Martin Auto Museum Tour

On Thursday, April 10, 17 members of the Grand Photos Camera Club participated in a Photo-Shoot at the Martin Auto Museum on I-17 on the North side of Phoenix.  The group had made a reservation for 10 am, before the museum opened to the public at noon.  The 17 of us had access to the complete museum, so there were a lot of photos taken without having to work around other visitors.

The museum had about 60 vehicles on display along with other automotive paraphernalia.  The lighting was good and there was plenty of room to move around to get good photos.  Rick was our museum guide for this period and he was very helpful in providing information and making the vehicle available for us to inspect.  There is also a working carousel on display.  Rick turned it on and several members went for a ride.

The museum is a non-profit organization founded by local resident Mel Martin.  He loves classic automobiles and enjoys sharing them with others. Here is a link to their website:  Martin Museum .  A $5 donation is requested.  This is one of the best bargains in town.

Peoria Car Show

I went to a second car show on Saturday, April 5.  This was the Jennabears car show in Peoria, Arizona.  It was a charity event to help sick children.  There were a number of interesting autos there, several with customized paint jobs that looked like they should be in an art museum.

SCW Auto Show

Early Saturday morning, there was a car show in Sun City West with the theme "Christmas in April".  There were several great looking cars there--with Santa Claus walking around the lot.  There were unique stories on several of the vehicles:

1. There was a 1926 Ford.  The current owner was several months old when his grandfather bought the car.  It's been in the family ever since.  Both the car and the owner are in great shape.
2. A 1938 Buick convertible in gorgeous condition.  The owner, Gordy, was nattily dressed and proudly standing by.
3. A pink Studebaker with a matching pink golf cart.  The owner golfs at our local course and I've often seen the car in the parking lot with a cart trailer attached.

Gordy and his baby.

Ford and owner both born in 1926 and grew up together.

Pretty in Pink

Great line-up.

Westgate Bike Night

Thursday night in the Spring is Bike Night at the Westgate Center (near the Cardinals Football Stadium).  The weather this week was great, so we decided to go and see what was happening.  The motorcycles start rolling in around 5pm and they just kept coming.  At about 7:30 there were over a thousand cycles there.  Most of them were the real fancy, chromed-up models--all shiny and sparkly.  It was great just walking around the bikes and admiring them.  The crowd was well behaved and just seemed to enjoy looking at the other cycles and having others admire theirs.  The center was all lit up and the fountains were putting on a show.  There was also live music.  There were many restaurants open to enjoy a meal while taking in all the chrome and fancy paint jobs.  I'd consider making another trip there.

LOS ANGELES TRIP

On March 17, we took a trip to Los Angeles to visit my son and his family.  In addition to the family visit, we spent some time seeing some attractions there and along the way.  The major scenic attractions during the trip were the Nethercutt Museum, the Getty Museum, and the Palm Springs Area.

The Nethercutt Collection
While looking online for things to see around LA, I came across a place called The Nethercutt Museum and Collection.  It was located within a half hour of where we stayed and had a collection of older cars plus other interesting items.  I put this place as one of the must see items on the trip.

This turned out to be one of the best places I ever visited.  I love to look at older cars and there were over 200 of the most beautiful restored classic autos I have ever seen.  There were two facilities here, one was a large, single room museum housing many of the classic cars.  There was another, multi-level building called "The Collection" that also had many classic cars plus other items, mostly old musical machines--all in an opulent setting.  These were all the possessions of the Nethercutt family, of Merle Norman cosmetics (which was located in adjacent buildings).  There was no charge for this, although you did need to have reservations to take the escorted tour of the Collection.

I was truly amazed during my visit.  I spent over 4 hours here and wish I would have been able to spend more.  Google it  Nethercutt and find out the details and history of this place,  It is really terrific and very interesting.

Getty Museum

This is a great place to visit, especially early in the morning before the school buses arrive.  I spent more time outside admiring the architecture and the surroundings rather than the exhibits inside.  There were several photo related exhibits going on including Ansel Adams and Queen Victoria (who was involved in the early years of photography).  Parking is at a multi-level garage area next to the Interstate 405 and then you take a modern electric tram on rails to the museum at the top of the hill.

Palm Springs Area
We've often driven past Palm Springs on the way to LA.  This time we decided to spend a little time and take in some of the local sights.  We spent one night on the way to LA and two nights on the way back.  There is a lot to see there and in surrounding towns like Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Desert Hot Springs.

 Misc. Sights Along The Way

Desert Center, California  On I-10

General Patton Museum on I-10 near Indio, Califronia

Joshua Tree National Park

Griddle Cafe-Popular restaurant in West Hollywood