Day 55 - Downey and Pasadena Mrs DB had managed to control the urge to shop for most of the preceding weeks, but longed to find some special bits and pieces to take home for her convenience and enjoyment as well as to use as gifts for friends. Fortunately for us, there was a large shopping area just up the road from our motel. Mrs DB was planning on tracking from one end to the other over a few hours, inspecting their wares and selecting choice trinkets. At least she understood that we were limited by luggage on what we could take home, so I wasn't too worried that she would bruise the credit card too hard. Upon dropping her off, lo and behold, there was a Harbor Freight store. Brrrrrrrrrrr - I had heard of these places. I was unsure whether to venture in, lest I be forced to buy some of their demon rubbish. I was brave. It turns out that the tools and goods in Harbor Freight remind me so much of those available in Supercheap back home. Their gear is rubbish, you know it's rubbish, but still you buy the odd thing to see if it will work. I realise it's a waste of money, but I have bought a couple of things that have convinced me to go out and get 'the real thing'. They've provided enough of an idea of how useful something might be to know I would benefit and the odd thing is even still in use (drill bit sharpener, belt sander, etc), so I'm guilty of buying rubbish like they sell. (Awaiting flaming to commence). While Mrs DB partook of retail therapy, I visited the Downey Air and Space Museum.
The Downey Air and Space Museum appears to be a locally run facility, and as you might imagine, with limited resources available, struggles to shine when compared to its better resourced and funded brethren. The facility is aimed mostly at school-age kids, and almost every member of staff looked at me kinda strange - why would a 55+ year old guy from Australia be interested in looking around their museum? I didn't tell them I was just trying to kill a few hours while Mrs DB got her shopping bug sorted out. It allowed me to really get into the couple of things that interested me. One of the most interesting was a 1963 or 64 NASA report on the planned development of the Downey USAAF aircraft manufacturing facility into the development and production site for the Apollo Command Module and Service Module, as well as the 2nd stage of the Saturn V rocket, plus some other vital bits and pieces. Having been involved in engineering planning for large facilities in recent years, I was interested in seeing the 50 year old do***ent, how it was laid out, what the message was and how it achieved what it set out to. The do***ent was available on a computer screen and I must have spent a couple of hours going through the detailed planning for each part, from underground services through architectural layouts to mechanical systems. I'm sure it would have bored many many people spitless, but I was interested. It still didn't stop the staff from continually wandering up and trying to engage me in conversation. (I wonder now if they thought I was some ********* in wait for some schoolies - I ***ure you I wasn't). There really wasn't much inside to take any pictures of, so all I ended up photographing was a mock-up of an Apollo Command Module outside. (At least I don't think it's a real space-worthy one, maybe a prototype used to proof fabrication techniques - dunno) Anyway, after about 4 hours, I headed back to the bar where Mrs DB had agreed to meet me after her shopping expedition, to find her propping up the bar, with a large mixed drink and some nibbles. She had beaten me there by just a few minutes she ***ured me, but she had already developed a rapport with the guy behind the bar, who was as busy as a one-armed paper-hanger keeping up with the steady flow of drinks orders from around the bar. The baseball play-offs were on. It was game 5 of the LA Dodgers vs NY Mets series and the bar was 'heaving'. Naturally, everyone was one-eyed about the Dodgers, just as you would expect, so we kept quiet about the fact we were just interested in a good game of baseball. Our boys had played baseball instead of cricket, and I had umpired their games for many years. I never enjoyed umpiring, but I always did my best to be fair, unlike some of the other umpires, which is just unfortunate. Anyway, we both realised at the same time that we could have probably gone along to the game that evening, which would have been great. Too bad we hadn't thought about it earlier. We watched the game for a while, before heading off for dinner. Again, immersing ourselves in US TV, the Big Bang Theory gang have Thursday night dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, so if it is good enough for them, it's good enough for us.
A modest meal plus an enormous piece of cheesecake meant that my stomach was stretched to the point of discomfort. Stupid stomach. We had to walk for a while afterwards just to try to walk off some of the food. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about the quality - that was fine, just that it was so good that I ate too much. We wandered up to the Pasadena City Hall and took the same photo we had just about 8 weeks earlier. Then it was back to the car and we headed off for a drive along Mulholland Drive. We got on at the Hollywood Bowl end and headed west, winding our way along the very dark road. We stopped at a couple of viewpoints to take in the sea of lights to the north. We took a few photos but apart from the general view above, none had any special detail. We ended up in Bel-Air at the other end of Mulholland and then just headed back to Downey.
Day 56 - LA Our last day in the US. First thing was to repack everything into our suitcases before getting out of the motel, then heading up to the Automobile Driving Museum - as suggested by tom124 on a number of occasions. We took the old surface-roads rather than jump on the freeways. I realise it takes longer, but we weren't in a huge hurry and the scenery is more interesting than the freeways. It didn't take too long, and Mrs DB was happy to sit in the car, listening to some tunes while I looked through the museum. While it isn't the largest museum, and a lot of the cars are kinda squashed into the space available, there certainly are some unusual and some unique cars there. It's a free musuem, but with a recommended donation of $10 per person, which still makes it very good value in my humble opinion. There are no hot-rods, as we would consider them to be, but there are quite a number of custom bodies on early cars, which was quite the fashion before WW2 for the rich and famous rather than the post-war customs often done by owners or Barris or.................. Anyway, while there has been a shortage of photos to include for the past few days, we have a fix for that now;- This early Model T Tourer was used in 2007 Peking to Paris Centenary Rally........ and made it back 'alive'. It was sitting just in front of this very early 50's Packard Coupe which was a styling exercise that looked fabulous.
The museum featured many many many Packards Some beautiful, some just stunning There were a few humdrum Packards, but there were mostly unusual or special ones there
I was waiting for your Grand Finale report. WOW! 56 days! I was riding along the whole time in the back seat. You shared so many great images with us. Thank you very much. I'm happy we all were able to suggest places to go and things to see. In retrospect I should have recommended the NHRA Drag Racing Museum in Pomona as a great place to visit. A person does not have be into drags to appreciate the history that has been collected and preserved. Thanks again for the travelogue. I enjoyed each and every day and new adventure.
Thanks tom124 - I haven't finished posting pics from our last day yet - it got to midnight in Melbourne, where I am for a few days, and I just had to go to bed. I'll add plenty more when I finish posting this reply. I wouldn't have minded seeing the NHRA Museum at Pomona, though a few years ago, I spent a day at Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum in Ocala, Fla and had a wonderful time seeing the evolution of cars from a simple pair of ch***is rails, engine, driveline and a seat through the various Swamp Rats to rear engine dragsters, as well as Funny Cars and other landmark vehicles. I am sure that the NHRA Museum would be great, but as we weren't able to get into the Petersen Museum (undergoing extensive renovations), we will have a couple of worthy places to visit on our next trip. And thanks again for your suggestions tom124. You were one of the earliest people to offer ideas on suitable places to visit and even though it took me until the last day to visit the Automobile Driving Museum, I am still grateful. Cheers.
(.......................... now, back to our regular programming); A**** the Packards were a couple of early post-war Studebakers in great condition. Who wouldn't be happy seeing these in their collection? This Speedster Special was based on (I believe) a Packard ch***is. It was in remarkable condition and was a true gentleman's hot-rod with many pre-war features. Nearby was this Packard - a rare badge engineering effort from an all-too-brief somewhat forced marraige between Packard and Studebaker. This rare vehicle was in excellent condition even if it is something of an orphan.
There were a collection of Darrin customised cars for the extremely rich and very famous. This one was based on a Packard, as most were. Hollywood mega-stars such as Clark Gable were regular customers of Darrin, who obliged with custom modified works of art. Such as this one. This was especially beautiful - sure it's not a hot rod as we would normally dream of, but it's pretty easy to apprecaite the stunning lines and the exceptional quality. In addition to the customs was this Kaiser Darrin with the unique sliding/hiding doors
I can't recall who was the esteemed owner of this high-cl*** beauty but there was a photo from 'back in the day' of it in New York accompanied by a cl***y lady owner swamped in fur and jewels. Not really my cup of tea, but it's still easy to appreciate the opulence. Same thing with this gem - it was similar to the other Clark Cable one and just proved that money can afford you a better style of luxury. This was another Clark Gable car - this time based on a Cadillac instead of a Packard. Still looked gorgeous though.
I am really enjoying these old bathtub Nashes these days. I'm sure there are those who turn up their noses at the style, but as standalone works of art, and especially considering they were aimed at buyers at the economy end of the range, I believe they stand apart as stylish conveyances. Under-powered, for sure, but as something a little less usual than the early 50's Fords or Chevys, they stand out from the crowd. Even more Packards squeezed in to the museum. The cars are of very high standard - with a few standard styles, but more than a handful of coupes, roadsters, convertibles, tourer's etc to show how stylish Packard-living could be. This 55 convertible must be a rare beast. It was in great condition - not over-restored, but better looking than a typical 'survivor' type vehicle. Airflow Chrysler, late 30's Olds (?) and more Packards lined up, with little room to be able to photograph the cars individually. I spent a few hours looking over the cars, enjoying the museum and its crowded exhibits. While it might sound like I'm complaining about the number of cars squeezed into the museum, it is a testament to the number of cars ***ociated with the collection and a desire to show as many as possible. The Darrin cars are set out more generously for space, but each car on show is worthy of being displayed. It is definitely a great museum for anyone to visit and I am very pleased to have found the time in our trip. Now.............
After looking at the 60 or so cars at the ADM, we still had plenty of time before having to be at LAX for our long flight home. I recalled Al Montana suggesting heading down to Redondo Beach to a car show / gathering. I didn't know where in Redondo Beach it might be, but decided we had nothing to lose by going down there - we had a few hours to 'burn' before thinking about dropping the renter back. Guessing that the cars would likely be around the beach (though that theory didn't work at Donut Derelicts in Huntington Beach on our first day), we were lucky enough to spot a couple of cars near Ruby's Diner down near the water. It turned out we had arrived just at the very start of people getting there, so we went in to grab a bite and wait for more cars to arrive. After an hour or so, a sizeable group were there, so off we set to check them out. There was quite an array of HAMB-friendly and plenty of OT cars there, with more than enough nice cars to give me plenty to post here. This early 50's Chevy pick-up just had something about it - really neat. Not a big resto-job, just something you could easily imagine yourself cruising around in. Very nice. There was a very fresh, just finished restoration on this first gen T-bird. Nice job. It wasn't a 100pt car, but very neat and I reckon no matter who you were, you would be pleased to see this in your garage. This Tudor was driven in by a lady and sits on a fine line between trad and rodent. Lots of people were looking it over.
This really sweet 61 Corvette burbled in and was a very nice looking car. Lots of people were milling around it. Along with this extra-nice 62 Impala – a W-motor that said it was a 409, a 4 speed, dual quads – hmmmm, .............. one owner, by a little old lady in Pasadena(?) It was a beautiful restoration – no excuses anywhere and had quite a crowd of 'inspectors' milling around and over it. This 56 Bel-Air sat alone without drawing much attention, which was a shame because it was a very nice, neat looking car.
This ultra-low mile original 39 Standard Tudor Sedan was near perfect. Babied and well-stored for most of its life, it was a real time capsule. A privilege to see such a car down near the ocean. This early A Roadster looked like it had had a resto quite a long time ago and had been well used and enjoyed ever since. It wasn't in perfect condition, with chips and cracking paint, etc which suggested it didn't spend much time being trailered around. This very nice Studebaker Coupe was extra-nice. It was one of many many cars there that I would have loved to own.
I'm not a huge fan of hot-rodded Rollers, but this one sported an SBC. I guess it made it a bit more reliable and certainly sounded better than the original RR inline 6. The owner and his wife seemed pretty happy with it, and that's really all that matters. Beautiful flathead powered 39 (?) 40 (?) Mercury Convertible. Slammed and with a gorgeous paint job that looked much better in real life than this photo can do justice. Yummy. So so nice.
Nice chopped Merc' with some cool detailing. Not a fan of the mirror used on the door but that's just my opinion (which has been known to be wrong - just ask Mrs DB ( )). I couldn't get away from Packards. This dual cowl touring body example was near perfect. It was great to see it being driven to such a low-key event for everyone to enjoy. This early A RPU – looked like it was just waiting for someone to turn into a traditional hot rod
This 60 Squarebird looked just right in a cl***y colour combo. It was very very clean and plenty of people looked her over while just sitting there. This blown big-block 50 Chevy two-door looked like it has probably got just enough power – nearly! Lowered and with a tubbed rear suggests it might be a bit cranky when full noise is applied. Another nice first gen T-bird - this one a 57. So nice.
62 Full-size Ford Two-door sedan – 352 dual quads, 4 speed. Not a factory original car, but a neat work in progress as it evolves to reflect what a hot one back in the day would be like. Stock wheels and caps help it look the part. Fresh OHC Pontiac 6 powered T. A neat light little car - even with the six and an auto, I'll bet it has got a bit of zip. It probably weighs next to nothing. Giddyup.
We hung around Redondo for a few hours. In the end, I reckon there were around 100 cars that had turned out and everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to cruise to the beach and look over everyone else's car. Apparently it's an every-week event until late October. I'm not sure when it starts again, but I'd imagine early to mid spring. If you haven't been, it's worth a visit or two. Anyway, we still had an hour or so to kill, so we headed off to Santa Monica - to the pier that marks the end of good old Route 66. The pier these days is a tourist attraction mostly drawing in people who have no idea of it's historical significance. They don't care, so why should I if it's lost on them. By now the sun had gone down, we had taken the last of our photos on our journey and it was time to head back to the rental agency. The car was more than a bit grubby - we had spent literally hundreds of hours in it over 14500 miles (or >23,300 kms) in 8 weeks through all kinds of weather, through mountains, across plains, deserts and cities of all sizes, and with evidence of numerous swarms of insects meant I was glad it was dark when we dropped it off. (It's a renter - they wouldn't expect us to wash it before returning it) Driving it with some exuberence showed on the front tyres, which were showing some wear, but I couldn't complain about it using only about $1340 of gas and getting about 28 MPG as we had climbed to 14100' as well as dropped to -280 odd feet. The most expensive gas we bought was at the start near Palmdale CA at $3.49 odd a gallon and the cheapest was $1.98 a gallon in Kansas City. Some of the brews we chucked at the POS were pretty ordinary - even I was wondering whether I should put the 85 octane mid-strength ethanol mixture in it, but then I figured - hey, it's a renter - if it'd run on water, I'd buy that if it was cheaper We had stayed in some really nice accommodation, and had also experienced the other end of the scale. Same goes for food places. We tried some Mom and Pop diners, plenty of fast food outlets, as well as a couple of higher-end establishments and I reckon that American food is of the highest quality. People from other cultures all reckon that Americans eat **** and that is why there is so much obesity (not that I can talk too much anyway at around 6'5" and 280lb) - I definitely don't agree with that thought. The food is mostly of the highest quality - the only problem is eating too much. Because there is so much compe***ion a**** food places - the biggest risk any establishment has is not satisfying its customers by letting them leave hungry, so to make sure that doesn't happen, the serving sizes are 'extra-generous', then because the food appeals to the taste, people eat most of what's on the plate and.......... (Oh ****, I just realised, this is another ****** opinion of mine. I wonder how many deeper thinkers than me will take me to task for my thoughts(?) ........ ******!) Anyway, we spent 8 wonderful weeks seeing so many places and things. We met some wonderful people and it has been a privilege to share our journey with everyone here on the HAMB. I had originally only started this thread to try to find out a few extra places to visit and with a faint hope of one or two fellow-HAMB-ers wanting to catch up along the way. I kinda ****ed-up that second bit by not really giving a heads-up of which way we intended to travel and by being a couple of days behind on posting pics, etc along the way, but the few people we did meet proved to me that most people all around the world are really decent, and our common bond of traditional hot rods draws into a worldwide brotherhood. I was encouraged to post up some info along the way, and I kinda let it grow a bit more than I expected. A large part of that was from the positive feedback I got from everyone. I really want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read some of my drivel. Opinions? I've got a million of them - just ask me! Anyway, thank you all, I have enjoyed sharing our journey with you. Cheers Graeme and Karen McLeod (Dad-bud and Mrs DB)
Mr and Mrs DadBud.Thanks for a great thread and the awesome ride along.Glad you enjoyed your time in the USA. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
Thank you again! I really enjoyed reading your post with every update. Very interesting reading your perspective, The descriptions and photos were great!
As another said, thanks for letting us here sit in your backseat while on your tour of our bueatiful country. My wife & I do have Australia, New Zeland & southern Pacific islands on our bucket list.
Thanks Andy, it was great to meet you as well. Durango is lovely and we thank you for suggesting the BBQ place to catch up. Good luck with your business and enjoy the future. Cheers Graeme
Thanks woodbutcher, there is no doubt that we loved our time in the US. We always do - we just feel so comfortable in your country - everything makes sense in some kinda way, even if it is a bit different to back home. We'd love to live there - even if only for a few months or a year or two but will probably just have to be satisfied with semi-regular visits. Even though we've been to the 50 states now, there's still plenty of places we'd love to go back and spend some more time in. Thanks again. DB
T Thanks Flowmeister. When I started posting at the start of our trip I really didn't know if I was providing too much detail, info or opinions. Surfcaliforniasurf did a 50 day journey with his young family a few months before us and set a very high standard of updates and informaiton. You can find it here; http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...-cross-country-road-trip-family-style.974548/ I wasn't even planning to do a full-on road trip thread as it turned out but the earlier positive feedback encouraged me to keep going and I guess I kinda warmed to the task. Somedays it was a bit of a h***le trying to squeeze in selecting photos and then trying to put in something relevant to them, but I am extra-pleased with how it went in the end. I'm really glad that so many people enjoyed our journey with us, and hope others might take similar road trips in the US and elsewhere and provide us all with an on-going commentary. Cheers.
1949 caddyman, other than you having to adjust to driving on 'the correct side of the road' ( ), you will find that Australia is a bit bigger than it looks on a map - it is about the same area as the 48 states, but the main population centres are all located on the coast. I hope you do get a chance to visit and if you are in Perth, let us know and we can catch up. Cheers.
Hey Mr. DB, why don't you tape this little memento of your trip to America to your car window. Guaranteed to impress your friends.
Graeme, thanks for the trip, we do the LA Roadster Show every Year and have just paid for our Virgin flight tickets for 2016, cost A$2160 for two return and are planning a trip to Mt Rushmore before LARS We may post a story like U did Cheers Noel and Elaine
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