Historic Hood River
Big Wheel
9-26-2019
Notes
Here’s Ruth Blackburn on her tricycle in the 2012 Fourth of July parade. Her tricycle was powered by a 1928 Maytag motor. It now lives at WAAAM.
Category: Downtown Hood River
Tags: 12th Street, 2010s, bicycle, Blackburn, Heights, July 4th, parade, tricycle
Tags: 12th Street, 2010s, bicycle, Blackburn, Heights, July 4th, parade, tricycle
Dale Nicol
Ruthie was always a teenager at heart and looking for a fun time!
Before she passed last year, she gave the trike to Judy Nicol and you can see it being ridden at WAAAM on Second Saturday events.
RIP Ruth.
Charlott
Knew Ruthie quite well. She was a “Diamond in the Rough” and said what she wanted to when she wanted to. She was always up to anything that was fun. I never did see her riding this and my question is, did she have to have some sort of step stool or short ladder to get on and off?
Ruthie was born Ruth Irene McCall in Cottage Grove, Oregon on 13 August 1927 and passed away here in 2018, Her husband was Keith Blackburn.
nels
And she was a windsurfer as well!
Dale Nicol
Ruth was a graduate of OSU nursing school.
Her husband Keith, was a mechanical genius……no joke. He also designed and built the trike and surfboard.
There are 2 small step pads to help her rise up to the seat….it's 5' off the ground.
When I first got involved with Ruth, I fixed the Maytag motor so she could again ride it and became known as the Maytag man…..she was a big show off and loved to “pop wheelies” for the parade crowd!!
ArthurB
I like the fact you can see a puff of exhaust gas from the Maytag motor. For those of you who haven't seen this beast in operation, it makes a wonderful “putt putt” noise as it ambles along.
maria Kollas
Paul Kollas is keeping up with her, enjoying every minute with our friend Ruth. She would not ride that trike for just anyone, she wanted a crowd! Sure do miss her!
Pamela Robison
Aunt Ruth sent mom and I this picture and every time we looked at it we would laugh. It was so Aunt Ruth