AUTO MUSEUM

AUTO MUSEUM
Today is Wednesday, July 22, 2009. We are heading to Sacramento - our State Capitol - to visit the California Automobile Museum. (It was formerly known as the Towe Auto Museum.). It is situated close to downtown Sacramento and Old Sacramento. Our “Outing” was nearly scrubbed because we only have four “sign-ups”. Someone recruited a sixth person, who very kindly accepted. So, we were able to leave at 9:45.
My gasoline report: Shell - $2.86; Chevron - $3.00 and Arco at $2.78. Crude oil is listed at $64.72/ bbl. Still a lot of construction going on with the Texas Street Exit and overpass. Eastbound traffic is light. The weather is sunny and clear - about 70 degrees. The weatherman forecasts 93 degrees for Fairfield and Sacramento today. We pass a Highway Patrol car sitting on the emergency parking median to our right. It is interesting how the tail lights come on when drivers spot the car. (there doesn’t have to be an officer in it!).
Tony is passing a Chavez truck hauling two bottom-dump trailers. A purple VW Bug is passing on our right, with a San Francisco sticker on the back window. We are passing the Vacaville Factory Outlet complex on our right; The New Kaiser Medical Clinic and hospital on our left. the PG&E power sub-station to our left. We pass a truck loaded with a container. It must have just arrived in the Port of Oakland.
Passing a fruit stand off to our right. I used to pick up June Timm there when we went to our monthly Area Agencies on Aging meetings in the Capitol in Sacramento. The Golden Arches stand prominently off the freeway to my right. Whoever thought of this corporate symbol was pretty smart. I wonder it there is anyone in the world who doesn’t instantly recognize the MacDonald corporate logo? The car lots are still full as we pass by. I wonder if these stranded cars will ever be sold?
Passing some healthy looking green fields. I presume that it is sugar beets, because numerous bottom-dump trailers are parked next to the last field. We pass an Atlas Van Lines moving van. Every time that I see such a truck, I always wonder about the family dynamics surrounding the furniture in transit. Who are they? How large is the family. Where did they live? Where are they moving to? Then there is the trauma and stress of new jobs - new home and neighborhood, and new schools. The list goes on and on.
There aren’t too many trucks in transit. This is not an encouraging sign. A highway sign on the right shoulder - Sacramento - 11. We are riding on the Yolo Causeway now. The car ahead of us is using all the lane. There is a phone antennae on the rear-top. So, I presume that the driver is breaking the law by using his/her cell phone. Tony passes the car at freeway speed - 65 mph. I check out the driver as we drive by. It is an old “he” - no phone in sight - my theory dashed.
Tony takes the left fork Highway 50 to Lake Tahoe and Downtown Sacramento. The other 80 split goes past the Sacramento Airport and on to Reno. We leave at the next Exit - “West Sacramento and Port of Sacramento.” We are on the Tower Bridge which is above the Sacramento river. It dumps us off at 5th street and Broadway. We proceed to Front street where the Museum is located. We arrive at 10:30.
There was a 1927 Model T on display near the lobby. It was for sale - $69939! When new, it cost #485! My first car was a 1924 Model T Ford touring car. Actually, it was a joint venture with my neighbor, and friend, Don Dewar. We each chipped in $7 from our hard-work earnings. The year was 1935. I can’t remember the name of the fellow that sold it to us. As I recall, he lived in the large house on the Southwest corner of Bagley Road and Mulberry Street. I think that we towed that car more miles than we drove it. It’s a wonder that we didn’t break an arm cranking it. My most vivid memory of it was when we went to Chippewa Lake, South of Cleveland. It was on a Saturday night, after I had finished “bagging” at Fishers grocery store. Don was driving, and we were rolling down the hill (probably about 35mph) into Medina. The engine was back-firing and the fumes burned my eyes. It is a wonder that the police didn’t stop us. They must have been sleeping, or on their late night -coffee and donut break. It is strange, but I can’t recall our return trip. That experience must have convinced us to sell the car. We sold it to Burke frees, who was a year younger than Don and I, for $21 - a 50% profit.
I started out logging in the cars as I observed them. Little did I know that there would be 160 cars on display, in this 72,000 sq. foot expanse. I did record some of the cars vital info, before I realized that it would take beaucoup hours to log all of them:
- A Wells Fargo U.S. Mail Wagon -
-1908 Reo. (As I recall from my childhood, Reo became Oldsmobile, which GM has discontinued!)
- 1931 Chrysler Roadster (a beautiful convertible).
- 1933 Lincoln = a rack in the back for luggage.) (owned by B of A founder, A.P. Giannini).
- 1937 Ford Town Car.
- 1959 Dodge Coronet Station Wagon (“Woodie”).
- 1951 Ford Station Wagon (“Woodie“).
- 1940 Lincoln Town car (owned by Clara Ford - Henry‘s wife)
- 1942 Lincoln Zephyr - 4 door sedan.
- 1940 Lincoln Zephyr sedan
- 1947 Lincoln Continental Convertible (a beauty).
- 1925 Cadillac
- 1929 Hudson Super Six Roadster.
- 1929 engine for a Ford Tri-motor airplane.
- 1923 Studebaker
- 1928 Cunningham Brougham Sedan
- 1934 Pierce Arrow (the headlights are mounted on the front fenders)
- 1936 Packard Eight
- 1937 Chrysler Imperial coupe
- 1937 Cadillac Sedan
- 1962 Pontiac Bonneville
- 1996 Porsche
- 1998 Jaguar
- 1971 Corvette Coup
- 1971 Mercedes Benz
- 1963 Chrysler Imperial
- 1913 Rauch and Lang (Electric Car - so it isn’t a new idea today.)
- 1981 Bradley Electric
- 1972 Datson Electric
- 1977 American Motors Pacer
- 1974 Plymouth
- 1971 Star Streak Motor Home
- 1987 Lamborghini (two doors that popped out and up when opened)
- 1956 Ford Thunderbird
- 1953 Kaiser Manhattan
- 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Roadster (I had a 1931 Ford Coupe (no rumble seat). I paid $165 for it in 1937.)
- 1939 Studebaker Commander Roadster
- 1936 Ford Roadster
- 1936 Chrysler Airflow Coupe
- 1925 Franklin (air cooled engine)
- 1927 Nash Coupe
- 1931 Ford Victoria
- 1928 Willys Knight Coupe
- 1940 Hudson
- 1936 Plymouth Coupe
- 1953 Jaguar XK-120
- 1938 Rolls Royce Sport Sedan
- 1967 Morris
- 1961 VW “Beetle”
- 1911 Pierce Arrow - ( a beauty, restored by Harrah’s - Reno)
- 1910 Peerless - 7 Passenger Tourer ( not restored.)
- 1912 Metz Roadster
- 1940 Pontiac Station Wagon
Also, there were many old racing cars on display, and many other types, such as:
1882 Horsecar - (the father of the cable car and trolley)
1921 Ford Model T Snowmobile
1905 Model T. (there was a generator mounted on the front of the left running board. It would mix carbide and water to produce an acetylene gas which was pumped to the headlights and then the driver would hand-light the gas in the headlamps. Later on, the Presto lights were invented, which didn’t require a generator.)
At this point, I stopped copying the car info, and just enjoyed looking at these historic treasures.
We departed from the Museum at 11:35, after spending a little over an hour there. I could have spent a whole day reminiscing about all of that auto history.
Back in the 1930’s, girls weren’t much interested in cars. I only knew of one woman who had a driver’s license, and that was my wife, Marie. She was permitted to drive by the State of California, even though she was only 14. Her Dad had just died, and her Mother didn’t drive. I do remember that my sister Jeanne drove right after WWII ended. Today, most women drive out of necessity - for their job, or hauling their kids to all of their many extra curricula activities. A woman is also driving racing cars, and competing very well against the men. Of course, boys have always been interested in cars. They become a parental pest, as they couldn’t wait to be licensed.
It was only a five minute drive to Joe’s Crab Shack, where we had a nice lunch. The restaurant sits at the edge of the Sacramento River. It is a great setting. There is a lot of “atmosphere” inside, which made it interesting.
On the way back, I noticed two large- newer buildings on the west side of the river. There are some high- cirrus clouds overhead. It is warm and sunny. I can see the foothills to the west, about 15 miles away.
The traffic is still light west-bound on I-80. On the right, we are passing the Mondavi Center for the Arts, on the UC - Daviscampus. The oleander bushes, forming a living fence along the median divider, is in full bloom. They are very attractive. They do very well in the summer heat. Apparently, they don’t require much water. Also, on the right is a large Camping World facility. There are many recreational vehicles sitting idly by in their parking lot. It wasn’t too many years ago, when such vehicles would have been on the road in the middle of the busy vacation season.
I see a highway sign: Vallejo 22
San Francisco 52
As we turn the corner, I see a new Pre-School building under construction. While progress seemed quite rapid at the start, it seems to have stalled out recently - even though the sign on the fence says “Coming Soon”. Kelli looked into it, to care for her young son Hunter during the day. She said that their proposed tuition is very pricey, at $275 a week !
Tony had to slam on the brakes when some dumb driver pulled out right in front of us. A good thing that he is an excellent driver and always watchful and on the alert.
We arrive back at Quail Creek at 2:00 p.m. Tony tells me that our round trip covered 84 miles. RCL - 7/25/09.