Luxury in Waterloo
Yesterday we rode 82 miles from Charles City to Waterloo – the longest ride of the entire trip. It was chilly when we hit the road at 6:00 a.m. but starting that early paid off – it was less crowded so we made good time. It was HOT when we finally got to Waterloo – 6 hours later because we stopped in every town. The ride overall was not too bad except for one 20 mile stretch which took 2 hours in the heat. We passed through Parkersburg, Iowa – a town which had been hit by a bad flood and then a Force 5 tornado, which means the winds had hit over 200 miles an hour. Amazingly they had rebuilt...
Read MoreThree days, 198 Miles
Today we road 60 miles from Algona to Clear Lake, Iowa. While this was shorter than the 68 and 79 miles of the previous two days, we had a headwind coming right at us for about half of the ride, which was very difficult! We left at 6:00 a.m. and pulled into Clear Lake at around noon. I’m really glad we got here early as it is now about 100 degrees here in Clear Lake. Each day we’ve ridden hard, had some great food along the route, and gotten into the overnight town hot and tired. But the towns have all been very, very friendly and opened high school showers or public pools for the riders to...
Read MoreThree Generations with a Passion for Baseball
Bob Hellman Jr., Robert Hellman III, and Bob Hellman Sr. (L to R) at a 2004 World Series game between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball has always been a part of my life – for as long as I can remember. It was the first sport I ever had a chance to play. It is also a sport I’ve enjoyed both playing and watching with my entire family, including my grandfather, after whom I am named. We have even had a chance to visit the Baseball Hall Of Fame together. My love of baseball really got going when my first baseball team (which my Dad coached) won a championship. However, as...
Read MoreSpring Training: The Best Six Weeks of the Year
Spring Training. This very special six weeks of the year has been instrumental in building my baseball collection, and has provided me so many wonderful experiences. Always a little sad to see my time at spring training come to an end – I sure do love these spring games – it serves as a harbinger to the wonderful season to come. Autographs totaled at 43, having slowed a bit the last few days, but have some very valuable ones to add to the collection. Slim crowds early in the 6-week spring training session made for great autograph opportunities. I continue to be in awe of the new facilities...
Read MoreHellman Field – An Opportunity to Build Our Ballpark
It’s summertime in the late 1940s – a time when Baseball rules American sports and our “Fields of Dreams” on the East Side of Waterloo are sandbur-laden vacant lots. The real baseball fields are a bike’s-ride away across the river that divides the city of Waterloo, on the West Side. But that doesn’t deter you from playing the game you love. Nor do you consider the divide that separates this industrial city … it’s summertime … it’s baseball. Sixty years later things have changed, and there are now lush green diamonds on the East Side – the jewel in the crown – Hellman Field, a project that...
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