Since it didn’t look like a very promising day to head to the beach, we sought some “out of the weather” activities. Dan’s idea was the Tillamook Air Museum, figures right? Lynn chose to forgo it and do laundry instead. So I will not be telling you about the laundry. Instead, you’ll hear about the interesting history of the blimp hangar at Air Station Tillamook. Although there are about 30 WWII vintage planes, the interesting thing is the museum.
The Tillamook Air Museum is located on the grounds of a decommissioned Naval Air Station, a blimp air station. Follow this link for more information.
.http://nastillamook.org/index.htm
Air ships were used to located submarines that were a threat to the coastal US waters and to commercial marine. Their slow speed and low altitude made them more effective than aircraft or patrol boats. They were filled with helium making them lighter than air (LTA) ships. The US Government then, as today, owns the world’s helium supply. It is a by-product of natural gas production. Helium for this and many facilities was railed in from Amarillo, TX and stored in underground tanks. The hangar has a compressor room and a big pipe that runs the length of the hangar.
This is one of two hangars originally built here, the other caught fire and burned down in the 90s. They were built in the forties to “dock” about a dozen air ships and were one of 17 such facilities. This hangar is huge, over 1000 feet long, 300 ft wide, 200 ft high. You can get an idea of its size in the following photo.
The amazing thing is they were all built of wood due to the shortage of steel at the time. There is sheet steel covering the outside. The thing leaks like crazy and the more valuable aircraft of the museum have a large plastic ceiling canopy to protect them. The Museum uses about ½ the hangar. The rest is to store RVs, boats, cars, and lumber.
The museum has a few interesting and rare pieces, but they are not presented well and in my opinion, the place looked like a dump. I hear they are looking for a very needed new location.
Great timing, when I got back the laundry was done. Hey, men have a sixth sense for that stuff! To make up, I told Lynn I’d get her an ice cream at Tillamook Creamery, so that’s the next stop. Of course it isn’t the ice cream they are known for; it’s the cheese. Cheddar is their specialty. Some is aged up to 17 years for the extra sharp. Although the tour was self guided, we did learn about how cheese is made. It’s all mechanized, automated, and processor controlled now. No little old bearded guy that looks like a monk with a canoe paddle doing it. The Creamery is an association of 30 or so farmers in the area that sell their milk.
Cheese and ice cream are about their only products. They also make yogurt and butter, but elsewhere. The cheese product line came about because it is relatively easy to ship longer distances compared to milk; it doesn’t spoil. In stores around here it runs about 10-15% higher in price. Lots of yummy samples. Their ice cream is pretty good, but not as good as the old original Saunders brand, for those that remember that.
Hopefully tomorrow, weather permitting, we'll get to do some beach walking
No comments:
Post a Comment