Vacation - Monday

Unfortunately, Cathie had to work on Monday so Ron and I were given a vehicle and a GPS and we were sent out on our own!

One of the local attractions we picked to go see was the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The man's presidency was filled with more than his fair share of scandal (Iran-Contra, HUD grant rigging, Savings and Loan crisis just to name a few) but he was still the President of these United States. I have to respect the position, if not the man. So, politics aside, we went to see the place. I am honestly glad we did.


This library was put on one of the most gorgeous locations I have ever seen. It's on the top of the mountain, looking out over the Simi Valley. No matter which side of the campus you were on, the view was absolutely breath taking.



One of the coolest sights to see was the actual Air Force One that was used by President Reagan. I couldn't believe that they actually got this plane INSIDE of a building! Well, I'm guessing they built the building around the plane, but what do I know! It was awe inspiring to see this historic plane and even better that we got to go inside of the plane.


There were no pictures allowed to be taken inside of the plane, but they were more than happy to sell you a picture of you walking into the plane. We did copy a popular pose taken by all presidents, getting on or off of their Air Force One! Some times you just gotta be that tourist!


Also in the hangar was Marine One. We couldn't go on Marine One but we got to look all around the outside. As you can see, it's sort of parked beneath Air Force One.


The tables and chairs are because this is the level of the Ronald Reagan Pub. $8.50 for a turkey and avocado sandwich but it was a damn good sandwich!

Of course, more looking out over the valley, this time from another side of the building.




The museum part was interesting. Perhaps what I found the most bizarre item in there was the brand new blue suit that Ronald Reagan was wearing the day he was shot. You can see where the ER personnel had cut off the suit and you can see the bullet hole. Like I said, bizarre. At least they cleaned the blood off of it.

Now, to get serious. For those of us old enough to remember, President Reagan gave a speech in West Berlin on June 12, 1987, where he uttered the famous words "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

The Berlin Wall had been erected in 1961 to keep the residents from communist East Berlin out of the free West Berlin. The guards of East Berlin were actually ordered to shoot to kill anyone trying to get over that wall to freedom and way too many people lost theirs lives trying to do just that. This wall divided a city, family, friends. Finally, on November 9, 1989, this wall DID come down. I remember watching on TV while people were breaking this wall apart, some with their bare hands. It was an emotional moment for me then and it still is emotional for me now.

This six inch wide wall was so much larger than life. There is a piece of this very wall at the Presidential Library. This is the side of the wall that faced West Berlin.


From the side, the wall was only about six inches at the most and it tapered as it went up to maybe three inches wide.


Lastly, the side that faced East Berlin.


It was a sobering experience for me. I stood next to the wall, definitely in an emotional state.


There is really nothing more I can add to this.

And, of course, the final resting place of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States of America.


No matter what your politics, if you're in the area, it was a great place to see. Air Force One, even an old version, plus this piece of the Berlin Wall, made the visit worth it.

Now to try to end on a better note, turning my back to the grave stone, this is the view. Unbelievably beautiful.




Lastly, just some shots that I took on the grounds. The landscaping obviously is top notch. I took a bunch of pictures, but loved these two flower shots the most. Then, my favorite picture that I took all day! I couldn't fit anything in to the blog about it, so I'm just adding it to the end!