'Come Fly With Me' - Frank Sinatra
Howard Hughes' behemoth 'Spruce Goose' only ever flew once. It managed to get 70 feet in the air for one mile just off the Californian coast in 1947. It now lives in the fantastic Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. What a magnificent sight it is! It was originally displayed next to the 'Queen Mary' at Long Island but was bought by 'Evergreen Aviation', in 1992 and the quite marvellous 'Evergreen Aviation Museum' evolved with the giant aeroplane as its centrepiece.
The museum is packed with aircraft of all shapes and sizes, all beautifully displayed. There is even the helicopter used during the filming of 'MASH' hanging from the ceiling, rather wonderfully. Also on site is a water park with a 747 on the roof! The giant slide goes right through the 'jumbo'. How thrilling is that?
'Spruce Goose' was built by Hughes as part of the war effort. The Governor of Maine at that time, a rampant Republican, Christian Scientist, Klu Klux Klan sympathiser and, almost certainly, corrupt nasty piece of work, Owen Brewster, was out to get Hughes. He was in cahoots with Pan Am, arch rivals of TWA, Hughes' company. He set out to prove that Hughes misappropriated government money over the building of 'Spruce Goose'. Hughes won the case.
Several years ago we stayed in the Brewster's former home in Dexter, Maine, as it is now a B&B. When we were there it was a bit run down and Dexter itself was on its uppers after the large shoe factory went the way of all things - China. We had the master bedroom suite, practically untouched since Brewster lived there. We slept in his bedroom and dreamt of history. I see from their current website that it has been 'modernised'. We are very glad we got to stay there before anything was done to it. It's not often you get to bathe in the bathtub of a corrupt member of the US Senate!
After the museum, we had a lovely drive through farming country, passing several vineyards. A very unexpectedly delicious and imaginative lunch at the 'Blue Goat' in Amity fortified us as we continued on to Newport, on the coast, our home for the night.
At the beginning of June the largest (so far) item from the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami to arrive on the US coast washed ashore here after a journey of 6,000 miles; a 66ft long concrete boat dock. Work started, just a few days ago, to remove it. To see it was a deeply poignant reminder of that dreadful tragedy.
The museum is packed with aircraft of all shapes and sizes, all beautifully displayed. There is even the helicopter used during the filming of 'MASH' hanging from the ceiling, rather wonderfully. Also on site is a water park with a 747 on the roof! The giant slide goes right through the 'jumbo'. How thrilling is that?
'Spruce Goose' was built by Hughes as part of the war effort. The Governor of Maine at that time, a rampant Republican, Christian Scientist, Klu Klux Klan sympathiser and, almost certainly, corrupt nasty piece of work, Owen Brewster, was out to get Hughes. He was in cahoots with Pan Am, arch rivals of TWA, Hughes' company. He set out to prove that Hughes misappropriated government money over the building of 'Spruce Goose'. Hughes won the case.
Several years ago we stayed in the Brewster's former home in Dexter, Maine, as it is now a B&B. When we were there it was a bit run down and Dexter itself was on its uppers after the large shoe factory went the way of all things - China. We had the master bedroom suite, practically untouched since Brewster lived there. We slept in his bedroom and dreamt of history. I see from their current website that it has been 'modernised'. We are very glad we got to stay there before anything was done to it. It's not often you get to bathe in the bathtub of a corrupt member of the US Senate!
After the museum, we had a lovely drive through farming country, passing several vineyards. A very unexpectedly delicious and imaginative lunch at the 'Blue Goat' in Amity fortified us as we continued on to Newport, on the coast, our home for the night.
At the beginning of June the largest (so far) item from the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami to arrive on the US coast washed ashore here after a journey of 6,000 miles; a 66ft long concrete boat dock. Work started, just a few days ago, to remove it. To see it was a deeply poignant reminder of that dreadful tragedy.
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