San Luis Oblispo Trip - Day 4

We spent a leisurely morning having breakfast and saying goodbye to San Luis Obispo, not wanting to be away so late that we hit the Los Angeles afternoon traffic mess but still wanting to feel like we were on vacation. The trip was uneventful except that we hit some really wet spots where the rain seemed to be making up for lost time. As we entered Ventura County we realized that we were really close to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum so we decided to take a side trip over there.

I was prepared for a one-sided presentation of President Reagan's life and I wasn't disappointed. I mean, what's the value of having your own museum if you can't tell your story your own way. I'm sure there is good information for historians there but I wouldn't trust a scholarly piece where all the research was from the Presidential Library.

The place is amazingly large which I didn't understand until we got inside and found out that the former Air Force One (retired in 2001) is housed in the Museum. It was exciting to walk through the plane that had carried so many presidents (from Nixon to George W. Bush) so many places around the world and certainly interesting to see the recreated interior and get some idea of how this "traveling office" may have worked. With no shower and only minimal conference room space, it is easy to see why it needed to be replaced.

After a brief lunch at the Ronald Reagan Pub which sits in the shadow of Air Force One, Carolyn realized that she had a 4:00 hair appointment in Long Beach that we'd have to rush to be late for. So, once again braving the rainy skies we headed to Long Beach and the family side of our vacation.