We had one day to spend with our daughter Jess, and we elected to torture her by taking her someplace we’ve always wanted to go- The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.The library website mentioned “timed entry”- in other words, they only let in so many people each hour. We didn’t know when we would arrive, so we winged it- and got right in.
After an hour or so I understood why they have the timed entry. There are many interactive exhibits, and the crowds were sometimes so large, you couldn’t really access them well.
Jess surprised me by how well she did on the interactive “etiquette” quiz. She got all but one of the questions correct!
There was an area where you could sit in front of a green screen and read one of several scripts that had been read by Ronald Reagan (announcing a football game, a Presidential speech, etc) and then you could watch the finished product on a TV as if you were performing it. 
That was too crowded, but we did check out the Presidential podium, where the teleprompter was real, so you could give a speech to the crowd.Some of the exhibits brought back some vivid memories for me. The indoor Berlin wall exhibit showcased the history of the wall and East and West Germany, with film footage and a simulated wall that you could climb through. A large piece of the real wall sits outside the museum.
There was an exhibit detailing the day in 1981 When President Reagan was shot. His suit coat is on display and the television news footage from throughout that day- from the shooting to scenes from the hospital, played on nearby televisions. The docent for that area was very knowledgeable and shared even more information, describing more of the emotions that Nancy and Ronald Reagan felt during that time.
His initial words to Nancy, when they first spoke after the shooting, were “ I forgot to duck.”
A more serious quote from his diary was more indicative of his real feelings about that day “ Whatever happens now, I owe my life to God, and I will try to serve Him in every way I can”.
A temporary exhibit in the museum is dedicated to football. From autographed jerseys to signed footballs and a display of the evolution of helmets, there are a ton of artifacts.
There is a fair amount of information detailing the history of the game, with one display showing the weight difference between a pre ”forward passing” heavy football to the lighter ball that came into play after the forward pass became legal in 1906, after a particularly violent 1905, when there were 18 football fatalities nationwide.
I was surprised to see the display with two footballs, one inflated to 10.5 psi and the other to the regulation 12.5 psi. After giving it a good test, Jess wasn’t sure she could tell the difference ( and the docent was quick to point out that they have to re-inflate both balls every morning, to the correct pressure.).
There were pretty standard displays showing the Oval Office as it looked when Ronald Reagan occupied it, as well as a lot of information about Nancy (Just say No) and their lives together.
Air Force One- the actual plane- is housed in the museum as well. You can walk through it, but you can’t take pictures.
I was in my early 20s when Ronald Reagan was elected president, and he was one of my favorites. There is a reason why he was called the Great Communicator, and I was not immune to his charm.I really enjoyed the museum overall, but there were some areas that had multiple televisions blaring different messages which caused all the messages to be lost, and even with the timed entry, it was pretty crowded.
When we’d had our fill of the museum, we went back to Jess’s apartment and taught her how to play Rummikub while we waited for Kellan to be done working for the day. Once he arrived, we went to their favorite bar for some dinner and local beer.
We took an Uber to the restaurant- mine and Paul’s first time using this new form of “taxi”. It worked out really well. The car arrived less than 2 minutes after Kellan requested it.
Somewhere along the way we made the decision that it wasn’t worth going back to Havasu for just a day or two, so we decided to head to Fresno, CA by way of Yosemite National Park.
