Ragbrai Left Handed Banjo 'Tubes

Banjo playin' on the old RAGRRAI:

At the Peanut Butter Jam: Tom and Jim (The Roadside Boys)

Banjo Only

It's ALL about the RAGBRAI !!!

The next week of posts are going to be only about the RAGBRAI

On the Peanut Butter Jam Website

I ride a bike in the RAGBRAI (the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) and I carry a banjo on my back the entire route. I sometimes will stop and play a few notes on occasion. Here is a collection of photos of me that people have taken and posted on the internet. The one above is from the Peanut Butter Jam in 2008.

I think this was in 2007 , maybe Manchester, Iowa?

This was something like the last town on the last day of the ride and I probably spent two hours in this town greeting the other riders as they came into town.

Next to a drier bin in Stout, Iowa, 2007

There was this corn drier at the corner of the route that provided some shade and a good place to play as the mass of bikes passed through.

On stage in Humbolt, Iowa 2006

The bank of Iowa booked us (The Roadside Boys) for early morning entertainment in Humbolt.

On the side of the road in Humbolt, 2006

We found someone's front yard and just started playing stuff. In the black box is a melodion (accordion) that came in handy when a rider asked if we could do a polka.

On stage in Clarion, Iowa, 2006

This was another Roadside Boys gig where we had a great time drinking beer and jamming with the local talent.

Someplace in Iowa, 2005

This was near a rest stop. I found this picture by searching "Ragbrai Banjo" on Google. It's in Iowa, but I don't know where exactly.

Maybe in Malcom, Iowa, 2006

The local fire department placed a water hose out to spray into the street to help cool off the riders on this 98 degree day. A rider took this picture of me playing under the stream of water and posted it with the title "Water Music".

Crystal Lake, Iowa, 2005

This photo was taken by a news reporter in a town that bordered Crystal lake. The two women sitting next to me were members of the C.U.B.S (see next picture below).

Someplace in Iowa, 2005

I remember this guy who took this photo. He asked all sorts of questions. The jersey I have on celebrates the 10th year of the club known as C.U.B.S., or the Chicago Urban Bicycling Society. It was a bike club I joined in 2005.

A cornfield in Iowa, 2005

This is me with Lee, the president of the Tall Dogs Club. Lee asked if I could play some banjo tunes while he relieved himself in the cornfield out back. He said it was the highlight of the ride.

An intersection in Iowa, 2005

I felt that the volunteers who were out in the sun all day directing traffic needed some entertainment too, so I took some time to welcome them and their hard work.

Fenton, Iowa, 2005

This is a picture of me with some veteran members of the C.U.B.S. I think I grabbed this from their website.

Crystal Lake, Iowa, 2005

This picture was taken by a Register photographer. It clearly shows the "Ragbrai" logo on the head of my banjo.

I should be in Iowa tonight. I have no idea what I'll find on the road for the coming week, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Yet Another RAGBRAI banjo update:

This does not look good:

The old RAGBRAI banjo has  a real crick in its neck!

Yes, the peg head came off and part of the fret board too!

A bit of glue and a few clamps should have it back in no time (I hope!) This gives me a chance to update the markings for the RAGBRAI XXXVII season! Just 37 days left! Yahoo!

The RAGBRAI banjo

The old banjo needs an update:

Here it is with some fellow school teachers at RAGBRAI XXXV

Here are some more recent pictures

Detail of broken tail piece

I was at Avo's bluegrass jam last night when the old banjo began to cry out for help. This particular banjo was made from an old pressure cooker and a furniture leg. It was played for many years, exposed to all kinds of weather, stored in a car trunk during the winter months, and it never, ever had it's own protective case.
Last night while at the Avo's jam, certain structural abnormalities of the tail piece were noted during the playing of the instrument. The banjo quickly lost tune and it became apparent that the banjo could no longer hold tension on the strings.

The tail piece, which was probably 35 years old, decided to fold!

Avo's Jam

Apparently every Wednesday night there is a bluegrass jam at Avo's!

It was dark, so these are the best pictures I could get. 

There were more than seven banjo players in the place at one time!

...and only one dobro player!

Poudre Canyon

North-West of town is Poudre River Canyon. We had to check it out for future kayak adventures.

You could walk across some areas. Maybe in the Spring it's higher!

We saw some people floating down the river on tubes! Hey, we have tubes! And we are only 20 minutes away!

UU Sunday Brunch

This morning we went to the UU Brunch. A fiddle player and two guitarists were there!

It sounded like we know all the old favorites!

We will do this again soon!

Today I'm hooking up the electrical circuits in the basement to get our hot tub working and to get better lighting in the work room. Jeanne is helping out at the UU yard sale. (As I am typing this, I can hear an old DC3 airplane overhead! I wonder if there's another air show at the Ft.Collins/Loveland airport?)

Holy crap! Some guy playing banjo, but it's not me!

It's none other than Dr. Banjo, Pete Wernick!

...at Bohemian Nights 2008 in Fort Collins. I have one of his banjo books somewhere packed away in the basement.

signs, etc.

Another jam with Mike McAbee

Le Claire, Iowa

Two Hobos together in one picture! Here I am with Mr. Rick Gage, otherwise known as Iowa Blackie! Mr. Gage remembers the exact day he jumped on his first ore car at the age of 14, and the very moment he gave his life to the rails. He was given the name Iowa Blackie by a group of hobos in 1984, at a hobo "circus" in Minneapolis. We exchanged a number of banjo jokes and went on our way!

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
Tipton
Bennett
New Liberty
Maysville
Eldridge
Argo
Le Claire

Tipton, Iowa

WELCOME TO TIPTON!

This is weird! Banjo and accordions in Tipton, Iowa!

We played 'Mama don't Allow No Banjo Playin' 'round Here'

The guy in the red shirt worked for the local newspaper. We might be in it!

It turns out this guy and his wife are staying at a house about 20 feet from my tent. It looks like we might be doing polkas all night!

(The guy's name is Ken Harris from Boise, Idaho. His band is called "The Hoochie Coochie Men". Listen here for samples!)

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
North Liberty
Solon
Lisbon
Mount Vernon
Martelle
Morley
Mechanicsville
Tipton

North Liberty, Iowa

Too much jamming last night! I rode into Tama about 8:30pm and had to pitch the tent in the dark.
Today it is cool with a light rain. I'm keeping the banjo playing to a minimum. At the free trade coffee place, I broke the D string on the banjo, so I had a good excuse not to play!
Gotta hump it over to North Liberty to get to our hotel early (I hope!)

Bikers on the internet! In Belle Plaine, Iowa!
Waiting to use the facilities in Belle Plaine

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
Tama/Toledo
Vining
Chelsea
Belle Plaine
Luzerne
Blairstown
West Amana
South Amana
Homestead
North Liberty

Tama/Toledo Iowa

Playing banjo someplace in Iowa

Jammin' with Mike McAbee

...on a farm maybe 24 mile from Ames

WTF??!! I'm on a bike and gas is only 17 cents!!!

In Colo, Iowa

Playin' at the fillin' station

Fixin' an arm





Someplace 2 miles outside of Ames

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
Ames
Nevada
Colo
State Center
Albion
Green Mountain
Le Grand
Montour
Tama/Toledo

Ames, Iowa

Today we ride into Ames, Iowa!

Jammin' in Boon, Iowa

There were two crossing guards at the railroad crossing. I stopped there and played banjo for their entertainment (and the Ragbrai riders too!)
In Ogden, Iowa I found the public library and there was a computer that was free to use, so I was able to load some pictures.

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
Jefferson
Grand Junction
Dana
Ogden
Boone
Ames

Jefferson, Iowa

Cute cartoons on a pink bus
Paul Bernard's Mr. Pork Chop Bus!

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
Harlan
Kimballton
Elk Horn
Exira
Larland
Coon Rapids
Scranton
Jefferson
Near Coon Rapids, Tom H. (of the Roadside Boys) and I played music for the riders at Mr. Pork Chop (Paul Bernard)

Harlan Iowa

Here we are in Harlan. We are camping out. Some crazy people let us camp in their back yard. There are 74 of us! How much toilet paper do you need? David, our flying dentist decided to take off in the back yard!

David doing his thing.

All these women are named Jeanne!

They ride in The Jeanne Pool!

Today we are biking through these fine towns:
Missouri Valley
Beebeetown
Underwood
Neola
Minden
Shelby
Tennant
Harlan

In Harlan, a big wind came and blew my tent into several pieces! The storm didn't last long, but I will have to buy a new tent tomorrow!

Misery Valley

Car and Banjo

The car is staying in Chicago, but the banjo is going to IowaThis morning is the bus ride to Missouri Valley via the famous RAGBRAI C.U.B.S. (Chicago Urban Bicycle Society). We will camp out there tonight and then tomorrow morning it's off to Harlan, Iowa!

Unloading the bikes in Missouri Valley. Tomorrow we ride to Harlan!

Buffalo and banjo

110 27 39 W 44 56 52 N

It was snowing! I saw this solitary buffalo (see arrow) .
The North entrance to Yellowstone National Park is in Gardiner, Montana. In the winter, most of the park is closed. The buffalo and elk must miss all the tourists, because they start to roam off the park property. When we returned from the park in the afternoon, there were several buffalo walking down main street.

Moma don't allow no banjo playin' around here!

Here is a picture of me playing the banjo. It's not a question of when this picture was taken, but where.
The coordinates are Longitude 51° 33' 55" N Latitude 04° 19' 58" W. If you go to Google Maps and search for "51 33 55 N 04 19 58 W" you will see where I was. Use the satellite view to see the terrain.