The second week of September, it was time for me and my significant other to depart on a week-long vacation. We took our two dogs Gabi and Rufus with us and headed out of central Washington for the Oregon Cascades. As a displaced coasty, I was longing for the forested high country.
Most of the week was spent hiking and camping, with a quick stop in Portland for a concert. A week in the mountains left us in desire for the beach, so the morning after the concert we headed west and a just a little north to one of our favorite places for cars and sand: Long Beach, WA. (seen in 1964, above).
It may seem funny, but we had no idea that the annual Rod Run to the End of the World was taking place. It is our custom to not really plan this annual road trip to any extent; most of the time, we don’t read the news, don’t watch TV, don’t do anything except get in the car and drive. So, it was a special treat to accidentally get stuck in the middle of a weekend long classic car cruise, even if it wasn’t quite as good as time travel back to 1964.
This event is put on every year by the Beach Barons, and it has grown substantially over the years. It is truly a sight to behold. We spent about two thirds of the time driving on the beach, where only a few souls dared to take their classics out for a drive in the salty mist. But, every time we came up to the higher ground and into town, old classics could be found on every street, scattered in alleyways and mixed in with more contemporary vehicles. It was a great way to wrap up a vacation, to say the least! Here are some pictures:
Upon first entering town, we came across this 1956 Ford Panel Truck. As you can see, it was for sale. The midnight blue paint was very striking. . .
And then, there was this. A 1974 Plymouth Fury Gran coupe. What a rare sight, indeed! It could be coincidence, but I am fairly certain that I spotted this car on Craigslist last month, which made seeing it in the flesh, on a whim, all the more exciting. I have to wonder if this is its proud new owner, or if the seller decided to just keep the car.
I had been chasing this Ranchero down the whole weekend; first, we passed it going too fast to snap a picture; then, on a second try it was after dark and the lighting was poor. . . finally, on the way out of town on Sunday, I caught it parked along the highway at a convenience store in all of its woodgrain and mustard yellow glory. I think this is a 1970 model. This era Ranchero had some very nice curves. It hadn’t gotten too broughamy looking yet, as it would be in a few years. Don’t know what was under the hood, but a 390 would sure be fine. . . I want it :-p
This Ford Econoline almost escaped the camera; from the license plate it looks as though it traveled to the event from California. This would be the perfect rig to go camping with along the coast highway.
Some classy flames on a powder blue Ford canvas. . . very nice, indeed.
We camped at a local campground in Ocean Park and this ’53 Chevy was on display right in front of the caretaker’s trailer.
Another shot of this nice Bel Air. . .
Here I pause. Prewar cars are not my specialty – looks like maybe a mid 30’s say, ’36 Ford, with a mildly customized grill. But the lines are not quite right for that to be correct. Who can identify this?
Here was a great looking ’47-’50 Chevy COE (no vent windows on this one). Extensively customized,I hope the front end has air suspension so as not so bottom out.
After so much cruising, the dogs needed a good run on the beach. Here is the puppy, Rufus, enjoying his first time at the ocean.
This is me with my Buick Estate Wagon out on Long Beach. Technically, this was taken last summer, but it fit in with the car show theme, so . . . here it is anyway :-p
By Sunday afternoon, it was time to make the long, five to six hour drive back home. Luckily, it was not the end of car show sightings, however. In appropriate fashion, this Mopar stayed swiftly ahead of us, holding tight to the windy roads as they wandered away from the Pacific.
Then, finally came a passing lane. We punched it and came up alongside. It’s a 1964 Plymouth Fury! Wonder if it has the Max Wedge 413 under that hood? Sure sounded like it. . .
Later we stopped for lunch at the 101 Public House in South Bend. The freshly harvested Oysters here make some of the best Oyster burgers one can find. We got one more snap shot of the business end of the Fury as it cruised through town. . .
Filled with Oyster burgers and lattes, and with Long Beach now 40 or so miles behind, I began panning the surrounding landscape for anything interesting. It didn’t take long to find this special treat, a 1962 Pontiac Ambulance by Superior Coachworks. As you can see, it was for sale! No, no no. . . no room for this back at home. Forget it and move on. . .
All good things must come to an end, and our road trip was no exception. The last find of note was this house, somewhere out in the boonies. It was guarded by dogs and the owner did not seem too happy about me slowing down the car to get this shot. Alas, this was the closest picture I was able to take. It was an interesting collection of vehicles: a 1967-68 Ford Country Sedan, a 1980 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe, and a ’74-’77 Corvette. Whatever the case, they must be pretty nondiscriminatory with brand loyalty.
At the end of the day, this is the result of a long day at the beach, riding for hours on end in the car, and smelling new places. Exhausting work for canines!
Next time, I’ll post a COAL about a dilapidated Dodge station wagon. Until then, happy motoring : )
That Econline has Oregon’s original Pacific Wonderland Plates. How much did you relate the Buick’s tires to drive on the beach?
Great collection of photos and there are many, many classic cars in the boonies of Oregon that will probably avoid the camera for a while due to logistics and/or scary owners.
We drove the wagon about five miles along the beach. I was careful hopping the streams out closer to the ocean, where the sand was smoother. Gave the car a good bath soon after, even with a recent undercoating I didn’t want the salt to sit on there too long. . .
Oregon definitely has a lot of neat cars. Washington used to have more, but they have cracked down on having vehicles sitting around, and as the suburbs have encroached on former countryside, a lot of the old metal is vanishing from the landscape. Only on the Res can you still see a lot of them grazing out in fields and scattered in the woods. (Gonna have to do a writeup on that subject. . .)
While most people probably consider it an aesthetic improvement, it always makes me sad when cities/counties/states pass laws like that. My wife’s home county in rural eastern North Carolina passed a law a couple of years ago making it illegal to keep an unregistered vehicle within view of a road. The result was that a place absolutely littered with old cars rusting away in side yards and farm fields became relatively barren. To me, those old cars (and trucks and farm equipment) were the real scenery of the county…gone now!
My folks got in a bit of trouble because they had 3 unregistered vehicles without plates on them, but valid safety inspection stickers on the windshield and one vehicle that had no credentials in their driveway. So, I grabbed some plates from my collection and put them on some of the vehicles so it looked like they met town code.
I like that Plymouth Coupe, it has a great look! Good shots all around. We almost went to Long Beach, WA last month as we were debating where to go for a week, funny to see it pop up here. Ended up going to Nashville instead. Maybe next year…
I’m no expert either but having been to the Rod Run several years, I was of the impression that the first Chevy was a 54, not a 53. The second older car is also a Chevy I believe. The Chevs of around 1937 had a straight character line that sloped down from the fender into the door. You can just see the line on the driver’s side.
The red Chevy convertible is indeed a 1953. The ’54 had a different grill, parking lights and bowtie emblem. Different tailights too.
After googling ’37 Chevies, I definitely see the resemblance. Particularly when looking at the grille and the character line of the fender. Thank you for clarifying that.
Good grief did google deliver me to an alternative Curb today, That brown car is a stock bodied 1937 Chevrolet four door sedan, it looks like you stumbled over a used car parade. Red ragtop is a 54.
Red convertible looks like 1953 to me. Three vertical bars in grill vs. five in 1954 and round parking light vs oval in 54.
A 53 with 54 wheel covers. Very nice. I like both years – they don’t always get the respect they deserve due to the 55-57.
I was born in 1964 so, yes, it was a great year!!!! I am loving your Buick Estate wagon as well as that red Bel Air convertible – gorgeous!. The puppies are pretty cute too.
Very nice tour. I believe that the dark brown prewar sedan is a ’37 Chevy.
Awesome pics… love the ’74 Fury. It looks to be slightly lowered or maybe the torsion bars are cranked down a bit. Your mystery car is a ’37 Chevy.
Nice shots! I didn’t know this was happening either, and I was just in Astoria a few weeks back. AND I doinked it again, since Mt Angel Oktoberfest was this weekend. My tattoo artist mentioned it when I was getting ink yesterday. Always a great car show there, I still have pics from when I went last years I need to cobble into a post….
That ’74 Gran Fury was definitely on Craigslist…been seeing it. I forget the asking price but it seemed lofty, even for such a clean ride.
The ’64 Fury is more my style. What a gorgeous car!
That’s ironic – we were just passing through Mt Angel the Friday before the Long Beach cruise. We were en route from Detroit Lake to Portland for the concert and didn’t have time to stop. We’ll have to check it out next time!
That Plymouth Gran Fury coupe, big, bold and beautiful.
Very nice , thanx for sharing ! .
I’d love that old Ambulance……
-Nate
Sounds like you had a great trip, with some nice shots to show for it. The ’64 Fury would be a great ride…though I wouldn’t mind that red Chevy convertible either. I also like the ’56 Ford panel truck. Choices, choices….
Great post of a great summer post-script. I’m feeling that Econoline. Always wondered how it felt to drive one of those, with the steering wheel angled like that. And your Estate Wagon is awesome.
The Econoline would be an interesting alternative to a VW bus. My boss at work loves reminiscing of one he had in the early 70’s that he covered in buckets of paint thrown out the window while driving!
Good pics! I love that ’53 Bel Air. The brown rod that you thought might be a ’36 Ford is actually a ’37 Chevrolet. Oops, someone beat me to it. Nice doggies, too.
It’s amazing how much the Fury changed in 10 years. They look like their from different centuries. The ’74 is 16″ longer (220″ v. 206″), has a 6″ longer wheelbase (122″ v. 116″) and is 700 lbs. heavier.
Actually, the Fury changed a lot just one year later. That ’64 body morphed into the “intermediate” ’65 Belvedere, while the Fury moved up in size closer to a Chrysler.
Sounds a like a great day on a great trip!
What great luck, and an interesting selection of vintage iron! I’d have to call both Furies as my favorites–the ’64 is just amazing and the ’74 coupe is one rare bird.
I do like the Estate Wagon too though!
Gotta agree, the Plymouths are my favorites, as well. The Buick was a fun car; I had the pleasure of owning and maintaining it for four years – it now belongs to a customer of the store I work at who really appreciates old wagons and is keeping it all original.