I don’t think I have ever seen Los Angeles so beautiful! It is still a crazy busy place with traffic everywhere and really fast drivers but the smog is gone and it is absolutely amazing weather. We arrived at the Elks Lodge near Simi Valley on Friday and we have had perfect weather of 78 degrees with no wind, clouds or SMOG!!!
Saturday morning we went to the Reagan Library which is preparing for the 100th birthday of President Ronald Reagan so many of the exhibits were closed for renovations but the big ones were still open. Paul really wanted to see the planes and could hardly contain himself until we got inside Air Force One.
Air Force 1 Pavilion
Presidential Seal on Air Force 1
This plane was used by 7 presidents and we got to go inside! As you enter near the cockpit they take your photo and then you can buy it after. Paul made sure we posed just like the president and first lady however when we went to checkout the pictures he was disappointed as they use a template so you cannot even see the plane! We didn’t get the photo but we looked cute anyway! Inside the plane is pretty basic and blue with way more seating than I thought – all much roomier than coach.
Marine 1
On the floor below Air Force One there is a Presidential Motorcade as well as Marine One. We also saw a Miniature White House Replica that travels to be on display and an exact replica of the Oval Office. The grounds were beautiful even without the spring color and the views from atop this mountain in Simi Valley are spectacular. Today was a perfect day to visit as we could see all the way to the ocean.
Simi Valley looking toward the Pacific Ocean
Looking Northwest
A slice of the Berlin Wall
Blooming in January
Courtyard Fountain
Finishing the Library about 3 we headed home for cocktails or a nap – depending on who you are in our little group of 6!
After an hour of rest Pat and I decided we still needed a bit more educational stimulation and left the others at the RV’s while we headed to the Getty Museum. We arrived at the museum parking lot at 5 pm which is when it is free on Saturday otherwise you pay $15 to park but the museum is always FREE!! What a deal.
The sun was setting as we arrived at the top of the mountain via the Getty Tram and the views again were spectacular. This place is huge and since we had a limited amount of time and a limit on how much more walking my feet were willing to do we immediately got started on the exhibits. The have 5 buildings of exhibits with each building having 2 or 3 floors! We only saw a small part of this museum so I will be coming back next time we are near LA. We did get to see some amazing early French Art and some new impressionist work that I hadn’t seen before.
Sculpture at the entrance to the musuem
We didn’t get to see much of the grounds as it was quickly approaching dark however the evening views of the valley are quite amazing also.
The 405 from the Getty
It was a pretty amazing day and I feel so smart right now. I am sure most of my new knowledge will be lost within a day or two especially since we are off to the desert where all signs of intelligence are missing!
It has been great traveling with friends and a lot of learning has gone on in the past week. We have one more day before we are in Quartzsite where we will be dry camping for several days. We are prepared and our friends are also now prepared after learning about water in the batteries and how to fix a leak that seems to gush water like Niagara Falls and having to use the neighbors shower just to take that military shower! We should be all set for the desert but you never know when you are driving a house on wheels 55 miles per hour on the California Highway system! Wish us luck!