Today, the main focus was to see the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. I had chosen the Econolodge for the previous day because it was less than two hours from Simi Valley, where the library is located. The scenery going into this area was beautiful with mountains, hills, cacti, palm trees, etc. I would have taken lots of pictures if the roads did not have "Emergency Stopping Only" signs (of course I was also pressed for time as usual). Also, I had said in a previous blog that Birmingham, AL was the furthest point south I'd go in this trip. It appears Simi Valley is slightly further south than Birmingham. So, that's the furthest south I plan to be on this trip.
The route from Mojave, CA to Simi Valley took me on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Having watched the occasional police chase and seen how people drive around L.A., I was a little nervous. Fortunately, I was only on I-5 for about three or four miles and at that point it was only a four lane road, not nine lanes.
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The library is at the top of a large hill with gorgeous views. I took pictures of the surrounding area. As you enter, there is a lengthy winding drive up the hill with banners for each president up to the 20th, James Garfield. As you drive out, there are banners for the remaining presidents on the backs of the first twenty. The second set excluded Reagan, since there is a special banner for him. Other spaces included banners for the military as well as the Constitution.
This is the first presidential site I've visited for a president who was alive in my lifetime. Prior to this, the last chronological president whose site I had visited (in September 2008) was Harry Truman (#33). He died a few years before I was born. (Prior to Harry Truman, the only presidents who have sites available that I have not seen are Ulysses Grant (#18) and Herbert Hoover (#31). Zachary Taylor (#12) and Grover Cleveland (#22 and #24) do not have any homes or birthplace sites available to the public. There is a statue of Cleveland in Buffalo, NY, that I have seen.)
When I arrived, I was wearing a blue button shirt with a square pattern on it that was close to a western style shirt. I had a belt buckle I purchased in Texas. Some people who were dressed like they were from the old west spotted me and asked if I would like to be an extra in an amateur movie they were doing for a church. Several groups were assigned on a "video scavenger hunt" at various historical places focusing on different historical eras. These people had the Old West. I had to hold a sign asking "Where is Joaquin Murrietta?" They gave me a vest to wear and a hat, but the hat was too small. I had a cowboy hat so I used my own. They liked it better. They're not sure if this will wind up on the Internet or not, but they took my email address down to let me know if it's there.
I began by seeing the grave of Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004. After that, I got into a long line for admission. I saw a replica of the Oval Office during Reagan's time, including a small number of pieces that were in the office at that time. Apparently the Clinton Museum in Arkansas has a similar replica from his time in office. These are the only two presidential libraries with replicas of the Oval Office.
After the Oval Office replica, I saw and walked through the Air Force One plane used by Reagan. This particular plane was also used by Presidents Ford, Carter, both Bushes, and Clinton. It was retired and moved to the Reagan library during George W. Bush's term. Photographs were not allowed inside the plane. Although it was comfortably set up, it still gave me a claustrophobic feeling walking through. The style of the inside was made to look like the 1980s, during Reagan's term. Of course it likely had changed a bit for the 90s and into the early part of George W. Bush's presidency. There were jars of jelly beans everywhere since this was one of Reagan's trademarks. The kitchen area had fake chocolate cake, which was another one of Reagan's favorites. One of the docents explained that on February 6th (Reagan's birthday), all visitors get a slice of chocolate cake.
After seeing the plane, you could see the outside of the Marine One helicopter used by Reagan, along with the limousine and police vehicles used in his motorcade. After seeing these vehicles and the souvenir shops, I exited the building while talking on the cell phone. I basically forgot where I exited from, and could not find a way to get back in. There were steps to various parts of the building from the outside, but they all had chains across them. None of the doors worked. I couldn't find any employees around to find out how to get back in. Finally, I followed a bus up a hill and was able to get back to the museum area.
When I got inside the museum area, I was told that the museum exhibits were being refurbished and were not available. Friends of mine had seen the exhibits back in the 1990s and spoke highly of them, so I had been looking forward to them. However, this is no problem as it's an excuse to go back for Reagan's 100th anniversary in 2011. I've been to three presidential sites for 200th anniversaries (Franklin Pierce (14th president) in New Hampshire - 2004, Andrew Johnson (17th president) in Tennessee - 2008, and Abraham Lincoln (16th president) in Illinois - 2009).
Although the museum exhibits were not available, the "Inside the White House" exhibit was available. This is a highly detailed miniature of the White House. It has been maintained by a particular family for four decades. Whenever anything changes at the White House, the WH staff alert this family so they can update their model. Ronald Reagan had seen it and there was a picture of him posing next to it. When I first heard of this, I immediately thought of a doll house. This is much bigger and far more detailed than any doll house. It's at least fifteen feet long. Moving this and setting it up must take a tremendous amount of work. The White House model itself is just one part. There were numerous models of historical rooms in the White House also on display, including rooms from Lincoln's days, the Oval Office during Taft's (#27) administration, and even an animated model of workers initially building the White House (which was not known by that name at the time).
After I finished in Simi Valley, I headed to a hotel in Ventura. On most days, I have a two or three hour minimum drive to the next hotel. This time, it was about forty minutes. I wanted one hotel near the beach and this happened to be less expensive than others, even those far away from the beach. When I arrived at the hotel, I had to show my ID. When the clerk saw that I was from New York and heard that I drove to Ventura, CA, she was amazed. When I explained that this is my second cross country trip, she was even more amazed. She had done one cross country trip after college to Virginia. We talked for quite a while.
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I went to Mass at a mission church in San Buenavista, only about two miles away. The church was built in 1782. It was beautiful inside, though a little dark (meaning pictures are not so great). Outside, I liked the landscaping with cacti and lots of other plants not seen in the Northeast.
I thought about going to the beach after that, but it was getting cold and the beach was ten or fifteen minutes away on foot. It was also overcast and getting dark. I wasn't going to park my car there because that would cost $10 just for a few minutes. I decided to spend some time at the beach the next day before heading up to San Francisco.
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