Tillamook Air Museum: Part 1

Of all the locations we visited on our Pacific Northwest road trip, few were as striking as this WWII blimp hangar in Oregon. The Tillamook Air Museum is a fascinating place housed inside a unique piece of aviation history. Hangar B, as it's known, was built in 1942 to house blimps to patrol the Pacific coastline. The hangar is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world. 

The museum itself was really cool to explore, and in contrast to the Evergreen Aviation Museum, it was a lot more relaxed. You could get right up close to the aircraft, look inside them, and there were even old flight simulators that you could sit in. Not all of the planes were in pristine condition, but I loved being able to walk around them and see them from a variety of angles. There was an impressive collection of WWII aircraft, and the building alone made the visit worthwhile.

Playing in an old jet fighter flight simulator.

Imagine climbing these to the top.

Hangar B at a distance.

Helium room.

Notice the basketball hoop at the top of the hangar.