I make the trek up to Mt. Hood (near Portland) once or twice per winter for a day of skiing with son Edward. The season has been a bit iffy this year, but all last week the snow really piled up. Friday morning looked to be the perfect day, with over a foot of fresh overnight powder awaiting us. In addition to the fantastic skiing, there were a couple of bonuses: this fine Eagle wagon in the parking lot, perfectly posed with the 11,249′ volcano summit behind it (and sporting a lovely cloud cap), and some fine vintage GMC buses.
Historic Timberline Lodge, just barely visible behind the Eagle’s roof rack, was built between 1936 and 1938 as a WPA project, and sits at about the 6000′ level on the slopes of Mt. Hood. It became one of the pioneering ski destinations, with runs and lifts both above and below the lodge. A number of movies have been shot here, including The Shining.
Here’s the lodge, or the parts that aren’t buried, like the whole first floor. Ed and his GF have season passes, so they’re up here every week, and weekdays, when he’s playing hookie. The lunch buffet in the dining room puts every other ski lodge burger joint to shame, never mind the ambiance.
I already knew about the Mt. Hood Express and its little fleet of vintage GMC “fishbowl” New Look buses, because CCer Teddy posted these pictures of the buses at the Cohort a while back. These are the exact same buses I drove back in the mid seventies in Iowa City (story here). They’re 35′ TDH 4523 transit buses (CC here), and its very rare to see them in regular service anymore.
Teddy obviously rode in them too, and I’m jealous. I was hoping to catch one down the mountain and ride to Government Camp in it, but the timing was off, as I saw it leave the mountain just as we were riding the lift back to the lodge for the last time. I assumed that it was just a shuttle from Government Camp, but Mt. Hood Express is a more ambitious undertaking, running along Hwy. 26 from Sandy and picking up riders at all the little villages along the way. It’s a public-private partnership, taking over what started out as a little private shuttle between the various ski resorts on Hood.
The website says that they have also received a grant for new buses to be purchased, so it would seem that this will likely be the last year for the old GMCs. Boo-hoo. I’m making a point to go back up again in a month or so, both to ride the Magic Mile lift up to the 7,000′ level (it was closed due to winds), as well as ride the bus. It might well be the last chance to ride one in actual transit service.
Somewhat ironically, these old GMC buses are essentially replacing Mt. Hood’s famous Skiway, which operated between Government Camp and Timberline Lodge before the road was improved. Yes, these are literally “flying buses”, as the Skiway used the Kenworth buses’ engines to power themselves up the cableway. Our story (with video) on Mt. Hood’s Fabulous Flying Buses is here.
Because of all the fresh snow and wind, the upper lifts were not open on this weekday, but that left plenty of lower runs to cavort in. I have never skied much in powder, so this was a new experience for the most part. Ed took me through some trees, where I wiped out, and getting up out of almost two feet of that fluff is no joke. And if you lose a ski, good luck finding it again! But skiing straight down an almost vertical drop into a bowl of powder is amazing, as it slows one down so gently; like dropping into a pile of down pillows.
We’re just about to get off the lift here. On the right is the famous Magic Mile Lift, which in its original version was the world’s longest ski lift. It takes one up to the 7,000 foot level (green arrow). Above that, the Palmer lift goes up even higher (to red arrow), which allows skiing almost all summer long on Palmer Glacier.
When built in 1938, Magic Mile was not just the longest ski lift in the world, but only the second ever passenger ski chair lift, and the first with steel towers. The roof of the Lodge can be seen below.
My mouth was too frozen to smile properly, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t having a great time.
The only regret was missing the bus. And perhaps not being in my early 20s, in which case I’d get a job driving the bus, and skiing on days off. Now that would have been a dynamite way to spend a winter.
It’s pics like that Skiway that make CC so worth it. Always loved the Sportabout wagon, need to do some CC reading on the later variants. Thanks Paul.
I’m guessing the buses don’t run in the summer? I went up to the Timberline twice both times I was in Oregon, but it was during the summer, I never saw the GM Buses, I would have definitely remembered that…..there still was snow on the ground in June amazingly. It all started with my friend saying…..”Hey…you wanna go see the hotel from the Shining?” It was a fun adventure, we punished his beater Altima on the way up and down the mountain, getting the engine and brakes nice and hot on the run up and the run down.
Carmine, it’s hard for me to tell, but is that a photo of Mayor Carmine from Animal House?
Mayor Carmine DePasto as portrayed by Cesare Danova, who, more appropriate to CC played Count Elmo (Elmo?) Mancini, Italian race car driver and rival to Elvis Presley in “Viva Las Vegas.” Apparently the Italian race car driver was a stereotype (see also Raul Julia, a Puerto Rican, in “The Gumball Rally.”)
Actually in honor of the late Harold Ramis we watched this classic last night. Interesting trivia, Jack Webb was offered the role of Dean Wormer but declined. While John Vernon did a nice job, it would have been quite unique to see “Sergeant Friday” in the role.
RIP Harold Ramis. ‘Son of bitch, Sheet!’
Yes it is. And of course as we think of Harold Ramis, we can think of the CC’s he’s associated with, like the 1959 Cadillac from Ghostbusters and the GMC Motorhome EM-50 from Stripes.
I also remember his clapped out 1968 Impala from Stripes.
“Were not parking it, were abandoning it…”
Impala below.
Yes, but what can you do for me in a new Oldsmobile? 😉
I’m looking to move some cars, I gotta pay the deductibles for all the showroom damage those drunken fraternities caused to my dealership!
I cannot tell you the number of times my father has used that quote when I come home and park my car on his side of the driveway.
It’s pretty new, maybe just in the past year or so. Before that, there was a private shuttle bus just between the various resorts and Government Camp, but now it’s a full-fledged little transit system, and runs year-round, with more runs in the winter, though.
Great piece. This is really putting me in an Alpine state of mind.
As an annoying Kubrick fan/pedant, I am compelled to point out that the Timberline Lodge/Mt. Hood were used in many exterior shots only. All the interiors and scenes with the actors were filmed in England in studio.
On topic, I’ve been in Oregon since 1986 and have yet to go to Mt. Hood. For shame.
I meant to add that too. And the interiors in the movie are totally different than the actual hotel. Here’s the dinning room.
If you’re ever in the St. Louis area it’s worthwhile to visit the lodge at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton IL. Another WPA project that has endured. Seems to me we could see a public profit with a resurrection of the Works Project Administration.
Yeah, I remember going inside “The Overlook” and immediately noticing that, the interior sets for The Shining were in a studio, Pinewood Studios of 007 fame in England from what I recall. The Timberline was only used for all the exterior shots, and there is no hedge maze either. Boo.
CC effect….I just flew over Mt. Hood one and a half hours ago coming from Reno to Seattle….looked like tons of snow unlike around Lake Tahoe this winter.
Very nice pics and article Paul. Including the lenticular cloud in the first pic.
As a student in the 80s, I used to ride the GM New look buses often. At the time, GM experimented with an articulated version of the New Look. I recall it being one of the most quiet and comfortable public transit buses I had experienced to that point. I believe this articulated version was only used in four Ontario, Canada cities: Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga and Hamilton. I remember the aisle being especially wide, on the versions I rode. It didn’t have the most efficient seating configuration, with a number of single seats in some cases. Also notable, is GM used the front clip of the GM Classic model for these one off articulated versions.
I also used to ride the GM articulated busses in Ottawa when I was a student. The engine was in the back of the rear section, driving the rear wheels, PUSHING the front section through some sort of complex flexible linkage. This linkage tended to break. Happened twice on busses I was riding. Also, hard to control in the snow.
Son are you saying there was articulated fishbowl busses at some point?
A nice change of scenery from the flat midwest where we have lost most of our snow. It is nice to see that old Eagle wagon being used for the purpose its makers intended.
I spent many hours on those buses when commuting to and from a downtown job as a teenager in Fort Wayne. The high point of every ride was those few places where the bus would pick up enough speed for that abrupt shift into “high” (that I later learned was the torque converter locking up). I would enjoy another ride in one.
It’s interesting how the Eagle’s styling doesn’t look completely out of place amongst the SUVs. Except for the dated 70s ‘bottle of Coppertone’ paint color and those hideous AMC paddle door handles.
I was thinking photo shop out the other cars and clean ‘er up a bit an you have a brochure/calender level shot.
The Eagle was a product that arrived 10-15yrs too early for the SUV and now CUV boom. Subaru did something similar transforming the Legacy into the Outback and made a hit.
Snow skiing….brrrrrrr. As Betty Grable asked* “Why don’t you do it the natural way? On water, of course, like they do in Florida.”
* in How to Marry a Millionaire.
We still have two of these in our fleet here in San Antonio, Tx . They are in running condition and we use them every year to help transport the freedom marchers on MLK day. They were still in operation when I started with VIA Metropolitan Transit in 1992 . By that time we only used them for school runs and charters . Very rarely for line service. They are still in semi-restored condition and run great.
From talking to the drivers and looking at the notices on the inside I have learned this information. There are three Fishbowls in service 920-922 (all automatics) and they are from around the 1980 model year. They came up from the Rouge Valley Transit District in Southern Oregon and are part of the Federal Government’s effort to reduce human impact in the Mount Hood National Forest so I assume they will be in service this Summer. 921 is quieter than 920, but its seats are more worn out and I have not ridden on 922 yet. The drive from Sandy to Timberline takes 2-3 hours depending on the weather. There are several people interested in buying the buses, but sounds like no one is serious. Clackamas County is thinking of buying high floor Freightliners for next season and we will have to see if they have storage underneath.
The Timberline parking lot always has a number of cool vehicles in it and I am surprised how many vehicles (about 12) I see that are from Alaska during my ride up there.
It warms my heart to know that somewhere a New Look bus is still running. I rode in them endlessly in the 70s and 80s and just love them. My Fishbowl story:
http://blog.jimgrey.net/2012/02/09/aboard-2163-2/
I read your blog story Jim, and always glad to know of others who appreciate these fine old buses! I have a preserved New Look – one of the rarest of all New Looks – the “baby” fishbowl. She’s a 30 foot, 1971 TDH-3301. There were 113 3301’s made and 510 total production of these small New Looks.
Steve; love your shorty bus. Those were always rare, even back then.
Does it have a Toro-Flow V6 diesel? Allison automatic?
Paul,
Yes, my bus still has the toro-flow diesel. Many of these buses were re-powered as the toro-flow had a less-than-stellar reputation, at least in transit buses. I think it’s because people assumed they liked to be driven and revved high, like the Detroit Diesel 2-strokes in the bigger New Looks – and the toro-flow is a 4-stroke that didn’t take kindly to that type of treatment. Of course, that is only my theory!
Allison MT41G automatic tranny as well. These baby new looks were a t-drive setup, unlike the larger ones that used GM’s famous v-drive with a transversely mounted engine. They were considered a light to medium duty bus.
I remember Bellingham Washington had a fleet of these “shorties”
That’s awesome!!
Very cool.
Love it! With all the imports being posted lately (including my own rare foray into the foreign), and the unofficial Colt week we just had, I’d been craving something more American for a while.
Vintage GM buses, an Eagle, and a historic lodge in the mountains, all in service still today… hard to get much more classic American than that!
Bonus: Seeing that Eagle brought up a related train of thought. My former Wagoneer originally come from Loveland. I’d always pictured it being in these sorts of surroundings back in its younger days… its “natural habitat”, so to speak.
If you mean Loveland, CO it’s snowing here right now after a couple of weeks in the 50’s. Couple of inches on the ground. The high country has a TON of snow.
I was a bus driver for a few years in the 90s in Virginia, and although we had a diverse fleet at the time, the New Look GMCs were far and away my favorite and the favorites of most of the drivers. Smooth acceleration, great visibility, and the best part (to me anyway) – really phenomenal ventilation. Vents above your head, a big vent at your feet, and an operable driver’s window the size of a big screen TV. On nice days, it was like driving a convertible.
We had some very late (1981) New Looks and also some very early (1980?) RTSs. It was really shocking how much worse the RTS was in just about every way. Terrible glare at night from the interior lights, a claustrophobic cheap plastic tomb for the driver, and everything – everything – broke on them. The New Looks outlived them by about 4-5 years.
Somehow, even the things I wasn’t crazy about in the New Looks (like the placement of the toggle switches), GM managed to make even worse in the RTS. I can’t even look at pictures of them without shuddering a little.
You’ve confirmed all my suspicions about the RTS. A true GM Deadly Sin. If I find one, I’ll have to write it up.
My son was married in August in The Dalles, OR. It was a great occasion for all of his cousins to come out and behave poorly. My niece and her dad decided to drive up and explore Mt. Hood. She wore a bikini. There was plenty of snow on the ground and she froze her ass off, but looked really good doing so.
I saw one of these buses here recently converted to a motor home it was towing a Suzuki 4×4, the Detroit was howling as it went past slowly, possibly not geared right for mountains but an awesome looking bus.And thanx to CC I knew what it was churr.
From riding the Mount Hood Express the engine might be howling and going slow, but it is just fine. One of those buses had about 50 people in it and the engine was not suffering just being noisy and slow. I wonder how many fishbowls made it to New Zealand?
One of the few parking lots in America where half the cars are Subarus.
In Utah this would read: One of the many ski resort parking lots in Utah where most of the cars are Subarus.
Try Santa Fe, NM – Subaru is the unofficial “official” car.
We were just down in Reno/Lake Tahoe…I still can’t believe how many Subarus I saw….hundreds and hundreds!!!
Heh! Love the old Eagle wagon. Looks like my brother’s sedan, same color and everything.
One odd thing about the Eagle, it has European-style side marker lights (just ahead of the front doors in the front fenders).
I would have been interested in finding out more about that particular ‘bird…
Wish we had some of the old New Look buses around to replace the North American Bus Industries (NABI) horrors that our local transit system insists on buying (Cleveland RTA) I’d even take GM RTS over the NABI junk. LOUD, drafty, uncomfortable, rough riding, HOT in the summer, cold in the winter, any window that opens can never be closed again.
At least the “Park-N-Ride” routes usually get nice MCI coaches.
(and the NABIs never look as nice as in that picure.)
Remember RTA’s AMGenerals? Hoo boy were those junk…
Was this picture in the hotel lobby?
Not that I noticed. What is its significance or relevance to to Timberline Lodge?
The exterior of Timberline was used in filming 1980’s The Shining (based very loosely on Stephen King’s novel).
I know. I mentioned in this post.
Ah. Well, that picture was the last scene in the movie, showing Jack Torrance (AKA Jack Nicholson) at a hotel party in 1921, suggesting that the haunted Overlook Hotel “ate” him.
Never mind–just my obscure movie-reference mind at work 🙂
Nice pics kids.
Here’s one of my Baby Fishbowl, a 1973 TDH3302N. Mine was the third of eight ordered by the Whatcom Transit Authority and was repowered by the county with a NA3208 Caterpillar V8 and an Allison AT545RM three speed transmission. It will do a governed 64 mph but tows my MG nicely at 55 mph while getting about 12 mpg. It is also a good veggie oil conversion candidate. Fine coaches, great ride and visibility. I have seen Hood, Rainier and Baker through the windshield so far. Good times.
I’ve driven fish bowls , but they were the 6 cyl. 2 speed, and they didn’t have much power or speed. When I took an Alaskan cruise in 2010 they were using a lot of them in Juneau for sight seeing cruise passengers. I rode one out to the glacier. They probably don’t see too many miles on those, as the cruise season is only 5 months a year. Not sure if they use them in the winter.