It was hot out on the airstrip today. Mark this day July 20, 2024 because as I walk around these beautiful pieces of rolling tin my senses are time traveling back to the euphoria of post-war America. My eyes tend to go sepia, my ears are still muffled from the years of battle blasts, my nose gets sharp with oil and nitromethane. Is it really 2024 or is it 1948? I blink and the vivid colors and shiny chrome smarten my eyes. I am at a revival.
Lyon Air Museum hosted Hot Rods on the Tarmac, a display of eye poppin rods, great backdrops, and a nice sunny summer day in Orange County, California.
Only yards away where Santa Ana Dragstrip, the country’s first sanctioned drag strip was located here on the grounds of John Wayne Airport. Mostly 30’s era rods decked out in late forties, and fifties style jalopies were parked alongside WWII era warplanes.
Then off to the side the rumble of a cacklefest lights up. Inside the hangar that is the Lyon Air Museum are the permanent and travelling exhibits celebrating the men and women of the greatest generation.
I keep walking under the wings and between the fenderless tires as my eyes once again go to sepia guiding me to my happy place.
