Monday we went to Mojave National Preserve. There are cool cinder cones there, plus sand dunes, lots of places to camp and hike.
The visitor center is this historic train depot
The lunch counter was still inside!
Lots of exhibits upstairs about the history of the area and how trains played a role
Myself and the kids spent the night in Death Valley--no internet connection for the Mr. to work, so we left him behind in the motorhome in Barstow, California
Tuesday we drove through Death Valley--we had wanted to see Scotty's Castle but it was closed after major flood damage in 2016. We had been here before so were mostly just enjoying the views as we drove through
It was a beautiful sunrise
We came to Death Valley for the 2016 superbloom and got blown out of the valley by fierce spring winds. Also, those dinky tent stakes that you get with a tent were useless on the hardpan. This time we came prepared with our heavy duty stakes and mallet and were successful!
Death Valley National Park is 25 years old!
We headed over the mountains to Manzanar National Historic Site, a Japanese internment camp
This is a list of all those that lived at Manzanar
All the flags of the internment camps across the U.S.
A beautiful, peaceful cemetery. Harsh area to live, but what a beautiful setting to honor those who died there.
Wednesday we went to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area--not far from downtown Los Angeles, an oasis not far from the metropolis!
Cool fact, many TV shows have been filmed here, including M*A*S*H*
They had this cool hologram presentation at the beginning
Poignant moments in the museum marking events during Reagan's presidency including the Challenger disaster
The fall of the Berlin Wall
We got to walk through Air Force One
Ronald Reagan LOVED Jelly Belly beans, this was a portrait of Reagan made from Jelly Belly beans
Cool fact: one of the eight islands was the island where the true story that Island of the Blue Dolphins took place. They had these cool island exhibit tables in the breezeway at the visitor center.
Thursday we went to the Los Angeles Temple
Interesting exhibits throughout
Including one long gallery all about Watergate
The gravesite was outside
It was right next to Nixon's birthplace. When he was born in that house, this entire property was his parents' farm
Friday we went to the Newport Beach Temple
And watched the sunset from the beach at our campground
Saturday we went to Cabrillo National Monument. There is a national cemetery there, many of the graves were decorated with wreaths from Wreaths Across America which was the previous Saturday
Right by the visitor center we saw this cool sign
And this sign that was kind of sad
People have actually carved in the plant!
The agave in question
Agaves in bloom
Inside the visitor center were some pieces of armor you could try on
We even found a re-enactor in costume! (Snuck a picture...)
Outside the visitor center was a monument to Cabrillo. We think of most European explorers as on the east coast. Cabrillo was in Mexico, sailing under Spain's flag, when he came up to the San Diego area.
and the San Diego Temple (look carefully, there are two little ones in the Nativity, besides the statues...)
Today we attended the Chula Vista 3rd Ward, Chula Vista California Stake
After lunch we headed out to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site
It is staffed by missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.... and some interactive photos (which made me think of Harry Potter!)
The photos are of people who help "narrate" the story
After the "tour", you can get a free, sepia-toned family photograph and go outside and learn how they made bricks to help build San Diego or panned for gold.
The visitor center is this historic train depot
The lunch counter was still inside!
Lots of exhibits upstairs about the history of the area and how trains played a role
Myself and the kids spent the night in Death Valley--no internet connection for the Mr. to work, so we left him behind in the motorhome in Barstow, California
Tuesday we drove through Death Valley--we had wanted to see Scotty's Castle but it was closed after major flood damage in 2016. We had been here before so were mostly just enjoying the views as we drove through
Death Valley has these cool kiosks that you can use to pay the entrance fee or for camping
It was a beautiful sunrise
We came to Death Valley for the 2016 superbloom and got blown out of the valley by fierce spring winds. Also, those dinky tent stakes that you get with a tent were useless on the hardpan. This time we came prepared with our heavy duty stakes and mallet and were successful!
Death Valley National Park is 25 years old!
We headed over the mountains to Manzanar National Historic Site, a Japanese internment camp
This is not on the route to anywhere, really, but it is definitely a must-see. The museum is amazing, there are sites to see around the museum too.
This is a list of all those that lived at Manzanar
All the flags of the internment camps across the U.S.
A beautiful, peaceful cemetery. Harsh area to live, but what a beautiful setting to honor those who died there.
Wednesday we went to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area--not far from downtown Los Angeles, an oasis not far from the metropolis!
Cool fact, many TV shows have been filmed here, including M*A*S*H*
Then we went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, there were banners for every president hung on the light poles as you drove up to the museum
They had this cool hologram presentation at the beginning
Poignant moments in the museum marking events during Reagan's presidency including the Challenger disaster
The fall of the Berlin Wall
We got to walk through Air Force One
Ronald Reagan LOVED Jelly Belly beans, this was a portrait of Reagan made from Jelly Belly beans
And a special Presidential jar of Jelly Belly beans for sale in the gift shop
We walked outside to see the gravesite before we left.
We went to the Channel Islands National Park visitor center in Ventura, California (there's another one in Santa Barbara)
Cool fact: one of the eight islands was the island where the true story that Island of the Blue Dolphins took place. They had these cool island exhibit tables in the breezeway at the visitor center.
Five of the islands are national park, one is commercial, that you can visit. The "real" island is one of two owned by the U.S. Navy and you can't visit it.
Thursday we went to the Los Angeles Temple
We visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Interesting exhibits throughout
Including one long gallery all about Watergate
The gravesite was outside
It was right next to Nixon's birthplace. When he was born in that house, this entire property was his parents' farm
Friday we went to the Newport Beach Temple
And watched the sunset from the beach at our campground
Saturday we went to Cabrillo National Monument. There is a national cemetery there, many of the graves were decorated with wreaths from Wreaths Across America which was the previous Saturday
Right by the visitor center we saw this cool sign
And this sign that was kind of sad
People have actually carved in the plant!
The agave in question
Agaves in bloom
A look up close.
Inside the visitor center were some pieces of armor you could try on
We even found a re-enactor in costume! (Snuck a picture...)
Outside the visitor center was a monument to Cabrillo. We think of most European explorers as on the east coast. Cabrillo was in Mexico, sailing under Spain's flag, when he came up to the San Diego area.
There is also a lighthouse there, no longer in use but you can go in and look up at the light
and the San Diego Temple (look carefully, there are two little ones in the Nativity, besides the statues...)
Today we attended the Chula Vista 3rd Ward, Chula Vista California Stake
After lunch we headed out to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site
It is staffed by missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.... and some interactive photos (which made me think of Harry Potter!)
The photos are of people who help "narrate" the story
You go room to room, learning about the Mormon Battalion's journey
You learn about how they ended up in San Diego, they were also at Sutter's Mill when gold was found, before the majority of them made it back to Utah territory
After the "tour", you can get a free, sepia-toned family photograph and go outside and learn how they made bricks to help build San Diego or panned for gold.
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