About 1947 Claude Sr came to Pasadena and took Bob trout fishing in Bishop, CA, because he read that there is great trout fishing there. That’s about 285 miles North of Pasadena, and they went there in the 1939 Cadillac. Bob said they traveled 70 to 75 miles per hour but were passed several times by an older lady in a 1938 Chrysler. Steve sees the 1939 Cadillac has a 135hp V8 and the Chrysler might be a straight 8 with 130hp, but the Chrysler is 1,000 lbs lighter.
Claude was cautioned by locals that the car might not be able to climb steep hills approaching Bishop, which is altitude 4,150 feet. The car made it fine.
Claude got some hits on his trout line, but didn’t catch any fish. Upon return to Missouri, he went trout fishing at Montauk State Park (also known for trout fishing) and was able to catch quite a few fish. He may have gone with Joe Lundergan.
This is Bob who went with his dad Claude Sr. On the fishing trip to Bishop. I was about 12 at a time. As a point of clarification, the challenge of the incline was once you got to Bishop, you had to go down a steep grade, maybe on a dirt road, to get to the stream where the trout were. And we were advised by the locals,as I recall, that it was a challenge for cars to get back up the steep grade. But we made it without a problem!