Today I drove 102.4 miles traveling around Los Angeles, California.
I am spending a second night at the Courtyard by Marriott in Culver City, California.
In my standard room with one king bed.
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Good evening everyone, It was another beautiful day here in Los Angeles. This morning I drove 45 miles northwest to Simi Valley, California to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. This is the fourth Presidential Library I have visited this trip. I got there a couple minutes past their 10:00am opening time.  It wouldn't be a Presidential Library without a mock-up of the Oval Office. Reagan's desk was made from the timbers of the H.M.S. Resolute, an abandoned British ship. It was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. Now known as the Resolute Desk. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the wooden base appears altered. This is because President Reagan added the 2" base to the desk to accommodate his 6'2" frame and keep the desk drawers from hitting his knees.  Each president decorates the Oval Office to suit his tastes. President Reagan, inspired by the West, added earthy colors, western art including a collection of bronze saddles, and, of course, a jar of jelly bellies for his desk. This Oval Office is as it was during President Reagan's presidency.  Reagan's four meetings with Mikhail Gorbachev that helped to usher in the end of the Cold War are on prominent display in the museum. Each corner of the room features one of the four meetings and discusses the outcomes. There is also a detailed bronze statue at the front of the room.  I was here once before 26 years ago. Back in 1996 there was no Air Force One exhibit. It is quite an impressive display. In the picture below you can see the presidential motorcade below Air Force One.  Reagan was the last president to use the Boeing 707 version of Air Force One. It was a thrill walking on the airplane.  I walked through the entire length of the airplane. Notice the jar of jelly beans on Reagan's desk in the picture below.  This Air Force One flew President Reagan over 660,000 miles, to 26 foreign countries and 46 U.S. states.  Below is his limousine. I wonder if it is the one I saw him in when he left Mooresville, Indiana many years ago.  I took the picture below back in 1985 as he was leaving Mooresville, Indiana. I could see him inside the limo waving at the crowd.  The helicopter on display at the Reagan Library is a Sikorsky VH3A, which went into service in 1962, later being designated as a Marine One in 1967. This Marine One served Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford. This is the helicopter that flew President Johnson from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House after Air Force One flew President Kennedy’s body back from Texas after he was assassinated.  I also got to walk through Marine One. Marine One is the call sign used when the President is on board one of the Marine Squadron Executive Flight Detachment fleet helicopters. It is used to take the President of the United States on short trips; mainly to the White House or Andrews Air Force Base. However, it can be boarded on a C-17 cargo plane and taken anywhere in the world.  A piece of the Berlin Wall stands on the west side of the Reagan Library.  Below are the graves of President Ronald Wilson Reagan and First Lady Nancy Davis Reagan.  The grounds on which this library sit are stunning.  The rolling hills around Simi Valley are beautiful.  I really enjoyed my visit. I spent over three hours here. In the picture below you can see a statue of President Reagan at the top of the rose garden.  When I was going through the pictures that I took today, I came across the one below. I have no idea how or why it was taken. But far be it from me to exclude a rare photo from the Reagan Library.  On my return trip from Simi Valley I crossed through the Santa Monica Mountains over to Malibu. Below is Paradise Cove. I kept expecting to see Jim Rockford fishing off the pier. The Rockford Files was one of my favorite shows as a kid.  The picture below was taken from out on that pier at Paradise Cove.  I continued my drive along the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu and toward Santa Monica.  Once in Santa Monica I took a stroll on this large wooden plank they have there.  The Santa Monica Pier was quite busy today. It must be a real mess on the weekend.  Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean at the intersection of Ocean and Colorado, it symbolizes the heart of Santa Monica and is one of the most photographed locations in the world.  There is a small amusement park in the center of the pier.  The pier marks the end of the famous Route 66.  Below is the beautiful Santa Monica Beach. Those people in the water must be freezing. It was windy and only about 65 degrees.  Believe it or not, The Santa Monica Pier has been around since 1909. A rich and illustrious past is what makes the Pier so enchanting. The Pier has undergone an incredible transformation since it was first constructed. As a National Historic Landmark, the Santa Monica Pier retains a nostalgia of days long past and remains a true icon today.  From Santa Monica it was only eight miles back to the hotel. Of which the last five miles took about an hour. Took forever to merge from I-10 to the 405. Except for the first and last five miles of the day everything went smoothly today and it was a very fun day. I ate at my Sizzler again tonight.  Today's report has now come to an end. Tim |
Covers 102.4 traveling roundtrip from Culver City, California to Simi Valley, California. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
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