Buddy Holly Crash Site Iowa 09 05 2020

 After visiting the wonderful

Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa, we made our way to the "crash site" where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper lost their lives.

The kind folks at the Surf Ballroom will give you instructions, and a very simple map to get to the location.  It is just a few miles away.

You DO have to do some travelling on some very gravelly roads though.  We were told that some bikers make the trip to the Surf Ballroom, but they don't go to the crash site because of all of the gravel.

I understand that.  You ARE on some roads that you have to drive very slow on.

There is a very sweet LARGE metal Buddy Holly glasses frame someone has put up, showing you the starting point for the trail you will have to walk through to get to the actual site.  

They told us at the Surf Ballroom that its about the length of 2 football fields to get there.  We walked it in under 10 minutes.

Once you get to the site, there is another nice metal marker, and of course people have left mementos there.

Surf Ballroom Clear Lake Iowa 9 5 2020

 We FINALLY made it to the

legendary Surf Ballroom, the site of the last performance of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper.

Check out the video above, which I posted to youtube.

We visited the Surf Ballroom on our way to South Dakota.  We allowed a couple of hours to visit the venue and the crash site, but we ended up spending a LOT more time in Clear Lake Iowa.  This place is special.

Check out my other links for a video at the crash site.  Also, check out my review on the book, "The Day the Music Died" by Larry Lehmer.  Lehmer's book is a good starting point if you are unfamiliar with the very tragic plane crash.

I think this is one of those things that is just in our collective conscience though.  I grew up in the 80s and knew about this event.  Don McLean's song about that night really keeps

that emotion alive.  You could listen to that song and have no knowledge of what happened...  and you could still feel the extreme sadness it sparks.

AND, reading Lehmers book gives you that same emotion.  The stars were on a miserable tour.  It was a very cold January/February in a very cold area.  The heat on the bus was faulty.  The tour busses would break down.  Many were sick with colds.

Even these rock stars had not really had time to enjoy the wealth of their

celebrity (they were young and the REAL money they had earned had not really filtered down to them yet).

I could go on and on.  BUT, they spent their last night alive performing at this venue.

The Surf Ballroom is the spot for that moment in time.

The venue is so perfect too, and they have preserved it to look like it is 1959.  It really reminded me of a set that might have been used on "Happy Days."

There are still concerts here, with an impressive list of performers.  There are bragging rights to playing here for sure.

AND, even though the Surf is a monument to that sad moment...... it is a bright and lively place.

The guy in the gift shop said he volunteered, and he was just happy to be a part of it.  They have a museum type area.... with relics from that night, but also with signed photos and instruments of performers who have played there more recently.  The Surf Ballroom continues on as a very lively spot for rock-n-roll pilgrims.  Make sure you catch it on an upcoming road trip!

"The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the "Big Bopper," and Ritchie Valens" by Larry Lehmer

 We added our stop in Clear Lake Iowa to our mostly South Dakota trip (it ended up being on the way) at the last minute.  I didn't have time to read up on the event before we left, though I knew a lot about it, in general, going in.

Well, when we got home, I googled around and tried to find a good book, specifically about the the tragic events on that sad night in 1959.  Well, I found "The Day the Music Died" by Larry Lehmer.

This PACKED volume gives a brief bio on Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, then it gets to the events around the Winter Dance Party, the stop in Clear Lake Iowa, and the plane crash.  The set up is perfect, but the author doesn't add filler- this book IS about the day the music died.

There are a TON of bits of info in the book, and if you are an obsessive rock fan like me, well, then, I know you love that kind of stuff.  I don't want to give too much away, but I really enjoyed reading about how TWO versions of the Crickets were around at one point.  Also, Lehmers book tells about how the Winter Dance Party Tour CONTINUED even after the deaths of the headliners.  

The author talks a lot about the conditions on the tour and on the bus that lead to Holly getting a plane to fly him.  You may or may not know that The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens weren't supposed to be on that flight.  Waylon Jennings (yes, THAT Waylon Jennings) was supposed to be on the plane.  

Larry Lahmer gives some very dark secrets about the crash you may not be aware of.  Did one of the rock stars have a premonition about the crash?  Are there conspiracies being thrown around?  The answer to both questions is yes, and you can read about them in this book!

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and Library in West Branch Iowa

We were able to visit the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site AND the separate Library and Museum dedicated to him in West Branch Iowa.

We parked at the National Historic Site.  We went in and talked to a friendly ranger who gave us a map of the area.  We watched about a 15 minute movie at this location (spoiler alert, its a bit of a tear jerker).

We then walked to the childhood home/birth site, school, and church associated with his young life.  AND, still within a short walk, we made it to the Library and Museum!

There was a small fee at the Library and Museum.  We hopped right on to a guided tour.

AND, before leaving the area, we walked to the final resting place of POTUS 31 and his wife Lou Henry.

Hoover is, I think an overlooked president in many ways because he was a REALLY nice human.  Almost saintly.  He did a lot of good work and helped a lot of people.

Unfortunately, we has President during a really back economy...  so he gets remembered for that.

But, he was just a really good human and tried his best.  He had done well for himself before becoming President, and declined a salary (he, Kennedy, and Trump are the only 3 to have done that so far).

This is a great site for people who visit sites though.  Its in a nice, rural area.  West Branch is a very attractive small town.  AND, you can take in most of the sites associated with this president in one nice walk!

Pac-Man at the rest area in Iowa

I thought it was interesting that some of the Iowa rest areas were using Pac-Man to promote not driving while sleepy.

Iowa 80 Truckstop- The World's Largest Truck Stop in Iowa

We stopped by the World's Largest Truck Stop in Iowa on our way to South Dakota, and back.  It was a very nice break spot!

We stopped there briefly back in 2012.  It was cool, but now it is Epic!  They have obviously added a lot to it!

There was a nice food court...  and lots of souvenirs.  They don't have tons of signs to tip you off leading to it like some of the other attractions on the way...  You kinda have to be ready for it.

The place is kinda comparable to Wall Drug....  Its just big and a LOT!  I saw pins, patches, candy, toys, etc, etc.  They had food places AND a Caribou Coffee!

Souix City Iowa Caribou Coffee

As we drove through Iowa, we realized that there was a Caribou Coffee in Souix City!  We took a moment to stop by.

Back in the early 2000s, when I lived in northern Ohio, I used to spend a LOT of time at Carobou Coffee shops.  I loved them!  If you were in the area, you might remember me hanging out at the one in Beachwood most weekday mornings.

The coffee was good, and all of the shops are so cozy- they have fireplaces!  Anyway, the chain moved out of the area, and they are currently only in some northern states here and there.

So, we stopped at this one and it was just perfect.  We had great drinks, and hung out for a bit.  A VERY sweet young lady working there was great!  We talked with her for some time about our love of coffee shops.

So, we love Caribou, and we especially loved the one in Souix City!

Our South Dakota, Nebraska and a Few Other States Road Trip

 So, we are home and recovering from a massive road trip driving around several cool sites in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.  It was one really fun time!

This was somewhat of a redo trip from one we did in 2012.  We had a great time on that trip, and we have simply been itching to get back out to the area.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we got back out there again in the next few years!

Its a nice drive out to South Dakota.  Driving and traffic aren't bad, roads are open, and there is a lot to see!

We did have to do things a little different on this trip though.  Last time, we included the town of Deadwood, and we also made it to Devils Tower.  We would have loved to do those sites again, but, from a budgeting our time standpoint, we just couldn't.

We had a REAL issue with caves on this trip too!  They were all closed!  Like, all of them.  More on that later, but we struck out going underground.

We were able to visit my all time favorite coffee chain, CARIBOU!  When we lived in Cleveland, I went to Caribou coffee all the time!  Unfortunately, the chain has pulled out of a lot of areas (including Ohio).  They are out west though, and I got my fill!

I was also able to spend a little bit of time at a college I went to BRIEFLY in Nebraska- Midland!  I will tell that story a little later, but I spent a COLD January on that campus.  I had a good time though!  Good peeps.

AND, you can't go to this area without a proper visit to Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse!  We did both carvings again!

THIS TIME, we did do a bus tour through the Black Hills, spending a day with Fort Hayes & Mt. Rushmore Tours.....  LOTS more on that later, but we had a really fun time with those guys.

Anyway, here are just a few pictures from our adventures....