As Captain Hilts, "the Cooler King," in the 1963 film "The Great Escape."
I guess I didn’t realize how many “national museums” are actually tucked away in the rolling hills of Iowa, until I got around to staring really hard at the smallest type on my Rand McNally road map.
That’s how I learned that — just within a few rural miles of each other in eastern Iowa — you can visit a National Motorcycle Museum, a National Museum of Farm Toys and a modest baseball shrine in the cornfield where Field of Dreams was shot.
Of course I wanted to see Field of Dreams, but Harley seemed drawn to the low rectangular building in Animosa, Iowa, where dozens of his ancestors were apparently restored and on display. So we decided to see both (though privately I was thinking the “national” motorcycle museum would prove a big disappointment).
Boy was I wrong. The bike museum was huge, and its benefactors and curators must have spent lifetimes stocking it full of images, memorabilia and vintage vehicles to tell the 100-year-old story of motorcycles in America.
In the end, we spent so much time there — and at the Field of Dreams too (where I actually got to hit a few balls in the direction of the cornfield fence) — we didn’t have enough time left in the day to check out the farm toys. Which I’m sure would have been fascinating. But you just can’t do it all.
Travels with Harley 
You’re probably too far east but Winterset, IA is the home of John Wayne’s birthplace. I was able to visit during a recent business trip to Des Moines. It was neat to those who are fans of The Duke. I will definitely take a trip to Field of Dreams the next chance I’m in Iowa. Who would have thought Iowa would contain so many jewels?
Hi Tim! Great to hear from you. And yes, I’ve moved beyond Iowa to Wisconsin (and I’m pretty near all museum-ed out for a while). Thanks again to you & Amber and Andrew & Annie for looking after me in Fort Collins. Which was like a paradise compared to the wind in Wyoming. Hope you all have a wonderful autumn. Cheers!
Hi George:
If you and Harley get your museum legs (and wheels!) back, check out this website – I’m a facebook fan of it and it seems great! Fun little out-of-the-way places to swing by on your travels, perhaps?
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/
Loved the motorcycle museum slideshow! Easy Rider and The Great Escape rank up there as some of my favorite movie classics. Thanks for posting!
Great web site! Looks like I’ve only grazed the surface of oddball museums and shrines in the Heartland. Who knew? (Besides you?) I don’t want to make it an everyday habit, but I bet there’s some gems in there I’ll catch in the future. Thanks, Julie! And thanks for reading!
LOVE that old stuff! Great pics! Hug.
Thanks, Tori! And thanks again for sharing that photo. Finally got it posted in “Relatives on the Road.” Camped last night in O-hi-O (as Neil Young used to sing). Not setting any speed records, but enjoying the experience and keeping it safe. Hugs to you too — and a manly hug to Barrett.