I left Tigard and drove to my main destination of the day, Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, OR. I had visited this museum back in 2009, but there were some new things to see...and other things worth seeing again. The biggest attraction at this facility is the world famous Spruce Goose. Actually, the giant plane is made mostly of birch, but it's amazing that it's made out of wood in the first place! The photo of the inside of the Spruce Goose is looking back towards the tail. The beach balls were inside the fuselage to serve as flotation should the plane take on water.
The aviation museum had many great World War II fighters from the U.S., Germany and Great Britain. Here are a British Spitfire, a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and my personal favorite, an American Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
There was also a good collection of Korea and Vietnam era fighters including several Soviet planes. Here is a MIG-21 and another of my favorites, a modern day U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II...also known affectionately as the Warthog.
The space museum building contains exhibits on the history of the space program in the U.S. and the Soviet Union. There were artifacts as well as equipment and spacecraft representing the world's quest for space exploration. Here are a Mercury space capsule, a piece of burned heat shield from Gemini VIII, and replicas of Apollo mission lunar lander and rover.
After lunch, I stopped to fill my gas tank...they pump gas for you in Oregon! As I was waiting, I noticed a bird with blue feathers hopping on the pavement. I snapped some photos of the bird and an internet search told me it was a Western Scrub Jay. Definitely a bird I've never seen before...or have I?
My final stop before calling it a day was a visit to see the Simpsons mural in Springfield. As you may know, the popular cartoon family live in the fictional town of Springfield. Even though the state is not given, since the Simpsons creator Matt Groening is from Portland, it might make sense to assume it's Oregon!
Tomorrow, I'll be crossing the border into California. Tonight, I'll be enjoying a nice, hot shower...and TV...and refrigerator...and microwave...and free internet...etc, etc. Ah, the joys of electricity!
2 comments:
Hmm, the water-heater "should" have been able to keep the water hot (at least tolerable) for 24 hours, but not much after that. I found that out when the power was out at my place a couple of years ago.
Regarding the Simpsons®, some of the characters are named after streets in Portland, too. Example: Flanders. :-)
Safe & FUN travels! :-)
Kurt & Josie :-)
They probably did the laundry, washing sheets and towels, which of course would have depleted any hot water that was left!
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