After leaving San Diego, we headed for Los Angeles. Driving while towing the fifth wheel was a little disconcerting, due to the traffic. However, we had another scare while on the road. A car next to us signaled that our truck's right rear tire was low! We got off at the next exit, and managed to find a small gas station that we pulled into, taking up most of their space. The tire was not only low, there was no air left in it!!!! Luckily, it was one of the dual tires on that side, so the good tire held us up. There was nothing sticking out of the tire, so we filled it up with air and were on our way. Art later figured out he had been checking the air pressure in the tires the previous day, and that the tire extender wiggled loose in the process!
We were able to visit some friends while in the Los Angeles area. Marcus Kourtjian was a high school friend of Art's. They hadn't seen each other in 50 years! Marcus came to our campground and we had a wonderful visit! Angela, the daughter of our dear friends, Rich and Dee Ann Schiappacasse, and her boyfriend, Nate, live in West Hollywood. We had a fun evening with them, spending some time at their beautiful condo, and going out to dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. They live in a neat neighborhood with all kinds of restaurants and entertainment, within walking distance. Oh, to be young again!!!!!!!!
On Wilshire Boulevard in the center of LA, are the La Brea Tarpits. It is hard to believe that in the middle of the city are pools of seeping asphalt and methane gas! The pits have been known about for a long time, and in fact, Native Americans used some of the asphalt for waterproofing their boats and baskets. In the late 19th century, fossils from the Ice Age were discovered deep in the tar. It has been theorized that many Ice Age animals, including Giant Sloths and Wooley Mammoths, got stuck in the sludge and died. Fossils are still being actively found in the pits. The Page Museum has been built next to the Tarpits to continue the work on the fossils and educate the public.
Marcus had suggested we visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, and we are glad we did! The library was on the top of a hill overlooking the Valley. What a beautiful setting! On the outside of the library, was beautiful landscaping, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and Reagan's gravesite. Inside we were able to view pictures and artifacts of Reagan, a scale model of the White House that a family had been working on for the past 60 years, and the retired Air Force One. Art loved the DVD of Reagan's witicisms. (T. Kennedy accused Reagan of supporting old ideas to which Reagan responded he gets all of his ideas from our 200 year-old constitution!) The whole library was really well done, and more exhibits are going to open in 2011, commemorating Reagan's 100th birthday.
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