BICYCLE HEAVEN
When I was in high school, and I’m not kidding when I write this, I watched the movie “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” everyday for months. I fell in love with the score and it was a way for me to kick back and laugh. To this day, you’ll either love or dislike watching it with me as I can say the lines right along with the actors.
Having the chance to see Pee Wee’s bike in person at Bicycle Heaven was a dream come true. It’s one of 12 made for the film (a bit of trivia I didn’t learn until I visited) and if you look close enough, you’ll see most of the details on it were painted by hand.
Here’s the fun stuff: the museum is the world’s largest transportation museum dedicated to bicycles. With over 6,000 in the building, I took a tour with owner Craig Morrow and asked him to show me the one he’d never part with.
After checking out a bike that you have to bounce to move the wheels, ones with long skirt barriers to save women in petticoats from getting their dresses caught in the spokes, and plenty of vintage bikes from around the world, I learned there’s not one in particular. Now, I like to think of them as his children – there’s no way to name a favorite child.