Trains, Planes and Automobiles!!

There really weren't any trains out at the Castle Air Force Base Museum Car Show, unless you count the one that sat on the tracks for ten minutes before letting me cross the road to the museum.  It was apparently meant to be however, because as I pulled into the parking lot, there was one single open spot waiting for me!!

There were WAY too many planes to show you yesterday and just as many cars for today.  This being small town America, I was surprised at the HUGE car show!!

Don't ask me what any of them are ... I can only guess.  I do know a few from my "era", including a Dodge Super Bee and several '57 Chevys, because that's what my girlfriend Lynn and I drove!  We were always getting in trouble for racing!!

There are some crazy engines entirely encased in chrome, making these babies unaffordable for you and me .... at least for me!!  I do remember taking the air cleaner off when it came race time and immediately replacing the exhaust with Glasspacks.  There's nothing like a healthy sounding engine, even if it is stock!!

If you were rich, you put mag wheels on your car.  We put CHROME wheels on the day we drove them home.  Unfortunately my paint job never looked like this one!!

Being Smallville, I didn't expect a crowd at all.  Boy was I surprised to see so many people walking around, especially when there was a $5 per person entry fee.  True, there isn't much of ANYTHING going on around here, so any excuse for a day out of the house.  The good news is that the Museum made a bundle to help with their indoor museum remodel.

There were lots of food and ice cream vendors, as well as automotive performance enhancers, you know so they will go fast and jump high!!

As I was taking a picture of this beauty, a gentleman came over to tell me it should have won an award.  Although you can't really see it, the paint job is spectacular, not to mention the grills front and back.  He said it was painted by Baressi ... or something that sounded like that.  I may have just thought that because of John Baressi the kite flyer.  At any rate, this particular car has a $15,000 paint job.  YIKES!!!

The only thing that bothers me about these beauties is driving them on the street.  In the old days, you had trouble getting insurance to cover the actual value of hot rods.  I would be too afraid of getting in a fender bender, or worse yet, totaling it and getting a $300 check to cover replacement!!

Now here's a car of a different color!  I imagine they get lots of looks going down the road.  Just like motorcycle get-togethers that have Rat bikes, there were a few Rat cars.  Maybe they were beauties in the making.  At any rate, everyone was out polishing and cleaning the entire time I was there.  

I included this picture yesterday, but forgot to give you the most important information.  This C-123K Provider was a movie star back in the day!!

It appears that out of 307 built, only 44 remain, or at least weren't lost in the war.  Since that time, this baby has been in many movies, including Air America, Diehard II and Con-Air.  You remember those movies, right??  Who knew I was in the company of a STAR!!

I had a great time at the car/plane show.  If you are ever driving through Central California, take the exit just North of Merced, bring your walking shoes and check out the Castle Museum.  By October they should have the inside museum remodel completed.  If you need a place to spend the night, they even have a small RV park.  

Its back to the rowing machine this morning ... I'm feeling an ache or two and am pretty crackly when I walk, but I think that's due to yesterday's Elks Stag Dinner in the park.  You KNOW I'd be going to THAT one, right??