Wow. What a trip. My recent travels encompassed airports, a home school conference, the Pacific Ocean, Hollywood, a presidential library and museum, Universal City, and lots of driving. Accompanied by friends Mark and Caleb, I experienced in person our nation’s Left Coast and was duly impressed, disturbed, and left longing for more, yet grateful I was leaving. Such is a visit to California, I suppose.
Our journey began last Thursday evening as Mark, Caleb, and I flew from San Antonio to Los Angeles, by way of Denver. Our Denver to L.A. flight was on board a Boeing 777, an airborne monstrosity that rather awed at least three of its occupants. I can best describe the plane as a "movie plane," meaning that this plane was the type seen in most movies that include a commercial passenger airplane. In the rear of the plane were three rows of seats, the two outer rows containing two seats apiece, and the middle row consisting of four to five seats, depending upon the row’s location in the plane. Each seat had its own miniature television screen and was also equipped with a variety of audio listening options (music, talk, air traffic control, etc.). My future flights will have a difficult time comparing to our Denver/L.A. flight, I am afraid.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles at around 9:30 p.m. (PDT), we procured our rental vehicle, a Dodge Stratus, and drove to Ontario, California, site of the CHEA of California home school convention. After a good night’s sleep we drove to the Ontario Convention Center, setting up Vision Forum’s booths in a couple of hours, returning to the hotel to shower and change, and then driving back to the convention center for a few hours of evening exhibiting. We ate a late dinner and then retired to our hotel room for the night.
Saturday was an all-day exhibition, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continuing until 7:00 p.m. Mark, Caleb, and I enjoyed the full day of interaction with California home educators, conversing with hundreds of the 5,000+ conference attendees, and providing many of them with encouraging and challenging materials to take home. Many thanks to CHEA of California for allowing Vision Forum to exhibit at its convention this year.
At the end of Saturday’s exhibiting, Mark, Caleb, and I packed up our remaining inventory and conference supplies, marking the end of our time at the conference. Following our packing exertions, we joined members of the HSLDA booth for dinner at a local Olive Garden restaurant. These representatives included Mr. Bill Bloom, Katy Bloom, Janice Phillips, and her brother, Nathan. Two of Nathan’s friends also enjoyed the late-night meal with us. This marked the third time this conference season I have been able to partake of a meal with one or more members of the Bloom family, and the second such occasion for Mark. Caleb was introduced to the HSLDA/Bloom crowd during the CHEA of California conference, and all three of us are grateful for the opportunit[y/ies] for fellowship we enjoyed with the Blooms this year while far from our respective homes. Until next year, Blooms.
Being wild and carefree young men, Mark, Caleb, and I threw reason and caution to the wind after our dinner and drove from Ontario back to L.A. in search of a hotel, having no idea whatsoever where we would stay or where we should stay (we had checked out of our Ontario hotel Saturday morning in preparation for this crazy plan). This marked the transition from business trip to California vacation. We finally stumbled across a Holiday Inn Express that we saw from the highway (I was fervently hoping it would serve our needs as I was suffering from a splitting headache), went inside, verified the decency of the room rate, and checked ourselves into said lodgings. Much to our surprise, when we woke up the next morning we discovered that the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign was visible from our room’s window. Although the personal benefit of this reality was somewhat dubious, these three hopeless tourists found that they rather enjoyed the "coolness" quotient of the situation. Anyway, we had found our L.A. base camp and proceeded to setup shop.
I forgot to mention earlier that during conference setup on Friday the frame of my glasses broke (through no fault of my own, I might add). Ordinarily this would not have been a huge ordeal. However, I was the only legal driver of the vehicle we had rented, and I have to wear my glasses in order to drive. So, for the duration of our business trip/personal vacation I chauffeured my friends around the busy highways of L.A. wearing a pair of eyeglasses prone to losing one of its lenses at any given moment. This made for much fun and excitement.
On Sunday morning we betook ourselves to Huntington Beach, California, located about fifty minutes from base camp, and made our way to the Pacific Ocean. Purchasing some beach towels and water at a local Target, we repaired to the beach for some body surfing. This, my first experience in the Pacific Ocean, was anything but disappointing. The waves, although not extremely large (probably four to six feet on average), were nonetheless powerful enough to buffet one about in a most exhilarating manner. There are few things I enjoy more than subjecting myself to the power of an ocean wave (as long as it is a relatively "safe" ocean wave) and being catapulted forward through the air on top of the salty spray, then being tumbled over myself in a helter-skelter watery dash toward the shore. Oh, the mighty hand of God that is displayed in such a "little" action. What is man, that He is mindful of him? In the midst of all my enjoyment and wonder I found time for my requisite sunburn, despite multiple applications of an oily preventative. Oh, well. It was worth it.
The remainder of Sunday was primarily spent in the car. We decided to drive through L.A., Hollywood, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills, intending to see whatever famous sights we could find. I don’t think we were completely successful in our attempt to reach each of those cites, nor was our "famous sights" search a thoroughly happy-ending endeavor. However, we did drive through neighborhoods not normally visited by the average L.A. area tourist. These local communities were placed up, down, in, and around steep, mountainous inclines, making one think of a more countrified version of San Francisco’s streets. Although the homes were, for the most part, neither mansions nor palaces, they possessed unique qualities of individual character and a sense of "belonging" to the topography. The streets were narrow in the extreme, and the periodically blinding sun made for particular excitement when rounding bends in the roads. However, the slightness of the blacktop added to our feeling of adventure and enjoyment, and our faithful pursuit of the "winding staircase" was rewarded by awesome vistas and spectacular views of the city. Sometimes the fun one creates for oneself is the most fun of all!
Monday morning found Mark, Caleb, and I at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. One would be hard pressed to imagine a better location for a presidential library than the one chosen for President Reagan’s. Set atop a mountain and surrounded by neighboring peaks, the Library inconspicuously looks down upon the valley and its inhabitants. The grounds are replete with trees, flowers, and awe-inspiring views, and the Library and Museum seem a natural part of the scenery.
Inside the Museum we toured the displays, read the descriptions, and considered the various mementos collected by President Reagan throughout his life as actor, governor, and president. Although each aspect of the tour was extremely professional in appearance and very informative, the highlight was an exact replica of President Reagan’s Oval Office. From the portraits of Presidents Jackson and Washington, all the way down to the jelly beans on the side table, the Office was setup just as President Reagan had it during his time in the White House. The actual chair he used behind his desk as California’s governor and the United States’ president was positioned behind a replica of the Presidential desk, and many of his personal effects such as pictures, paperweights, etc., were scattered around the Office as well. Never having seen the Oval Office in person, this presentation was of particular interest to me and did final justice to the tremendous series of Museum displays.
Outside of the Library and Museum was a section of the Berlin Wall that was torn down following Reagan’s famous plea to Mikhail Gorbachev to ". . .tear down this wall." Additionally, Reagan’s gravesite was positioned just to the left of the building’s rear center, mere steps from where his televised memorial service was held last year. We saw the flowers by which the Navy choir had sung, as well as the site where the podium was placed and the casket laid. Having watched the service on television, seeing the grounds in person granted me a helpful perspective on the event. The outside of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum was as enjoyable as its interior, and the three of us amply partook of its solemn beauty and significance.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, Mark, Caleb, and I drove to Universal City near Burbank, California. We visited the tourist-trap shopping district and considered entering Universal Studios, but the $53 per person charge dissuaded us. Perhaps next time.
After departing Universal City we returned to our hotel in Los Angeles to procure our swimming gear (swimming trunks, towels, etc.). We then directed our car toward Ventura, California, in search of a surfing spot. Mark was the only member of our group who had ever been surfing, and he was eager to share the experience with Caleb and me. As we approached Ventura, however, the weather began changing from pleasant sunshine to ominous clouds and a brisk breeze. Upon our arrival in Ventura we perused a couple of beaches and decided that freezing ourselves in the pursuit of surfing didn’t sound like a fun idea. So, we turned around and took Route 1 back to the L.A. area. Route 1 is a shore road and offers its drivers many beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. So, not all was lost in our afternoon endeavor; we merely made an adjustment to our plans.
Tuesday marked the end of our time in California. Arriving at LAX around 11:30 a.m., we spent the remainder of our day in airports and airplanes, finally touching down in San Antonio at 10:30 p.m. Michael Fowl was gracious enough to pick us up at the airport, and so ended our California trip. It was an excellent six days, and I am grateful to Mark and Caleb for sharing the experience with me.
