Even Cavepeople get to fly the friendly skies!
As the Caveboy’s weekend-long 7th Birthday celebration continued today, we took our first ever trip to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. There were plenty of interesting things to see: An exact replica of the Oval Office (which you can go into), a large piece of the Berlin wall, an F-14 fighter involved in a famous skirmish with Libyan fighters, the Marine One helicopter, and Reagan’s resting place. But, the piece de resistance was definitely getting to board Air Force One. It’s the Boeing 707 that flew Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, both Bushes, Clinton, and, of course, Reagan. Officially retired in 1991, it now is on permanent display at the Library.
Walking through what was then a state-of-the-art airplane you get a feeling of how spartan the accommodations were compared to the 747 luxury airliner in service since 1990. Also noticeably absent are the security features that today’s AF1 embodies. That said, it is a beautiful piece of aviating history that is in a truly pristine state, and totally worth the 15 minute wait we had to endure before getting to stroll through as if we were invited guests or White House staff.
Regardless of your politics, or feelings about “The Gipper”, a stop at the Reagan Library is truly a worthwhile endeavor. There are plenty of picnic tables available if you want to bring a lunch or snack. Plus, they also have the Reagan Country Cafe or Reagan Pub for you to buy something if you can’t or didn’t bring your own grub. Next time you’re in the So Cal area, take a stop at the Reagan Library … and be sure to wave to the crowd as you board Air Force One! 😉
©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.
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