Title: Spring Road Trip in the Cascades
Reel ID: L018R001
RUNTIME: 00:16:48
FORMAT:
16mm motion picture film
FILM TYPE:
Color Kodak Kodachrome
SOUND:
Silent (no synchronized sound
Description:
This stunning 16mm Kodachrome reel captures the vivid beauty of Oregon in the late 1950s, blending family life, wilderness, and midcentury travel in one richly detailed home movie. Shot between 1955–1960, the film documents a springtime journey through the Cascade Mountains, including the Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, and McKenzie Pass regions, rendered in striking Kodachrome color.
The reel opens with intimate closeups of tulips, daffodils, and garden blooms, followed by tender scenes of a woman picking flowers and a pheasant guarding its nest. From there, the family loads their station wagon, embarking on a classic postwar road trip through snow-dusted mountain passes and pine-lined roads. Panoramic views of Mount Bachelor and shimmering lake reflections evoke the quiet grandeur of the Pacific Northwest.
Pastoral sequences follow—ducks and swans gliding across the water, cherry blossoms and dogwoods near a white picket fence, and a colorful park with flamingos and peacocks wandering the grounds. The camera lingers lovingly on hydrangeas, hibiscus, and peonies, capturing nature’s palette in pure Kodachrome tones. Later, horses and a foal graze in a pasture, before the family pauses for a campfire and fishing trip beside the river.
The film closes with a breathtaking driving montage through the snowy peaks of Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood, a perfect encapsulation of midcentury Americana—where family, freedom, and the open road defined the spirit of exploration.
Tags: Oregon, 1950s, 16mm Kodachrome, Cascade Mountains, Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Mount Bachelor, McKenzie Pass, Three Sisters Mountains, Spring flowers, Tulips, Daffodils, Garden, Pheasant nest, Station wagon, Road trip, Snowy mountain, Pine trees, Ducks, Swans, Lake reflections, Cherry blossom, Dogwood, Flamingos, Peacock, Hydrangea, Hibiscus, Peony, Iris, Park, Fountain, Horses, Foal, Fishing boat, River, Campfire, Family vacation, Vintage Americana, Midcentury travel, Pacific Northwest history, Analog film grain, Home movie, Nostalgic footage