evil standing by his bus

Hey you Groovey Dudes and Dudettes! Remember that fab post with all those Ragbrai Team Buses I posted a while ago? No? Well click HERE if you want to review them. Anyhow, while I haven’t had time to add more teams to the collection, we had a chance to get real close to a team on our overnight stay in Algona. Dig this scene, man: On our quiet little corner comes this most far out and quite funky bus & mobile chill pad you ever saw! And it pops right in our hood! How cool is that!

Apparently one of the Team Shagbrai members (heh, he said “members’) is a brother to one of the friends of the daughter of the host family, or something like that so they got permission to stay with us for the night! Far out!

Check out the Shagbrai YouTube Channel if you dare.

ragbrai jamin’

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

along the route:

At a PBJ stop

On the left we have Ron from Chicago on electric guitar, an unidentified woman who sang a few songs (quite excellent I might add!) with us, John on guitar and  Teresa on bass.  John and Teresa make up the Buck Hollow Band out of Decorah, Iowa. John knows a lot of songs in the key of G and I am glad he does! (The banjo approves!)

Mike and Jim blow them away in Pocahontas

It was great to meet up with Mr. McAbee this year; I somehow missed him last year. Anyhow, here we are on stage at Bob’s bar.

Jim & Tom at yet another PB&J stop

When Tom and I play, we are “The Roadside Boys”. We only play during RAGBRAI and that’s probably for the best. We also provided entertainment for a party held by the Ragbrai C.U.B.S. organization in Charles City, IA.

The Spandex Bluegrass Trio

I know this is at another PB&J stop because nobody travels on their bike with a fiddle.  We played for a bit in the hot sun and then went on to Mr. Pork Chop and did our little “Pork Chop!”  song for Mr. Paul Bernhard.

Young Fiddle player at PB&J.

She was used to a half sized instrument so she had to get used to the fingering. Note the unidentified hand indicating where she might find the proper notes (or not)!

This woman was used to the fingering!

I didn’t catch her name, but she is a violist in a symphony orchestra and knew how to make that house fiddle sound like a million bucks!

PBJ Blues

Or maybe it was heavy metal. I don’t know, they had trouble deciding. I took a break and had my custom made sandwich (crunchy peanut butter, strawberry jelly, marshmallow fluff, bacon and raisons on white bread)  and chocolate-banana milk.

coming home clean

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

Things got better:

FREE SHOWERS!

As we traveled eastward, the price for showers got cheaper. Of course we never bought into this scam, but we are happy to be clean and ready for our trip home! We drove from Dubuque to Grand Island and stayed the night; note: The Accordion Jamboree in Grand Island is not until September this year! It would have been a perfect trip, but we lost a bike wheel to the wind gods on I-80 someplace west of Des Moines.

the washta ladies sing this song:

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

at the Washta Library:

Volunteers of the Washta Library

Without them, there would be no library!

an evening with lucy

Friday, July 30th, 2010

In Waterloo, IA:

Lucy and Jim at the BBQ

On her 18th Ragbrai, we had a chance to talk with 83 year old Lucy! I caught up with her again in Manchester, and man, can she make that bike move! Simply amazing!

beach banjo

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Jan at the beach:

Playing banjo at Storm Lake, Iowa

who’s PC around here?

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

I saw this sign in one of the towns:

Note the weird drawing on the sign!

Also: Not having the best internet in Iowa these days!

Another hot one in iowa

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

stay dirty, my friends!

Shower Gel AND a towel!

Lee dog looking good

Monday, July 26th, 2010

it’s RAGBRAI time! I bumped into Lee Dog of the Tall Dogs club.
Lee and the Bugman in Sioux City!