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Desert Southwest and Eugene Levy

No, we did not meet Eugene Levy, who has a fun series, The Reluctant Traveler (on Hulu, I think). I concur with him that the desert "is not for me." Yes, great to visit and enjoy some of the spectacular scenery, but 110F for months? Nope.

We flew into Phoenix, rented a car, and them made our way to our daughter and son-in-law's house at Camp Pendleton, CA. I have never seen so many big, muscular guys in one location. We made it a point to attend a Memorial Day ceremony at the chapel. It's a shame so many Americans forget the sacrifices made by our forbearers and know little or nothing about the meaning of the day other than beer and cookouts.

Day 2: Midway ship and museum in San Diego, a lovely city, or at least the part of it we saw. My hot wife, Mary, and I were reminded how many of these flyboys were still, well, boys during this battle, barely out of their teenager years. It was a decisive point in the Pacific War that turned the tide against the Imperial Japanese. Heck, some of these young men on the ships were teenagers. Just let that sink in for a moment. Sadly, many made the ultimate sacrifice for America. We should never forget.

Day 3: President Reagan Library in Ventura County. On the way there I was singing the band America's "Ventura Highway" in my head. This library is the largest and often rated among the best presidential libraries, and seeing Air Force One and Marine One was exciting for us. My friend and very liberal U.S. history college professor from my West Virginia University days, whom I still stay in touch with, somewhat surprisingly recommended I see it, and said it was perhaps his favorite presidential library. It was a nice history lesson including the, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech and so, so much more from the 1920s to early 2000s. The guides were the best, and almost unbelievably friendly and approachable. They wanted to engage you with conversation. What a breath of fresh air compared to some museums and other places we have been.

Day 4: Hiking along the beach and nearby trails, and visiting my SIL's workplace where he is a HIMAR crew chief. Once again I was astounded at the level of responsibility we place on very young people to defend our country, which made me proud. I mean, this is some serious stuff. I'm feeling patriotic.

Day 5/6: Death Valley. 105F in the shade. Stunning sunsets from Dante's View and Zabriskie Point, and hiking the sand dunes. The desolate beauty of the desert was mesmerizing, and looked something like what I'd expect of Mars. Not crowded at all, thankfully.

Day 7: Hoover's Dam on the way to Flagstaff. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. Maybe my expectations were too high. I read somewhere that during the tour you could feel the power of the water rushing through the tunnels, but nothing like that occurred when we were there. The tour guide acted bored and lacked any real enthusiasm for his job. Bummer. We were quite impressed at how they built such a structure with 1930s technology, although 96 men died. Kudo's to American ingenuity and its can-do spirit.

Day 8: Grand Canyon. We hiked the rim for several miles and were most captivated by The Abyss. I was worried that Mary might push me over the edge to get the insurance money, so I was a little nervous. The elevation was 6800 feet, which explained why we were unusually tired and slow. We particularly enjoyed learning about the American Indian tribes and their culture. One Navajo tour guide mentioned a confrontation with an Apache tribe, ending with a gruesome scene where the Navajo burned some of the Apache men hiding in a cave. She said, "They deserved it." Apparently the Apaches raided a Navajo village, raping and pillaging, so there you go.

Day 9: Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest. The best part of these sites was learning about Earth's geologic past and how dangerous it can be on this blue dot of a planet orbiting the Sun amidst a shooting gallery of space.

Posted by
1601 posts

Thanks BigMike. You reminded me that I have yet to go to the Reagan Library, which is surprising since I have driven past it (or more accurately, the exit for it), dozens of times. I need to get out of the car.

Posted by
7982 posts

BigMike, thank you for the report. It was an eventful trip, with some significant sights. In the desert, Mary was truly a hot wife.

You’re so right about the significance of Nemirial Day, too. Where I once worked, Memorial Day and Veterans Day were seen as observing the same thing. Veterans should be recognized, and Veterans Day is important, but remembering those who were killed is another, not subtley different thing.

Posted by
629 posts

The Reagan presidential library was the first one we’ve ever been to, we visited in 2022. Good to know that not all presidential libraries are this good as I thought it was very thorough and you could tell they had spent plenty of money on it. Of course, all information put a positive spin on what Reagan did for the country. He isn’t my favorite president, but I’m glad we went. I totally agree that seeing Air Force One and Marine One was so cool.

Posted by
1601 posts

You got it, BigMike. It probably won't be until next year though. My wings have been temporarily clipped.

Posted by
3132 posts

Luv, now I'd like to visit other presidential libraries. It's really nothing to do whether the president in question is my cup of tea as I just like the history. Professor Evans said that although he didn't agree with most of Reagan's policies, he liked him on a personal level.

Cyn, yes Mary was a trooper. The wind in Death Valley was more like a hair dryer. The lowest elevation in the U.S. in Badwater was a nice photo op. Salt flats.

Posted by
11919 posts

Death Valley. 105F in the shade.

You found shade?

Posted by
301 posts

For the Presidential libraries, of the ones I’ve seen, Truman in Independence MO was the best (plus I saw the 2017 eclipse there), then Kennedy in south Boston (a bit too hagiographic, but lovely setting), then not far behind, LBJ in Austin. FDR and Ike are on my bucket list. Frankly, little interest in them after LBJ. Lived through them in real time, would probably see them if happened to be in Waco, Little Rock or wherever, but no great appeal. There’s an interesting Wilson one in Staunton VA, although not an official library.

Posted by
301 posts

And forgot to mention, if you want to see Air Force One, the US Air Force Museum in Dayton is where to do that. A full set from the plane that took Roosevelt to Yalta, up through the 707 used from JFK through Clinton, and you can walk through them all.

Posted by
958 posts

If you were BigMikeWestByGodCalifornia you'd be bowing down in gratitude and awe of Hoover Dam! Those young marines at Pendleton (and the rest of us) need hydration. (:

Posted by
3132 posts

joe, good point. Not much shade that isn't a man-made shelter, if any.

KD, I went to the gym on base to lift, and I was certainly humbled by the other guys. Then again I'm 63.

Slate, all of those presidential libraries are on my bucket list, and the Wilson library in Staunton, VA, is a good one, especially with the recreated WWI trench. Dayton is also on our to-do list.

Funny thing is once you reach my age and are in reasonable health, you realize time is not on your side, so it's go time.

Posted by
3566 posts

BigMike, thanks for the write up. I agree about the “110”part being not for us. We are just wrapping up 2 weeks in Utah, having visited all 5 of its National Parks. I highly, highly recommend them. My DH and I agree that while we love visiting the desert and plan to live in the desert for our winters, summers are out! I need greenery!

Posted by
2746 posts

Mike you write the best reports, I can almost feel the hot wind blowing in my hair. I've not yet traveled to the SW but it is on my list.

I second a recommendation above for the LBJ Library in Austin. It is quite well done and though his time in office was rather short quite a lot happened in his tenure. It's my first and only presidential library visit so far but I will definitely visit more, even Ronnie's.

Posted by
3132 posts

Tammy, yeah, I could see having a summer home or VRBO in the Southwest during the winter. We grew up with four distinct seasons and like the changes, but at times during the winter when it's cold, cloudy, and gray day after day, it would be nice to get a break from that. a

CL, that's kind of you. Yes, LBJ and the Vietnam quagmire along with the burgeoning space program would be an interesting history lesson. One item I failed to mention is one of the Reagan guides admitted his shortcomings, and that these museums should not deify the presidents, whom like all of us are broken in some way. But of course there will be a positive spin wherever you go. I don't mind that as I try to look for the good in people. Like with anybody it would be nice if we could just have the good stuff and eliminate our failures and shortcomings, but alas none of us fit that criteria.