HOG HEAVEN ON STEROIDS

National Motorcycle Museum - Anamosa, Iowa

We recently visited the National Motorcycle Museum and Hall Of Fame in Anamosa, Iowa, by shear accident.  When we say it is a priceless collection of vintage, priceless, hard to find motorcycles, that is putting it mildly.  We found over 36,000 square feet of motorcycles, rare collections, a huge gift shop, and memorabilia spanning over 100 years.

Steve McQueen's 1947 Indian Chief Chopper
Original condition - including his sleeping bag

1954 Harley-Davidson FL Hydra-Glide "King Bill"

1966 Harley-Davidson Electra-Glide FLH "Willie's Latin Thing"

1966 Custom made Gelbke "Roadog"

Evel Knievel Exhibit

1972 Evel Knievel Harley Davidson "Alloy" XR750 Jump Bike

To say it was jaw-dropping for both of us was an understatement!  The originator of the Museum,  John Parham, started the business J&P Cycles (about a mile down the road) 36 years ago, which is a company you would have heard of if you were interested in vintage, rare bikes and motorcycles.  He has had a passion to provide the very best, and when the opportunity presented itself in 1989, he relocated the huge museum from Sturgis, South Dakota, to the beautiful town of Anamosa, Iowa.  If you have ever seen the television show, American Pickers, you have probably seen John Parham give professional and expert advice to Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz.  It is evident as you walk around the museum that Mike and Frank have located several rare items for the museum.  

The 1914 Merz Cyclecar was found by American Pickers
Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz

1914 Merz Cyclecar 

We could have literally spent the entire day in this museum without any problem...over 400 different motorcycles on display, and that doesn't count the collections, art work, apparel store, and room dedicated to those who have been inducted into The Motorcycle Hall Of Fame. Every single item in this huge easy-to-follow museum has a different story to tell.   While this museum is cavernous, it looks like they need more room for the priceless items that are on display.

An Overwhelming Collection 

Rare Cadillac Ice Cream Cycle

Von Dutch Triumph Thunderbird

1972 Honda CB 750 Chopper
What happened in the 70's, stayed in the 70's!

The Pink Beezer

We've never seen anything like it and you will be astounded if you put this museum on your bucket list for a future visit.  One reviewer of the museum said, "It's a mind-blowing collection of bikes, memorabilia, engines, historical photos, displays, etc.  I never thought I would see a collection to rival Jay Leno's, but this one is unreal!" Can't begin to tell you how glad we are that we found the National Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in Anamosa, IA. 

HAPPY 301st BIRTHDAY!

Welcome To The Amana Colonies

One of our favorite  memories of  Iowa was our day trip to the seven Amana Colonies villages.  The seven villages are Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, West Amana, South Amana, Homestead and East Amana.  Each village had its own unique characteristics and attractions, and we were welcomed to drive through very freely, of course.  One day certainly doesn't do this beautiful area justice, so maybe next trip we will plan to stay longer.

A 17 mile loop connects the colonies

  

Residential Area of East Amana

The history of the Amana colonies doesn't begin in the United States but in Germany in 1714.  After persecution, excessive rents and taxes, and a killing draught, these small congregations of followers were known as the Community of True Inspiration and came to America in 1842 and purchased 5000 acres to become a communal form of living and opened shops, mills and farmland.  This communal way of life would continue uninterrupted in the Amana Colonies for 89 years.

High Amana Colony - Oldest General Store with original fixtures

Sandstone was popular building material

  In Iowa the followers found the land they had hoped to find, and in 1855 a village was established named Amana, and then five more villages were established.  By 1861 the community had grown to about 26,000 acres.

Lots of Shopping areas

One of the original communal homesteads

Large Barns and Silos are operational

Another Shopping Opportunity 

Residential area in High Amana

Almost deserted Train Station in Amana

ORIGINAL FIELD OF DREAMS - Dyersville, Iowa

Dyersville, Iowa 

You need Google Maps to find this diamond!

A surprise to me was that a visit to the Field Of Dreams is on a lot of bucket lists.  This is the original, intact movie set for Field Of Dreams, in Dyersville, Iowa.  The movie, released in 1989, was based on a book called "Shoeless Joe", written by W. P. Kinsella.  To say it is in the middle of nowhere is an accurate statement.  You could embellish and say it is also in the middle of a corn field in the middle of nowhere.

This is the road - keep driving!

Definitely in the middle of a corn field!

The Kinsella's Home on site.

The actual Field Of Dreams Ball Field

This is where people come to relive their childhood innocence and fantasies of playing major league baseball and see that dreams can come true.

Live The Magic
Have Faith In Simplicity
and Always Dare To Dream!

In the movie, Kevin Costner plays a novice Iowa corn farmer, Ray Kinsella.  He heard a mysterious voice one night tell him, "If you build it, he will come."  So he built a baseball diamond on his land and afterwards the ghost of great baseball players began emerging from the crops, i.e., Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) leading the pack.

Beautiful and Bountiful Iowa Corn Fields
Field Of Dreams - Dyersville, Iowa

RV In the Cornfields at Field Of Dreams Movie Site
Dyersville, Iowa

Amy Madigan portrays the wife of  Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner),  James Earl Jones was a radical author, Terrance Mann, and Burt Lancaster, who was Dr. Archibald  "Moonlight" Graham, played his final movie role of his stellar career.

In 1989 the Field Of Dreams film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards; Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screen Play and Best Picture. 

Field Of Dreams Movie Site
Dyersville, Iowa

It is estimated more than 65,000 people from all over the world visit this original movie set in Dyersville, Iowa every year.  We would have to agree this is worth the journey to the middle of a cornfield in Iowa.  Did I fail to mention all this fun was FREE?!

HEROES, SEXY TRACTORS, & "WRASSLIN'"

Usually we stay at a campground within close proximity to several cities such as we did when we arrived in Iowa.  Iowa is a beautiful and historical state.  We stayed in Center Point which is centrally located to Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Dyersville, Anamosa, and The Amana Colonies before moving further south..

"Fields Of Opportunities" - Iowa

Beautiful Iowa!

Waterloo, Iowa, located alongside the Cedar River, is such an interesting city. We visited the  John Deere Factory and Engine Museum, and, believe it or not, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame/Dan Gable Museum and the Sullivan Brothers Veterans Museum. Each museum visit could have taken much longer, but you have to choose what you think is most interesting and historical.

The John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum
Waterloo, Iowa

John Deere Tractor
Waterloo, Iowa

Before you think we were nuts to go to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, just know we have fond memories of wrestling in Jacksonville at the Beaver Street Arena and the  Coliseum since we were very young.  Names like Lou Thesz, Haystacks Calhoun, Andre The Giant, Eddie Graham, Mike Curtis, Argentine Rocca, The Von Brauner Brothers and Gentleman Saul, their manager, Primo Carnera, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rodgers, etc,, The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is as importantly a museum to honor an Iowan, a great Olympic wrestling champion, Dan Gable. The museum had so many wrestling items on display, as well as a wrestling arena.  RV enjoyed the entire experience and recognized so many of the former champions and superstars.

National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Dan Gable Museum
Waterloo, Iowa

Andre The Giant ....Do you know the others?

We always have time to honor our vets, particularly since RV is a vet, so it was appropriate our first stop would be to the Sullivan Brothers and Veterans Museum, built to honor the five Sullivan Brothers, all serving together on the USS Juneau (CL-52), who were killed in action on November 13, 1942. The brothers had an only sister, Genevieve, who was in the WAVES.  She was the girlfriend of Bill Ball, whose death in Pearl Harbor, prompted her five brothers to join the Navy to avenge him.  After the deaths of the Sullivan Brothers on the same ship, the U.S. War Department began enforcing "The Sole Survivor Policy," so this would never occur again.

Sullivan Brothers
Iowa Veterans Museum
Waterloo, Iowa

 

Five Sullivan Brothers
Waterloo, Iowa

Statue of the Five Sullivan Brothers
Veterans Museum - Waterloo, Iowa

USS Juneau - CL- 52

Another interesting exhibit at the Museum was a special travelling Viet Nam exhibit in a special wing of the museum.   Emphasis was given to honor each branch of the service and recognize how they gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country.  To put it into perspective, this is what was listed:

Navy -            1.8 million served  throughout the conflict in Viet  Nam             1,631 killed in action
Army -            more than 4 million served during the Viet Nam conflict          38,224 killed in action
Coast Guard - 8,000 served throughout the Viet Nam conflict                           7 killed in action
Air Force -      1.7 million served throughout the Viet Nam conflict                   2,586 killed in action
Marines -        800,000 served throughout the Viet Nam conflict                      13,095 killed in action