When I choose a theme I can’t help but wrestle it to the ground. The Nixon and Reagan Presidential Libraries are both in Southern California so to keep progressing down my list of the 12 managed by the National Archives I visited them both. Nixon’s was very good but interestingly the Watergate section is still not finished; Reagan’s was in an amazing location but key sections were closed due to preparation for his 100th birthday celebrations. I’ll have to return to Reagan’s because too much was unavailable and I might as well visit Nixon’s again to see if they ever finish Watergate.
After spending a few days working with my uncle on his business I struck out again. One of my favorite bike rides in L.A. is along the beach from north of Santa Monica to almost Palos Verde. A section of it can be seen here but the full length of it runs about 21.5 miles and I rode it from top to bottom and back on a day of glorious weather. After that, I went to LA’s largest park to hike and see a few sites which included the Observatory, the Hollywood sign, and incredible vistas of Los Angeles.
Finally, before I left town I had to visit old family haunts. Beth and I had lived in the Los Angeles area from 1987 to 1991 and our first daughter was born there. I went back to see our old condo. I visited the hospital where Courtney was born. I tootled around town visiting places that used to mean something to us. In enjoyed it especially for the pictures and the stories I was able to send back to Courtney for awareness building. She was only nine months old when we moved from Glendale.
Usually when I head out of the L.A. basin I’m making a bee-line for some distant destination. Every time I’ve gone up Interstate 5 I’ve noticed a large Visitors Center called Vista del Lago. Every time I’ve been curious and said “Next time I’ll stop.” Well, this time I did and learned it was a showcase for the extensive and massive-scale water development projects of the State of California. Extremely well done, it’s located at Pyramid Lake, one of the systems primary reservoirs. I learned a lot.
From there I took a decidedly alternate path to San Luis Obispo through oil fields, farm land, and rolling remote landscape. I didn’t know this area existed and had not a clue that it was one of the U.S.’ greatest oil-producing regions. Having spent so much California-time in either untouched parks or very touched cities the site of hundreds of oil pumps and hundreds of miles of oil pipes kind of threw me. At the West Kern Oil Museum I was hoping to learn more … but it was closed. When I started ascending out of the valley toward the coast I was glad to have seen a little more of California’s character.
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