Nixon Presidential Library

On Feb 13th we left the San Diego area and headed for Long Beach where we checked in to the Sea Breeze Navy campground Seal Beach.

Traveling north on I-5, we stopped for gas and propane at Marine Corp Camp Pendleton.

 The campground is very well maintained with concrete campsites and full hookups.  Within the base is also a wildlife refuge.  We spotted this heron wandering around the camp laundry.

 After getting some chores and shopping done, we paid a visit to Rev. and Mrs Pyong Lee.  Rev. Lee was one of  the founding pastors for the Korean Omaha Assembly of God. They are are retired now living at the Long Beach Leisure World retirement community.   

We had a nice visit, a dinner and an evening walk on the Seal Beach pier.

The next day we traveled a few miles north to Yorba Linda to visit the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.  Although surrounded by residential neighborhoods the grounds are beautifully designed and maintained.

Some school children enjoyed the Oval Office replica.

 There were many momentous events which occurred during the Nixon presidency. The POWs returned home.

 There was the first moon landing.

 Nixon's opening of diplomatic relations and visit to China was probably his most important foreign policy achievement. Apparently, Ina also visited China with the Nixons!

 Nixon was very studious and hard working.  He was constantly writing notes on events issues. He reportedly went through thousands of these yellow legal pads in his lifetime.

The ending of the Vietnam war was probably the key event facilitating Nixon's landslide re-election in 1972.

No other candidate has won by such a large margin winning 49 states losing only Mass.

Stunning victories were followed by the depressing Watergate break-in, cover-up, and Nixon's resignation.

In the years that followed, Nixon expressed regret for his mistakes and surprisingly became a valued advisor to presidents Reagan and Clinton.

 

 Although Nixon's western "white house" was at San Clemente; the library was located in Yorba Linda because this was the site of Nixon's birthplace.  His childhood home was built by his father in 1912.  The house is original and has never been moved or modified. 

 

The house is very small by today's standards.0

With no indoor plumbing, Water was heated and poured in the bath tub  located in a room off the kitchen.

The helicopter used for Nixon's final flight from the White House on the day of his resignation is on display.  We toured the aircraft, but photos were not allowed inside the aircraft.

 President and Mrs Nixon are both buried on the library grounds.

I noticed a number of Theodore Roosevelt quotations posted throughout the museum.  Apparently Nixon loved many of Roosevelt's speeches.