Something Touched Me Deep Inside (Part 1)

Tweet

A music geek in Iowa. Where do you think I would go? I did make a detour (more about that later), but my goal today was Clear Lake. Where the music died, according to the Don McLean song. A large replica of Buddy Holly’s horn-rimmed glasses mark the entrance to that half-mile path between two cornfields. The path is very well-worn. What struck me as interesting (in a good way) was the complete lack of “destruction”: no trash, no damage, no graffiti, no real signs that a lot of people have walked that half a mile, except for the beaten-down grass. At the actual crash site there is a memorial to Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Richie Valens. Off to the side is another marker, in the form of pilot wings, for Roger Peterson. It’s easy to remember Buddy Holly died here, but three others died, too…and that included the pilot. It was a beautiful early fall afternoon for a trek down a path that thousands of others have taken. I joined them at the end of the path to pay my respects to the young rockers who died way too young, the first rock and roll casualties of “life on the road,” and to their pilot. PHOTOS: Top: the replica of Buddy Holly’s glasses mark the entrance to the path to the crash site. Bottom: the marker for the three musicians at the actual crash site.