A Day Out in Oregon

[Arsey]

Found myself in Portland for 48 hours, maybe longer if Storm Ciaran has its way .
So rented a nice Cadillac ST4 for $75 and hatched a plan to go hike around Multnomah Falls then go visit the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.

Up before dawn .
Quick brek stop.

Then head east along the Colombia River towards Mount Hood

Arrived at the falls as daylight broke . Second highest falls in USA with 2 million visitors a year . But not today , this early

Hiked nearly 6 miles . Bloody hilly but stunning

Then off to the museum through Oregon back country via a stop at a supermarket to buy wifey a pile of baking chips - don’t ask !!

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

Arriving at the museum next to a crazy water park

In I go and book a private tour of the Spruce Goose

This was a real treat

A few other exhibits including the space museum opposite

The car was fabulous

Turbo 4 cylinder with 265bhp, wireless Car Play and charging , acc, heated everything plus cooling seats . But thirsty though

Cleared for take off back to PDX International to drop car off then Lyft over the Colombia back to our hotel in Vancouver, Washington to freshen up before hitting the Tap House for a few IPAs and good with colleagues and discuss whether we’ll get back as due in midday Thursday at the height of Storm Ciaran.

A great day out .

Not really worth its own thread but thought some might like the piccies.

Ta for reading /indulging me .

 

[Doc]

Looks good Martin.

 

[Arsey]

Nice spot for beers and dinner

Bit chilly outside !

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[Tinytim]

Great photos, ta for taking the time to post.

 

[Posh Pete]

Not really worth its own thread but thought some might like the piccies.

It was great, thanks. NB the CO2 fire suppression stuff in the Spruce Goose! Also to see the Blackbird displayed like that. Much more interesting to see the guts of it.

 

[leadfarmer]

Good post

good pics cheers

 

[EVskiy]

Very Good write up @Arsey .
Definitely a bit of @MikeO style going on in there.

Would have loved to be in your shoes and have the opportunity to experience it for myself.
These places are ideal for blokes, as women (majority) have no interest in such artefacts and just end up being ️, who wait on the sidelines, making one feel bad for them and taking away any enjoyment out of the activity.

 

[stever1]

Looks like a cracking day out. Where are those museums pls ?

 

[EVskiy]

Looks like a cracking day out. Where are those museums pls ?

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum is Here

Multnomah Falls are Here

 

[Dave56]

Fascinating pictures of the Spruce Goose.

 

[timeandtide]

Nice spot for beers and dinner

Bit chilly outside !

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

Great pic’s Martin thanks for posting.
BTW is that a Me262 in front of the Spruce Goose?

 

[Bem]

Much better pictures than mine - we went on an August Bank Holiday in 2017 when it was full of visitors.
Good to be reminded.
And a good hike too!

 

[rogerstan]

I was going to take the wife for a trip around Oregon last month but we ended up going elsewhere. Looking at these pics has reassured me that it's a good area to visit and it'll be on the agenda
for later in the new year.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[ATT]

Loved that.
Thank you.

 

[barak666]

Brilliant words and photos - many thanks for sharing with us!

 

[wessie]

Enjoyed seeing the pictures, especially in the museum. Always amazes me those things flew with those analogue electrical and mechanical control systems.

Your hire car has 20% better fuel consumption of 36mpg in Imperial gallons according to https://www.checkyourmath.com/convert/fuel_economy/us_mpg_imperial_mpg.php

 

[Kitsilano]

Arsey,
Thanks for sharing!
Great photos and good on you for making the most of your down-time there.
Great that your speed wasn't the subject of the Multnomah County Sherrif's interest!
Can I ask you, as a pilot, what you thought about the Spruce Goose - as a design, as a machine, as even a possibility to fly?
I am sorry that I missed the beast when it was at Long Beach for all those years that it sat there.

Enjoy the time there - all the more so if Cueran brings a delay! (The mouth of the Hood River is a busy spot for windsurfing and a 'circuit' that then takes you south to Canon Beach before coming back inland to Portland, might be interesting...)

 

[Arsey]

Great pic’s Martin thanks for posting.
BTW is that a Me262 in front of the Spruce Goose?

Yup.
I really should have taken more pics of the other exhibits but couldn’t be arsed.
Only took a couple

Arsey,
Thanks for sharing!
Great photos and good on you for making the most of your down-time there.
Great that your speed wasn't the subject of the Multnomah County Sherrif's interest!
Can I ask you, as a pilot, what you thought about the Spruce Goose - as a design, as a machine, as even a possibility to fly?
I am sorry that I missed the beast when it was at Long Beach for all those years that it sat there.

Enjoy the time there - all the more so if Cueran brings a delay! (The mouth of the Hood River is a busy spot for windsurfing and a 'circuit' that then takes you south to Canon Beach before coming back inland to Portland, might be interesting...)

The Goose was an amazing bit of kit.
So innovative of its time.
One of the very first aircraft to use hydraulics .
It had an APU to start the engines.

It also had the very first ever black box fitted to an aircraft. The side opened up to change the tapes.

There was a huge oil tank of something like 260 gallons
Huge fuel tanks under the flow with each engine having an auxiliary tank.

Those ‘poles’ are the engine spars and the wing is so big that you can walk inside it down to the third engine without ducking down !.

The old guy showing me around said it was designed to carry 700 troops and would have had a clamshell nose in productions models for tank loading.

The best aircraft I’ve ever looked around and it was a real privilege to get the tour and sit in the flight deck (you just pay extra )

 

[Northern jock]

Thanks for writing that up. That's one impressive bank of engine guages

 

[Arsey]