Evergreen Aviation Museum

We decided to stay another day at the Salem Elks Club.

After breakfast, we headed up to McMinnville to tour the Evergreen Aviation Museum, home of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose...the largest wooden airplane with the longest wingspan ever constructed. Built as a personnel and materiel carrier during WWII, it was flown only one time on November 2, 1947, for a little over a mile at an altitude of 70'.

After Hughes' death in 1976, the Spruce Goose was almost disassembled, but was saved by the Aero Club of Southern California. Eventually, in 1993, it arrived in McMinnville after having been disassembled and transported by barge up the West Coast to Portland.

The entire Evergreen Aviation Museum was built to house the Spruce Goose...which is HUGE! In addition to the Spruce Goose (H-4 Hercules, or Hughes Flying Boat), there are many other airplanes in the museum and on the grounds.

After we returned, Ron and Anita came over to invite us over for dinner. We barbecued steaks, and had mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, plus ice cream with strawberries for dessert.