Oregon - May 2004

(September 14, 2004 Note: I have expanded this section with additional photos that I did not originally post when I was space-limited.   Now that I have a new server with plenty of online storage, I have created new pages about this trip.  The original page is below this text, but the new Oregon/Washington pages can be found by CLICKING HERE.)

May 17, 2004:  I managed to have some time off over the weekend of a business trip out to Oregon and Washington.  In that time, I managed to see quite a bit of the Columbia River, a short trip to Van's Aircraft, and the air museum at McMinnville, Oregon -- the home of the Hughes H-4 "Spruce Goose".

I went to Van's to get some technical help with the fit techniques for my sliding canopy.  I did get a chance to see some details on the RV-7 and the RV-9A prototypes.  I almost forgot to take any pictures to prove that I was really there.   I snapped this one right before I left.  The RV-10 is on the left and the RV-9A is on the right in the photo below. 

Other folks have shown the "plant tour" photos, so I passed on those ( I didn't want to bore you guys).  You can go to this link at the Van's Airforce web site of Doug Reeves to see much of what I saw on this trip.  http://www.vansairforce.net/flyins_pictures_stories.htm   Look at the links for Homecoming III and Homecoming IV to see his pictures.   Here are my shots taken at the Evergreen Air Museum at McMinnville, Oregon.

The SR-71 parked under the RIGHT WING of the Hughes H-4 makes quite a contrast in aviation.  The Largest airplane ever flown only achieved 90 MPH and the fastest (over 3000 MPH) JET-POWERED airplane are here together.  And yes, there is a Ford Tri-Motor hiding under the tail of the "Spruce Goose".  Did you know that most of the wood used to fabricate the resin impregnated plywood is actually BIRCH?  There is also a B-26 at the bottom LEFT of the photo below.

This C-47 painted in D-Day invasion stripes sits on the North side of the museum building.

This F-15 sits across the street from the air museum on the grounds of a business park adjacent to the McMinnville airport.

I headed out of Portland for Moses Lake, Washington on May 18,2004.  Along the way, the town of Hood River, Oregon provided this view of Mount Adams, Washington to the north of the town.  Mount Adams is the next volcanic peak EAST of Mt. Saint Helens.  As you can see, the mountain is still covered in snow.  The second picture is practically self-explanatory. 

The Columbia River and Interstate 84 run along for quite a while East of Portland.  The area is lush and green for a while, then turns into this more desert-like environment.

These river boat tugs push barges up and down the Columbia River all the way from the coast -- well up into Washington state.

I just could not resist this photo taken in Kennewick, Washington.  Talk about a "bugged" RV -- here it is!

Here is a better view of the Camper Bug.

I hope you guys enjoyed this little bit of my travels.  There were more pictures, but you may not find them that interesting.