I’m GEE and I own typewriters…

When I saw this on-line and did some research… I was shocked to see it was a rare item… according to Machines of Loving Grace only one was known to exist under the Columbia XL name… this one came with its manual.
Ouscalossa means “Last of the Beautiful” the Creek Princess the town of Oskaloosa was named after. This is the Thursday July 25th overnight stop for the bicycle ride across Iowa. One gets to learn a great deal about the state of Iowa when you take part in the bicycle ride. One of the added benefits.
Yesterday I mentioned the bike ride ends in Ft. Madison (the Florida of Iowa) it will start of the 6th time in Council Bluffs , IA.
The bicycle ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) ends in the Town of Ft. Madison (11,000). Each year towns go all out to support this ride. 41 years of rides and counting… it ends this year in the self-proclaimed Florida of Iowa.  Iowa which brought us “The Music Man” (…trouble right here in River City….) Where (if you build it… they will come) all started. And the one I like most of all (is this heaven? No… its Iowa). A place of open hearts… friendly folks… great food and lots of corn… hogs and farm land. A mirror of America at its best (from the perspective of a bicycle seat). http://www.fortmadisonragbrai.com
My 1952 Remington Travel Riter has provide over a year of great service. No problems or issues or concerns (except for a loose key cap or two). It was a low cost typewriter that I felt was not going to last (long before I new anything about typewriters)… it looked like a well used working machine. Still is. Made to last. Couldn’t be happier with it.
One year ago I did not know about “thrust typewriters” nor how long they had been on the market. When I bought the 1907 “The Empire” I just had to see what a 1936 model would do. That this type of typewriter was on the market for four decades makes me reconsider what I know and it is a good thing to learn and expand one’s concept of what makes a good typewriter and why. I like the thrust…