A Trip to Taylorville

The highlight of our Regional Rally weekend, as far as I was concerned, was the mystery bus trip to Taylorville – I’d never been there before so it really was a complete mystery to me.  The bus arrived and we all climbed aboard – we had been instructed to take a packed lunch, water bottles, and cups, hot drinks to be supplied.  The trip took us over the Hayward's Hill, around Pauatahanui Inlet, past Kapiti Island in the distance, to our destination at Raumati.

The big blue bus

A walk up the long driveway and we arrived at Taylorville, the dream collection of a workaholic retired transport operator with a love of early American cars, and a two acre section no longer required for parking his working trucks, which had been moved to another yard.  Mr Taylor has collected and been given all manner of mementoes of the past.  The owner gave us a talk about his collection, then we were free to wander about, admiring trucks, cars, and all manner of things which took our fancy.

While Robin and the men were checking out the cars and trucks, I discovered the diner.  And got my photo taken next to Elvis!  With red counters and furniture, a jukebox, black and white lino on the floor, and Coco Cola emblazoned everywhere, it was like stepping back into Happy Days TV programme.

The Diner

There was a jail for the baddies, rather spartan but that’s what they deserve.  And a replica of a fully furnished little old homestead.

Jail and homestead

We ate our lunch inside the cozy saloon, welcomed by one of the dancing girls.  Willie Nelson serenaded us and we admired the western furnishings – cartwheels hanging from the ceiling, calf skins scattered everywhere, antlers and western paraphernalia displayed on the walls, this place screamed “Wild West”.  This was my favourite place at Taylorville.

 

Lunch in the Saloon

What else was there to see?  Robin was rather taken with the Texaco bowser.  This clever design has a clock in the front and houses a fridge inside, rather clever, he thought.

Is it a bowser, a clock or a fridge?

Back in the bus we climbed, and due to several earlier road accidents the trip home was rather slow.  As we were crawling along the road we could look down onto the cars in the inside lane and were appalled at the number of drivers we saw texting on their phones.  Younger drivers, all of them, us oldies know better, don't we? 

It was a great day out, many thanks to Owen and Helen for arranging this for us.