Fantastic McMinnville Evergreen Aviation Museum

We are at the McMinnville Evergreen Aviation Museum, camping in the parking lot behind the museum. Right next door is a very nice RV park, but reservations for it were full, so we can overnight here. The parking lot is huge, and the museum is very impressive. The museum includes the largest wooden airplane (seaplane) ever built. McMinnville is a very nice town.

McMinnville

McMinnville is a beautiful town near the north end of the Willamette Valley. The city extends into the surrounding area of farms and orchards. Are nut trees orchards? I can’t say that I know the answer to that question.

McMinnville is also home to several wineries scattered around the area. In the summer, these venues make for some great evenings. In the summer, I would consider making McMinnville a home base. It is really nice. In the winter, however, McMinnville and the entire Willamette Valley get months and months of rain. Of course, this is the reason that it is so green.

McMinnville Evergreen Aviation Museum

The Spruce Goose

As it is known, the Spruce Goose was built by Howard Hughes and flew only once in Long Beach Harbor. The flight was to prove to everyone, once and for all, that it would fly.  This was about the era when seaplanes were the first-class method of travel for wealthy people who were in a hurry and could afford such things. Most are not quite as rich or wealthy with plenty of time travel by cruise ship – like the Queen Mary, currently a hotel and tourist attraction, also in Long Beach Harbor.  People without money didn’t travel; they stayed home and worked.  

Boeing 747

The airplane in the picture is a Boeing 747, sitting on the roof of the water park and being turned into part of the water slide. It is possible that I have flown on this 747 from Los Angeles to Japan. The military contracted “troop movement” to Evergreen Aviation, and I got to fly in one.

Maybe I should say I was privileged to fly in one because I did draw a seat in the first class, up-stars cabin. To continue a “play on words,” I could also say I was privileged to fly in one. Man, I thought I would be in the lap of luxury. Instead, it was privy because all the first-class stuff was stripped out by the time I flew in it, and we had the same seats and legroom as the main cabin.

Not first class

I am sure the seats were stripped out of coach-class commercial airlines after they were replaced for excessive wear. It was a little better than the coach because we were further away from the engines, and it was not as noisy. Evergreen had three 747s. One is still active as a massive airdrop firefighter, one is on the roof of this building, and one was used for parts. 

While we were here, we had a delightful visit with old friends from southern California who have quite a different lifestyle here in McMinnville. What a garden! We also got to see some new friends that we met in Coos Bay, Oregon, earlier in the month.

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Evergreen Aviation Museum

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