Road Trip On Pause: Firemen, & Hoover…

(***Editors Note- I'm sorry but I hope to add pictures at a later date.  Google has still been having problems with adding photos with MS Internet Explorer. ***)

I know I really needed to update this and let all of you out there know what I’ve been up to.  Sorry for the delay and laziness on my part.  Yes, I’m still in my hometown in eastern Iowa.  It seems like ages ago that I left out on the first day of this road trip.  That was the day I saw a vested pair of a man and a goat out along the freeway just outside of Boise, ID; a totally unexpected strange thing to see during my first day of a road trip.  I’ve been amazed at the sights that I have seen since that day in late August. 

But now, I’m in a bit of a pause mode trying to build up some money in my savings so that I can head out on my adventure again.  I’m not sure how long that will take.  I am hoping to get to Washington DC to see the cherry blossoms this Spring. Lately, I’ve been working doing some temporary data entry.  I’ve applied for several waitress jobs too.  I haven’t worked in a restaurant in several years that I think they are wondering why I’m applying.  I guess in hindsight I should have gotten a part time one in Utah before I left.  I applied at one restaurant and they saw my degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management and wanted me to apply for a management position.  I half-heartedly filled out the application but I’m not really interested.  So anyway the job searching and working is an ongoing process.

Fire Station Tour

I have been doing a bit of sightseeing and different things here locally in eastern Iowa.  So I’ve been continuing in a way with the trip.  One day I went on a school filed trip with my nephew to see a local fire station in Marion, Iowa.  A Fireman and certified MT named Peter gave us a tour of the station.  We started out in the classroom where he discussed what they did.  The number one calls that they made other than fire are medical calls.  They do regular trainings at the fire station to keep updated in the latest medical techniques. They also do a fair amount of training on other locations; like practicing fighting fires.  Most recently, they got to burn down a local abandoned house that the owner had donated to them for training.  We were told that if at any time during our tour that if a call came in that we were to report to the classroom for our safety and to keep clear of the fireman that needed to get out on a call.

We were also told safety tips and what to do if we are ever in a case if our home had a fire like; keep low, check the temperatures of the doors, and if caught on fire to drop and roll.  Next, Peter took us out to where the fire trucks were and showed us how he put on his gear.  He talked while he put the gear on; explaining the equipment and other aspects of firefighting.  He told us that he would look and sound quite a bit different when he got his gear on and to not be afraid of him.  Once he got all of the firefighting gear on he crawled around on the floor grabbing some of our feet.  Quite often he said that firefighters would be down near the ground and that was where we should be too in case of a fire.  I expected him to sound more like Darth Vader but his voice was not quite that scary.  But it was somewhat muffled.  Peter said that all of the gear weighed close to 65 lbs. He also told us how they needed to get into their gear in less than 2 minutes time.

Photo- Fireman Peter in full gear as Captain Kirk watched.

Next, we took a tour around the fire trucks with Fireman Captain Kirk.  Yes, Captain Kirk!  He explained how some trucks carried water on them and the different uses that each truck had.  One vehicle that they used the most was the medical truck because it was the most fuel efficient and was easier to get around in.  The larger trucks were for fires.  One of the smaller large trucks had a holding area where water could be pumped from a local lake or pond and then immediately used to fight a fire.  Generally this truck was used in more remote farmland areas with a water source nearby.  There was another fire truck that had a large water gun on the back that was used to fight fires out in a field. 

Photo- Captain Kirk showing a future fireman how to hook up the hose to the truck.

Next some of the kids in the class got to play firemen as they connected a hose onto a truck and three of them pretended to work the hose over to a fire in a nearby room.  It was too cute watching them trying to work as a team on a hose that was almost larger than the three of them.  Next, Captain Kirk took us through the living quarters of the fire station.  There were 6 rooms in all, three on each side.  I was surprised at how plain they were.  Each had a wall of closets on one side, a window, a twin bed and a night stand; that was all.  At the end of the hall was a fairly large plain kitchen with a round table in the middle and on the other side was a room with a large TV with chairs and sofas.

Hoover Presidential Library

Another day I went to the Hoover Presidential Library which is located in West Branch, Iowa.  It’s funny that I had grown up so close to a Presidential Library but I had never visited it before.  Most people negatively tie President Hoover with the Great Depression, and I must admit that I generally did not have a good outlook on him either but I decided to go in with an open mind.  I was surprised.

Hoover was born in a small house in West Branch, Iowa and worked up his way to become one of the highest paid engineers in the world.  By his mid-30’s he was tired of earning money and opted for a life full of philanthropy.  There was a map of the world at the entrance to the main part of the library on the floor and it showed a star by every country that he had touched.  There were quite a few stars.  His wife worked hand in hand with him on his charities and eventually because of the public profile he ended up going into politics. 

One of his first roles in politics was the position of Secretary of Commerce on the Presidential staff of President Harding.  During this time, Hoover was instrumental in standardization of almost everything from house building to road signs to weights and measurements; all of this in an effort to make government and business to work together in his belief of an efficiency movement. He believed that the government and the economy were riddled with waste and inefficiencies.  Wow, I wonder what he would say about government today?  The big joke during Hoover’s time at this job was that you better be careful what you did because Hoover may find a way to standardize and make it more efficient. He was touted as being a little too enthusiastic about his job.  But quite a bit of what he did back then affects us every day now.   

From the standardization, he ended up being catapulted into being nominated for the presidency.  He won in the election of 1928.  I watched a film and heard the recording of the live radio broadcast of his inaugural speech.  He was one of the first Presidents to be heard live during this speech.  I was rather amazed at his plain speaking and not overstating but he outlined what was considered idealistic at the time.

When the stock market crash happened and the Great Depression started, no one was prepared for such an event.  There was a lot of debate at the time to let the free capitalistic market work its way back without assistance from the government and to not regulate or make laws.  Hoover started to lay in a lot of the ground work towards building the WPA projects.  But he was voted out of office before they took full bloom.  It was even more interesting that after WW2, he was asked by FDR to help organize recovery efforts to feed the thousands of hungry Europeans affected by the war.  He continued to work and help people the rest of his life.  It all surprised me that he did all this during his life.

DAY 122- Little Rock…Clinton Library & Heifer International

The night before I had arrived just as the sun was starting to set, I got checked into my cute little bed and breakfast which was located in North Little Rock.  It was just barely across the river from the heart of the downtown River District of Little Rock.  The manager of the bed and breakfast gave me a complimentary trolley ticket pass and suggested I just ride the trolley for the sightseeing factor alone.  He said that the trolley gave a running commentary along the route and that I would be able to ride it on that pass until 10PM that night.  I changed quickly and was on the next trolley which had a stop ½ block away.


Photo- The Little Rock Skyline as I crossed the bridge on a trolley car.

Off I went through part of the North Little Rock downtown area and then across the bridge to the River District of Little Rock.  It was a beautiful view with the city lights as we crossed the bridge.  There were a ton of restaurants and shops along the River area; among other things that the trolley operator announced as he went along.  I ended up having dinner at a place called Big Whiskeys which was a nice wooden sports bar that had a wonderful grilled salmon.  Next, I headed back across the river and ended up going to an Improv Show.  It was a wonderful fun hanging out and watching the show.  There was quite a bit of local humor that was intermixed throughout the show.  After the show a lot of the people went over to a wine bar called Crush across the way.  I enjoyed some wonderful wine and met some local people.  I ended up closing down the place with the owner, the bartender, and a new friend called Cheddy.

Photo- A night of FUN Improv in downtown North Little Rock, Arkansas.

The wind had picked up overnight and the temperature that had been in the mid-60’s the day before was going to be 20 degrees colder.  I drove across the river to the Clinton Presidential Library.   The Clinton Library building is a long skinny building that almost appears to be reaching out toward the Arkansas River; the inside of it almost feels like a bridge with large angled metal bracing along a large open long area.  I started my tour of the Library with a 12 minute orientation film that focused on Clinton’s life and political career.  Then, I went upstairs and into a cabinet room which is a full scale replica of the White House Cabinet Room.  It was an interesting place to start a tour but I took away from it that the Clinton Presidency’s success was only as successful as those that are involved in the decision process. 

Photo- A large timeline down the middle of the Clinton Presidential Library.

 

From there, I went into a long open area where there was a HUGE oversized timeline of the Clinton Presidency down the middle of a long open area.  Off to the sides were smaller partial room areas where it covered different aspects of his presidency.  It was a very interesting way of setting up a presidential library.   I went up the stairs where there was a wonderful view of the Arkansas River.  On the second floor there was a section about Clinton’s early years of life and also another area about life during his presidency.  There also was a replica of the White House Oval Office which a very nice security guard offered to take a photo of me in front of it.

Photo- In the replicated Oval Office in the Clinton Presidential Library. 

Next, it was outside in the windy and colder weather where I walked around the Clinton Library and down the road a bit to the Heifer International building.  I was very familiar with Heifer International which is a wonderful charity that I have donated some of my art project proceeds to in the past.  Heifer is based more on a philosophy of sustainable agriculture through training participants using livestock to fulfill their needs and becoming self-reliant.  Also key to this their success is the importance of passing on the gift.  The charity is also very concerned in about being green and protecting the earth for future generations. 

Photo- Heifer International Building a VERY green building.

 

The company headquarters based in Little Rock is a platinum level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification which is the highest honor a green building can receive.  I HAD to see this building which they do a free tour of it.  The tour of the building started at the front door area where my tour guide explained the strict requirements of a LEED building.  I guess that the Clinton Library started out as a Gold LEED buidling and has recently been upgraded to be a platinum, which fascinated me that two platinum buildings were within a few hundred yards of each other in one city.  I think that said quite a bit about the City of Little Rock, Arkansas.  I thought it was rather impressive. 

Photo- Elevated floors to allow room for the heating and cooling.

My tour guide went through and explained that 90% of the building materials came from within 500 miles of the site of the building.  That sounds like a lot but not really when you start looking at the building materials used in most buildings.  Part of the reason they tried to use local materials was to cut down on the transportation costs and the fossil fuel use.  There’s Arkansas limestone, Mississippi Delta pine, old bricks from the previous building that were recycled, locally grown cotton, soybeans and even cornhusks are used in the building.  There’s recycled material used in the carpeting and the counter tops.  Also, recycled steel is used throughout the structure too.

Photo- Inside the Heifer building which is only 60ft. wide so sunlight can supply a good amount of the light needed.

On top of all of the recycled and local building materials, the actual design of the building was very well thought through.  The building is curved and situated in an east-west direction to optimize natural daylight.  The floor plans area open light and most of the building is no more than 60 feet across to also optimize daylight.  Generally, daylight will travel 30 feet into a building’s interior that way this building is fully taking the opportunity of the daylight.  There’s raised flooring on each level which improves the ventilation and makes the heating and cooling more efficient, saving both energy and money.  The roof of the building is designed to collect and save rain water which is used in the heating and cooling system; as well as, for the toilets to flush.  I was amazed at all the different little things that were done in the building that all added up to help make it SO energy efficient.  It was wonderful to see so much thought and reflection put into a building; and what was more amazing is that it was a charity that was doing this.  If you get the chance please check out this very worthy charity.

Next I was on down the road towards Fayetteville, Arkansas.  I was planning on stopping in nearby Betonville, Arkansas which is the home of Walmart.  There's a museum there and the original Walton 5 And Dime.  There's also an art museum called Crystal Bridges that is funded by Mrs. Walton (the wife of Sam Walton who is the founder of Walmart).  I have heard that this museum was something to see and that it rivaled some of the best museums in the country.  Unfortunately, it was getting late by the time I drove to the area and had already closed for the night.  I decided to stay in a nearby hotel.

DAY114, 115- Atlanta, GA….

I’m watching the Sunday morning news as I write this.  Yes, I’m a bit behind on the blogging 4 days to be exact.  I’m watching the news about the tragedy in Connecticut.  I see these photos across the TV of young lives taken SO early in life; too early.  My heart goes out to those parents and that community.  I can’t help but wonder what’s going on with our country.  A mall shooting in a Portland Mall, a shooting in an elementary school in Connecticut , and I just heard on the news of another man firing outside of an outdoor mall in Newport, CA(thankfully no one hurt) but it saddens me that places that should be safe are for us to go are not really safe anymore.  Something needs to be done but what; I’m unsure.  I just pray that something positive comes out of it.

DAY 114, 115 –

Well, here are the high lights from my two days in Atlanta, GA…


Photo- The low profile front of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.

The Jimmy Carter Museum and Library with the Carter Center…This was within a four block walk of my hotel room; I walked over on a bike/walk path near it to the complex.  It was a low profile type of place with a landscaped stairs leading down to a door area with a reflection pond in front of the doors.  It was understated and humble.  I walked in and went to the gift shop to purchase a ticket.  Unlike the Ronald Regan Library that I was at earlier on my trip; the Carter Complex didn’t check your bags and you didn’t have to pre-purchase your tickets with times.  This was much more laid back atmosphere.  It was also a bit smaller than the Regan Library too; but then, there wasn’t an Air Force One retired in the building either. 

It all started with a 10 minute movie about Jimmy Carter that kind of just hit the highlights of his career and then went on to show what he did after he left the presidency.  It showed him accepting the Noble Peace Prize.  From there you went through to a hallway like area where you went through his life as he grew and came into politics.  It was very interesting watching the films that they had of his speeches and others in his life talking about parts of his life that they were involved with.  The most interesting part for me was reading and watching film of the time frame when his family and friends were helping him to campaign for the presidency.  It had never really been done like that before and it was ground breaking.  Now it has become standard political fare for almost every politician. 

Photos- A interesting piece of Presidential artwork done.  Look at the close up below...

The museum showed what the oval office looked like when he was there.  There was also a section that showed an average working day was like when he was president.  He started early and didn’t stop until late in the night.  He has an amazing work ethic and it just amazes me on how much he has done in his life to affect the world.  The last third of the museum shows the what, how, and why of the Carter Center which is a wonderful place where they are trying to eradicate diseases, promote democracy through fair voting practices, and enabling people equal rights to fundamentals such as access to clean water, food, and to homes.  It’s wonderful to know that there are people out there doing these things.

Photo- Yummy! A grilled cheese and a bowl of chili!

The Majestic Diner… I visited the last one of the chain which is about 3 blocks from where I was staying in Atlanta, GA.  The first of this chain was started about a mile away in 1929 and they were a thriving chain of diners that offered good food that pleases.  The last one that remains was built in the early 1930’s as part of a Plaza Shopping Center some of which stands next door.  The outside of it almost looks like an old theater marquee with rows of lights and the neon like signs announcing its presence to the street.  I had a wonderful bowl of chili with a kick and a grilled cheese on marbled rye.  It was comfort food at its best and rather a treat to sit in a booth behind a row of chairs along a counter area.  I could just imagine people in years past coming in for lunch or a cup of coffee and sitting here just like me watching the traffic go by on the street outside while enjoying the food.  It just has such a history when a place has been open that long.  Now I will say that it has been refurbished but it has the same layout as when it originally opened up in the 1930’s.

Photo- The Majestic from outside.

The Home of the Braves… Turner Field…  This was one thing I was REALLY looking forward.  I grew up watching the Braves games on TBS and I guess you could say I ended up being a fan of them by default.  You see there really are not any major baseball teams in Iowa when I was growing up.  Chicago was as close as you would get but it was much easier watching the Braves games on TBS.  At least it was until; Turner Broadcast took the Braves games off the air in 1996.  After that you had to settle for checking the scores in the newspaper or on-line.  I took a tour of the stadium; they give tours year round. 

Photo- I'm just behind home plate at Turner Field.

We started by going to the top of the stadium to the Sky Field Area where you could look over the field but you could also overlook the city skyline of Atlanta; along overlook the parking lot area where the old stadium used to be.  This stadium was opened up in the 1997 season.  It was a wonderful view of the city and I bet that on a clear Summer evening game it would be a beautiful scene of lights of Atlanta.  The Sky Field Area is open to any ticket holder but it is a standing only area.

We worked our way down into the “club” level of the stadium.  This is where the season ticket holders would be and they would have to show their ticket to get into the air-conditioned level; otherwise you would have to make do with a trip to the water misters on the Sky Filed area.  We went into a private box and saw what they looked like; couches, chairs, bar areas with serving food areas.  All of the food allowed into this area had to be catered through the Aramark Company that handles all of the food in the stadium.

Next, we went into the press boxes and got to see where they worked during a game.  The live organists, which Turner Field is one of few that has one, is placed among the press box area where the writers are.  The score keeper is also in there too.  Then, we went into the locker room area where the players had their gear.  It was roped off because some of the players keep their gear there year round; but that was neat to take a peek.  

Our tour guide took us to what I would refer to as the “high rollers” lounge.  It was a nice restaurant area with tables and chairs.  These “high rollers” got whatever food they wanted and even got it served to their cushioned seats which just happened to be right behind home plate.  In fact, the only other people that had a better view of the action at home plate would be the umpire and the catcher.  These seats were about 10 to 15ft. away from the action and I guess there was a waiting list for them but at $20,000 per seat per season that’s too rich for my blood.  Oh, and they require it to be a set of two at minimum.  From there we walked over to the dug out for a quick look around.  Then, it was up through the stands to the baseball museum which was where we started from.  I noticed on the way up that all of the seats are angled to home plate and our tour guide said that was how this stadium was designed.  I thought that was cool. 

I then took the time to go through the baseball museum which is very impressive.  There is even a copy of a contract signed by Babe Ruth who ended his career with this ball club.  It was interesting going through the museum and seeing how the game has changed over the years.

The High Museum of Art…  This museum is in the heart of the east side of the downtown area but it is a gem.  But what I was even more fascinated with was the amazing building.  It was a series of open areas with walk ways and had a large open atrium that went from the top to the ground floor.  The ceiling on the upper floor was like a series of fluted skylights.  I started with the top floor after paying the $19 entrance fee which I thought was high.  The current exhibition on the top floor is called “Fast Forward: Modern Moments- 1913 to 2013” and featured 100 years of modern artworks.  There were originals from Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Rothko, Lichtenstein, and Jeff Coons.  The show took the artworks by sections of time frames and it was very interesting looking at what was going on politically while they were doing their art.  It was an interesting perspective. 

Photo- The outside of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Next, I went through another section of the museum that featured works by Thornton Dial called “Hard Truths” this was a mixed media large paneled works with a great deal of texture and bold colors.  Some of these I liked but some of them I must admit I really hated.  But I think that’s the thing with art, it’s really very subjective.  I wandered around and around from floor to floor.  There were sculptures, paintings, and furniture all throughout.  I ended up having to pick up my pace.  I had only planned about a two hour time frame and could have used days to see everything.  I grabbed a quick bowl of soup and coffee in the downstairs café before I headed out of the place.

DAY 110- Lighthouses & Confederate Presidents…

I woke up to a wall of fog looking out my hotel window in Gulfport, MS which is a small town about 10 miles west of Biloxi.  Yesterday I had seen a couple of lighthouses along the beach when I was driving.  One of them I had seen a tour sign next to it.  I called the number for the local tourist information and checked to see if they would be open for the day; the brochure said weather permitting.  I couldn’t see anything pass the fog.  I went down for the continental breakfast and knew I was in the Deep South by the offered hot biscuits and gravy and the packages of instant grits.

Photo- The view from inside the Biloxi,MS Lighthouse.

An hour later the fog cleared up somewhat and I took off to the lighthouse.  I arrived right at 9AM when the lighthouse opened.  I went to the middle island of highway 90 where it’s located to learn I needed to go all the way across the street to purchase a ticket.  I waited for the light and walked to a large southern plantation looking house that was the tourist center for Biloxi.  I walked to the front desk inside the door.  Hun, you need to go to the gift shop down the hall to your right.  I purchased the ticket for the lighthouse and walked back to the middle island; feeling like I had just jumped through some hoops.

Photos- Inside the Lighthouse Upstairs the lamp
and downstairs... the waterlines from Hurricanes past.

The gal at the bottom looked at my ticket and said to go ahead and head up.  There’s a low section watch you head at the top of the stairs and then there’s a ladder.  As I walked in there were waterline markers from past hurricanes on the inside brick; the tallest one being about 20 feet up from Hurricane Katrina.  I walked around and around up the metal grid stairs; you could see through the grid to the bottom floor of the lighthouse.  I told myself not to look down (me being just a bit afraid of heights); though it was hard because I had to see where the stairs were.  I came to a small landing with a low overhead clearance and a ladder.  Just a little bit more, I told myself to breathe.

Photo- The outside of the Biloxi, MS Lighthouse.

I got to the top and Wow!  What a view it was.  The husband of the gal who checked my receipt was up on top.  He welcomed me and he apologized for the extra walk across the street.  I started to ask him a couple of questions about the lighthouse and he enthusiastically told me all kinds of information about the lighthouse.  It’s 60 ft. tall and one of two of the original lighthouses along the Gulf Coast that is still active.  I guess this same lighthouse is featured on the Mississippi license plate too. He went on to explain about how after the hurricanes someone always climbs in the still standing lighthouse and hung a flag from the railing of the lighthouse.  It was like a sign that says it’s still here and we can recover.  It was a wonderful thought.

Photo- A statue of Jeffereson Davis.

Next I wondered down the street to Beauvoir which means good view in French and was the last home of Jefferson Davis.  He was the first and only Confederate President of the US.  They have made a museum of the home and are currently rebuilding the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library a second time.  Hurricane Katrina wiped it out.  She also did a number on the main house and other buildings on the property.  But when you consider the beach is right across the street; it’s amazing that more damage wasn’t done.  It is a National Historic Landmark that is privately owned and maintained by the Mississippi Division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Photos- The Main house where Jefferson lived and the view from the porch which led to its name...

At current, the gift shop and tour center is in a couple of linked up trailers on the property.  I walked in and found out I was about 6 minutes until the next tour of the main house.  I paid my discounted AAA entrance fee and started to walk over to the main house’s front doors where the house tour started.  I was the only one on the porch.  A short while later a woman came out and asked if I was the only one; I told her that it appeared to be so.  We started the tour.

The house was originally built by a Mr. Brown who had more money than what he knew what to do with wanted to show it off.  He built this house as a second home on the beach.  It was meant as a vacation home but he rather over built and made it sturdy which was a good thing because it survived pretty well against Katrina.  The woman pointed out different things inside the house that had to be refurbished or restored or located after Katrina. Hurricane Katrina had taken part of the roof and most of the furniture had been scattered around the area by her winds.

Photo- The main foyer/hallway area of the house.

My tour guide told me that the home had changed ownership from Mr. Brown who passed away to a wealthy single woman who was somehow related to Jefferson Davis’ wife.  That’s how he came to become familiar with the home and was asked to be a guest a couple of times.  Then he came to be a tenant and he paid rent to stay in one of the other houses on the property.  The wealthy woman passed away leaving it to him.  Warning- THIS is the shortened version of the tale.  These southerns love to tell their tales.  Jefferson Davis wrote his memoirs in this house and stayed here till the end of his life.  He is buried somewhere on the property.

Photo- The parlour where a painting of Mr. Brown, the original owner, hangs over the fireplace.

They had tried to bring the house back to what it would have looked like in the year 1890. It was a lovely interior with painted walls that looked more like wall paper but were not.  A great deal of the woodwork was cypress wood; the pullout French doors and wooden floors.  There was a center foyer hall area that went through to a back door and then there were four large rooms off of that.  Two of the rooms were used as bedrooms; another was used as a parlor, and another as a den.  The tour guide showed me the large covered back porch that was semi-enclosed by trellis where there were two additional wings where there were two more bedrooms on one side and two dining rooms on the other side.  One of the dining rooms was for the adults and was larger while the other was quite a bit smaller and was for the children.

Photo- The large back porch area that has two wings off of it;
one with bedrooms and another with dining rooms.

The house tour was over but she pointed out the way out to the Civil War Cemetery in the back of the property.  She also pointed out an area there was a rose garden and said that Katrina didn’t like it so she ripped it out.  She went on to say that they keep on promising to replant it but they move a little slow on something’s in Mississippi.  She also teased me about a friendly alligator out by the bridge I would walk over to get to the cemetery.  She said they did feed him on a regular basis.  I guess this is some of that Mississippi humor.

Photo- The cemetery in the back of the property of Beauvoir.

I walked out through what would have been a rose garden and over a bridge to the cemetery in the rear of the property.  There was also a front gate back there that Katrina didn’t like that they laid to rest to.  It was an interesting cemetery to visit among large trees with Spanish moss hanging.  Some of the graves just had the names with the position they held in the army; while others had the years of birth and death with a statement of how old they were when they passed.  I found that interesting that they put how old they were when they passed.  It was like the math was already done for you which I found a bit amusing.  I wandered back to trailers and bought a couple of postcards.

Photo- The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library still being rebuilt
with the area where the rose garden was at one time. Now it's just
a field area with a sun dial in the middle of it. 

Next I drove further along the shoreline to another lighthouse.  This one was more for looks and I had been told by the other guy at the top of the lighthouse that Hancock Bank was instrumental in having this one rebuilt.  Part of the reason they did that he said was that it is Hancock’s symbol for their bank.  This lighthouse was in a park area with a marina on the beach in front of it.  I walked around the area and took some pictures.

Photo- The now non-active lighthouse that's used for the Hankock Bank symbol.

Then, I was on down the road to Mobile, AL.  I drove along the interstate and crossed the state line.  Yeah, another state I had never been in!  Shortly after that I saw a rest stop sign with a Welcome Center.  I was hoping for something like the experience I had in Mississippi.  Nope!  This Welcome Center was closed but they did have free state road maps and Sweet Home Alabama brochures of the state.  I used the rest room and continued on down the road. I hit Mobile just as rush hour traffic was getting into full swing and there was an accident just off of the exit I had to take to get to my hotel.  Oh joy!  I opted to stay put for the night after that.  I was staying at a Drury Inn which advertises including everything.  They have a kick back social hour from 5:30-7PM where they serve food and three free drinks.  I also managed to catch up on laundry too.

DAYS- 54 & 55 —Malibu, Santa Monica, & President Reagan…

I’ll admit that I’m getting a bit behind trying to keep with my write ups while on my trip.  I thought it would be easy but sometimes at the end of the day of sightseeing all I want to do is veg out a little.  So in an attempt to keep up, I’m going to try to combine two days into one write up.  So here we go…

DAY 54- Malibu Beach and Santa Monica…
I woke up with less than my usual 5 hours of sleep.  The La Quinta Inn where I was staying ended up being Grand Central Station for local college students in the area; particularly the third floor area where I was staying.  I called and mentioned the noise to the front desk at about 12:30PM and nothing seemed to happen.  Finally, I must have dozed off a bit because the next thing I knew it was 2:30AM and the college kids were still going strong.  Thank goodness I found my ear plugs from RAGBRAI with me.  I put those in and managed to sleep till almost 6AM.  But I definitely felt like I was dragging.  I went down to breakfast where there were a few married couples all looking like they were suffering from a lack of sleep.  I said to the room, “So, did anyone get any sleep last night?”  No answers came but a great deal of heads were shaking no in response.

The night before I was playing with the idea of hitting Venice Beach, running by Walt Disney Concert Hall, and then visiting the Getty Museum but I was thinking with a lack of sleep that might be pushing it.  I was also wondering what the traffic would be like in the area.  I decided that I might want to do a change of plan.

I still thought I would drive over to Venice Beach but I thought I would take a more scenic route and go by Malibu Beach and Santa Monica.  So after fueling up, I headed south on Hwy 101 to Westlake where I hooked up with Hwy 23.  Now this was an area where I saw a ton of cyclists; Hwy 23 wound up and down and around and eventually over to the ocean beach.  But meanwhile, there was low traffic and wonderful views to see.  It crossed paths with Mulholland Highway and that was where all of the cyclists were coming up from.  The road was very curvy and I drove slowly.  I had a couple of times where I pulled over into a dirt edge and waved motorcycles around me.  I was in no rush and I was very much enjoying the scenery and watching the cyclists.

Photo- Cyclist along Hwy 23's curvy and scenic road.

I took a left onto Hwy 1 and headed south.  In less than a mile, I was driving along the beautiful Malibu Beach.   According to the sign there was 27 miles of Malibu Beach, and I drove along it all.  I did get out at one area where there was plenty of parking off to the side of the road and I took off my sandals and walked on the beach taking photos.  I got back in my car and headed south.  I took the turn up and over to the Santa Monica downtown area. 

Photo- Malibu Beach.

Photo- Santa Monica Park- beach to one side & city to the other.

 

Between the downtown area of Santa Monica and Hwy 1 there’s a long park area that perched on the edge of the cliffs that Santa Monica sits above.  I had to check this out.  I found a parking spot, put money in the meter, and walked along with my camera.  The park seemed to go on and on and on.    It was a wonderful area to walk; on one side you could overlook the beach and on the other you could watch the city.  It was a hub of activity with people cycling, walking their dogs, running, and visiting.  I even saw what looked like a model shoot being done. About every block or so there were public restrooms and plenty of park benches available.  Periodically to continue walking along the park you would need to cross with a street light where the road came up or went down to Hwy 1 but those were only about once every three blocks.  I put away my camera for a while and just walked along enjoying it all.  I headed back to my car just in time to pull away from the curb before my meter flipped to red.  I drove through a bit of Santa Monica’s downtown area and it was stop and go traffic.  I was rather amazed that anyone got anywhere in this downtown with a car.  You could walk faster than you could drive.

Photo- Yep! Driving in downtown Santa Monica can get you very slowly somewhere. 

I proceeded to drive further south to the Venice Beach area.  It was very crowded and I couldn’t get very close at all.  Parking was expensive and then you had to walk almost ½ mile to get to the beach.  Nope, it was just too crowded and too expensive for me.  I went back to driving north towards Malibu Beach.  I had passed a sign that said US I-10 on the way south.  I figured I would see about catching that to go into LA and see the Disney Concert Hall.  I must have passed it or it wasn’t accessible from the direction I was coming. 

The traffic was getting to be stop and go all along Hwy 1 heading north.  I went by the Getty Villa that I had seen on the way south and I thought I might just catch that on the way back.  Nope, not today!  There was a long line of cars from there that was causing some of the backed up traffic on Hwy 1.  I continued north and thought I would see about catching another way back to Hwy 101.  I turned off a couple of times at street lights only to find dead ends within a couple of blocks.  But eventually I did find another two lane road that headed back through the mountains.  This one was still scenic but was not as curvy.  I easily found my way back to the hotel before sundown.  I also found out that it was a good thing I hadn’t gotten in line of cars for the Getty Villa earlier because they were taking timed pre-purchased tickets only.

DAY 55- President Reagan Library—
On the drive back to the hotel the day before, I had noticed a sign mentioning the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Air Force One.  I thought that sounded interesting and after finding about the Getty Villa’s pre-purchased tickets, I figured I had better find out more about ticket information with regards to the Library.  I also wanted to find out if it would be open on a Sunday.  They were open on Sunday and I could easily pre-purchase the ticket on-line.  I decided why not.  I always thought that President Reagan was more interesting than most of the presidents.  I also remember where I was the day there was an attempted assignation.  It was kind of like his presidency was a part of my life and that would make it more interesting to me too.

I purchased a ticket for the 10:30AM start time slot.  They recommended you get there 15 minutes before your time frame and I got directions from Google again.  So, I needed to make sure there was a good amount of cushion just in case.  I left almost an hour and 20 minutes before my time slot.  30 minutes later, I was parked in a spot outside the Library and Museum waiting.  I decided to just go in and see if it took any longer to check in because I was unable to print up my ticket this morning.  The printer at the hotel broke and they never bothered to get a replacement.  Can you say this La Quinta did NOT impress me and I was surprised because normally they are a consistent good line of hotels.

I went in with only a confirmation number; the gal behind the counter said no problem.  Before I knew it, I had my ticket, a sticker to put on my shirt, a receipt just in case I lost the sticker, and a collective little ticket to take home with me.  I was directed to the doorway where the tour started.

Photo- The beginning of the tour of the President Reagan's Museum.

The gal welcomed me and directed me further along the hallway while stating that there was to be no flash photography in the museum and no photography inside Air force One.  I checked to make sure that my camera was on a no flash setting and then proceeded down the hall.  Around the corner they were showing a four minute film as an introduction to President Reagan.  Another lady volunteer said that she highly recommended seeing the film and that it was very short.  Okay I said and I sat down on a padded bench as the film played.  It was a quick and emotionally patriotic film about President Reagan. 

I then continued down another hallway to where it was Reagan’s early years.  His history of being raised in Illinois, working hard and helping out with his family who were struggling to make ends meet.  In his later high school years, he acted in plays and found his love of acting.  It went on to talk about his first jobs in radio and how that helped him to become the great communicator later in his life.  I was surprised that he had a sports radio position in Des Moines, IA.  He started to get into professional movie acting by a chance run in. 

Eventually, the history of the museum worked its way to how he became the governor of California.  It went into detail on how he made his two terms in California successful.  Then, the jump he made to the national platform.  The microphone incident at one of the debates; they even had the microphone there. All those things that helped lead to him being the President of the US.   They even had a mini version of the Oval Office in the museum; an exact replica of how it looked while he was there.   All of those details they had down to the last detail with family pictures that would have been behind his desk at the time.  It started in with his early presidency and then you turned a hallway and headed down to Air Force One.

Heading down that hallway, all you could see was glass but you knew it was inside, enclosed in the building.  While going down that hallway, I made the comment how did they get that plane in here?  The volunteer standing by said that a whole book had been written about how they did that but essentially they moved it in one main section except for taking off the wings from the nearest airport. They had built some of the building prior to the planes arrival but the plane was assembled a bit when it arrived.  Then, they continued with finishing the building around it.  The plane was all intact except for the fuel tanks, which were no longer needed anyway.

Photo- Air Force One inside of a building!

I was in awe when I came around the corner and saw Air Force One in this large room with a HUGE glass window its nose pointed towards.  I walked around it and headed to the entrance to go on it.  It was here that a volunteer stood and took your picture as you entered.  She said to wave and smile as I enter.  She gave me a card with my photo number to check out later.  I went on the plane.  This was SO cool.  Presidents have been in this same plane as what I now was walking through.  There was the communications board area, the President’s temporary Oval Office, the First Lady’s office, the White House Staff area, a galley area with Presidential china on board, and an area for other guests of the president’s.

Next, I was downstairs and directed to the area to look at my photo.  It wasn’t too bad and I was wearing red.  I looked rather patriotic and had a good wave down.  Oh, why not?  I spent the money and purchased the picture.  How often can you say you’ve been on an Air Force One and have proof that you actually was.  It was priceless!

Next, the museum continued with Reagan’s presidency and the Berlin Wall.  They showed the famous speech he did at the Berlin Wall, and talked about the negotiations with Soviets.  Then, they went on about the history of the Ranch in California and Camp David.  Next, it was some more history about him in the white house and his relationship with Nancy.  It even talked about Nancy and showed some of her clothes and the sense of style and practicality that she had in helping him out.  She was a true partner to him.  Then it went into the AL timers and his death with films of the funerals. 

Then, you were at the gift shop which was the end of the museum for Reagan but there was a special display that was being shown in the museum by D23 which is the Disney Official Fan club, or so it stated.  This display talked about Walt Disney and his early years then took you through some of the early films through displays of the costumes and drawings and movie posters.  It brought back a great deal of fond memories of growing up.  And I really thought that it was fun to see some of the real costumes that were used in the movies.  Then, the display continued downstairs where there were more recent movie memorabilia and costumes that could be seen.  This was fun to see too.  It's as I'm leaving and go outside to my car that I pass by where President Reagan was put to rest.  It rather felt strange to think of him lying here but there was a wonderful view and maybe that was why it had been chosen.

Photo- President Reagan's final resting place.

Photo- The view out over Simi Valley from near President Reagan's final resting place is.

Next, I found myself on down the road heading into downtown LA to see the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  I rather thought that this was appropriate after what I just saw.  The traffic wasn’t all that bad.  I guess Sunday afternoon isn’t a popular time to be in downtown LA.  I was able to find the Hall pretty easily as I got off the freeway ramp.  I pulled for a couple minutes into an illegal parking spot off the side of the road and took pictures of the Concert Hall.  I just LOVE the look of this building and it was one of those things that I just HAD to see in real life.  Wow!  That was cool!  Then, I was off and on my way to Santa Ana for the night and hoping that this La Quinta hotel was better than the last one.

Photo- Walt Disney's Concert Hall in downtown LA.