Bard, California – Johnny’s old-timer museum

Steve, Virginia, Travis and his girl-friend Kelly give us the most beautiful surprise. They pay us a farewell visit and especially come over from 220 mi / 350 km far Hemet. Only real friends take such great efforts. We meet in Californian Bard at Steve’s cousin Johnny’s private museum, which is a treasure trove for vintage cars’ fans. John collected more than 120 vehicles from the years 1914 to 1936. Only around 25 are restored, the rest preserves itself in the dry desert air. But all engines run as soon as they get a bit of gas and a battery. That’s Johnny’s passion – he makes them all work: the many Ford models T and A, the Dodges, Grandbrother Trucks, Chevrolets, the Studebaker, Chrysler or REO. No matter if it’s a sedan, roadster or coupé, a truck, tractor or convertible. Besides them, Johnny has collected farming and mining equipment, early household items like wood stoves, a salad chopper and an egg carton crate maker. But the oddest vehicle seems to be an old motorhome that he purchased from his mother’s teachers. There was no light camping equipment in the old days. The RV contains a kitchen gas cooker, and a porcelain toilet bowl is right beside the bed. The teachers drove the camper up to Canada – with a maximum speed of 30 mi/h or 50 km/h. Fortunately teachers have a lot of holidays. For 5 $ entrance fee you can visit Cloud’s Museum in Bard, California, 1398 York Road.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.