Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
The Antique Cars and Trucks of Hood River
Not the river itself of course but the town so named. We’d seen signs for the Western Antique Air and Auto Museum on earlier trips to Hood River but this time we decided to stop for a look.
I have to admit it was not at the top of my list of things to do. After all, Mt Hood is less than an hour away, and beautiful orchards dot the way ; there are windsurfers to watch on the river and there’s an historic shopping district just waiting for people like me.
Still, the museum is a hidden jewel and I enjoyed walking in the midst of cars, trucks and planes tucked into every nook and cranny of the two and half acres of buildings.
The automobile collection includes manufacturers still building cars today – Ford and Chevy – and those who were left behind – Locomobile and Stanley and Nash.
I liked those from the fifties and sixties the best with their loud colors and sizes.
My favorite was a 1950 Kaiser, which reminded me of a plump melon.
Bob liked them all and could have used more time – he actually reads the signs – but we’d arrived late in the day and only had an hour to spend.
So I suspect we’ll be back on our next trip to the Columbia River Gorge. At least he will. I’ll probably drop him off and go shopping.
Shared with Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Cars and Trucks.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
A wonderful museum, with some beautiful cars. One of the best things about America is the cars you produced in the 1950s. I always wanted a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air. The car that just screamed ‘American Cool’!
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks Pete. We were surprised by how many classics it contained. Probably the best of its kind that I’ve ever seen. Bob’s favorite car was a 1956 Chevy. I’ll take a look at the link! 🙂
I’ve been to the Hood River Museum, isn’t it just a blast. What delightful photos you have. 😀
Thanks so much! We were really impressed with the museum! 😊
My Bob loves that museum. Like you, we read the signs several times before stopping for a short visit. That meant the next trip through HR meant a longer visit to the museum. Their collection is amazing! I try and remember to take along a bib for Bob just in case he gets to drooling. 🙂 Great images you captured!
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m sure we’ll be back for a longer visit though it remains to be seen whether I will go with him. 😁
Classic cars are so much fun – Jay Leno lives down the hill from us and he regularly can be seen driving one of his vintage cars around the area!
That’s so cool! I’d love to see Jay sporting around the neighborhood in a classic car! 😁
My husband would have loved that museum! My parents had a 1957 Chevy Bel Air when I was little only it was yellow. Don’t know what ever happened to it. In your second to last photo at the far right it looks like the back of a 1941 Plymouth, I only know because my mom still has the one my dad had since before they were married ( albeit now in a state of disrepair). 😊
l was surprised by the museum’s extensive collection, especially for a small town like Hood River! 🙂 I think we also had a Chevy Bel Air back in the day, a 1960 if I remember correctly.
It is quite depressing to see these cars be antiques. What must that say about me!
The oldest car there is from 1899 and can be fairly called an antique. The fun ones from the fifties and sixties are best called classics, just like us! 🙂
whew!