Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center – August 18, 2018

Frank Purner did a great job organizing this event.  We met at a central location that had food and restrooms (Starbucks) and then went in a caravan to the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center in Stevenson, WA.  There were 18 members and 10 T’Birds. 

The Center had great displays of life in the early years of the Gorge including a large salmon wheel that could capture up to 70 tons of salmon a year. A large steam engine that drove a sawmill in the area was also on display as well as numerous artifacts from the Indians and early settlers that lived in the area. Following a lunch (which each member brought) on the  picnic tables in the area, the members went home on their own – some on the Oregon side and others on the Washington side. Docent Robert Peterson did a wonderful job as our tour guide.

Thanks to Frank Purner, Al Hillier, and Jim Sweet for the photos.

CTCI International Convention - Knoxville, TN
August 14-18

Also in August several Rose City Thunderbirds members attended the CTCI International Convention in Knoxville, TN. The Smokey Mtn. Thunderbird Club did a great job hosting this event. Unfortunately members Cliff Colvin and Marilyn Kirkland were involved in a traffic accident just East of Albuquerque, NM. They were unable to make it to the convention and had to tow their 1957 Thunderbird home.
Events included a Dinner Show at Dolly Parton's Celebration. This was kind of a Tennessee song and dance version of Cirque du Soleil. It was a great, fun evening. A CTCI Board Meeting and Membership meeting were also held. The Concours was indoor at the Knoxville Convention Center. There were about 120 Classic Thunderbirds were also on display. Tours into the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains was also included. The first two of the Concours photos below were provided by Dave and Betty Tulowitzky from Florida as I was too busy with the Concours Score Room to get out and look at the cars in the show.  The ones I took are dark, and don't have many cars, because I took them from a viewing room above the floor through a dark window before most of the cars were in place. The very rough looking '40 Ford was on display in the lobby of the Convention Center. It is an original Moonshine runner from East Tennessee. Notice the cowl air vent has a "Factory Air" emblem on it. The sunset photo was from our room the first night in Knoxville. Being able to visit again with friends from around the country is always a highlight of a convention and we did a lot of that.
After the convention Oleta and I spent another week touring East Tennessee. I've included a few photos from that trip. The waterfall is Cumberland Falls. It is the largest waterfall in the US East of the Rockies other than Niagara. Locals couldn't understand why we weren't impressed. We tried to explain Multnomah Falls, Bridal Vail, Willamette Falls, Silver Creek Falls, etc to them for comparison. I'm not sure if they got it or not.
We also visited The Lost Sea which is the largest underground lake in the US. We didn't actually go in to visit it as the trail would have been too rough and steep for Oleta's scooter. Our visit to Cumberland Gap and the movies there depicting Daniel Boone taking settlers through the Gap brought old Grade School lessons to life. In Gatlinburg we took a tram ride to the top of one of the mountains and were able to see the effects of the devastating fires there two years ago. We also took in a quartet named Midnight Run that sang and played Blue Grass.