Tuesday, April 18, 2023

LA: Friends, a Presidential Library, and the Happiest Place on Earth!

From San Diego, we drove a short distance north to Anaheim, California, and stayed at an RV Resort called Anaheim Harbor RV Park.  The best thing about Anaheim Harbor is that it is located within walking distance of Disneyland (about a 20-minute walk).  Our RV site was gravel, with a small green artificial turf area adjacent to the RV site that had a picnic table (we had one of the few sites with a grassy area and picnic table).  Our site did not have a grill or fire pit. 
The RV sites are located extremely close together and most (including ours) are located on a very narrow roadway within the park.  This was by far the most difficult backing-in we had to do into an RV site because of the narrowness of the roadway and the unfortunate parking of the travel trailer on the other side of the road from our RV site (it was way too close to the roadway).  Usually, Pat backs the RV into RV spots, but when Pat had a follow-up with his ophthalmologist that afternoon, he had his eyes dilated and couldn’t see to back up the RV.  Instead, Tim backed up the RV (only the second or third time he has done it) and it happened to be the most difficult backing-in job yet!  He did an excellent job though!

After parking and setting up the RV, Pat did some laundry while Tim caught up on emails.  Later that night, we went to dinner at Shakey’s Pizza, which was located next door to Anaheim Harbor (we hadn’t been to a Shakey’s since we were kids).  We both had individual pizzas: Pat had pepperoni and Tim had pepperoni, ham, and mushrooms.  The pizza was as we remembered it; good enough (which had been okay for us BEFORE we lived in Brooklyn #pizzasnobs)!

After dinner, we returned to the RV and were in for a treat as we could hear (very loudly) and see the fireworks show from Disneyland.  We think we were closer than the park guests.  It was a magical moment that only Disney could provide.

The day after we arrived at Anaheim Harbor, Tim took an Uber to pick up a rental car from Avis Car Rental located not too far way.  The Uber only took about 8 minutes to arrive, it was about an 8-minute ride to Avis, and the cost of the Uber was only $8 (8-8-8, that sounds lucky). 

In the afternoon, we picked up packages we had ordered from Amazon.  We also did a little grocery shopping.  That evening, we drove approximately 25 miles to Mission Viejo to have dinner at the home of our very good friends, Jack and Paul.  We have known Jack and Paul from our Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC) days in Dallas, as all four of us sang in TCC together (Paul even worked for TCC).  Tim and Jack knew each other first and met approximately 30 years ago.  All four of us had a lot of great times together in Dallas, inside and outside of TCC activities.  We reminisced about how Jack and Paul told us that the first time they appeared in public together as a couple was when they attended our Holy Union in Dallas in 1998; Jack was one of the readers at that ceremony.  Jack and Paul moved to California in 1999, but we never lost touch.  
Once we arrived at Jack and Paul’s beautiful home in Mission Viejo, Jack made special martinis for us; gave us the tour of their home; grilled salmon, corn, and potatoes; and we had cake and ice cream for dessert.  We spent hours catching up and remembering all of the fun times we had together.  We hope to see Jack and Paul again soon. 

The following day, we made our second visit to a Presidential Library.  One of the things we wanted to do while full-time RV traveling was to visit Presidential Libraries.  We want to visit as many as possible regardless of whether we like or agree with the person or their politics.  This time it was the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, his hometown.  
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum includes Nixon’s boyhood home; the Marine One helicopter used by several Presidents, including Nixon; replicas of the Oval Office and White House East Room as these were decorated when Nixon was President; and the final resting place for President Nixon and his wife, Pat.  Exhibits include information about Nixon as a child growing up in California; his service as a U.S. Representative and Senator; his Vice Presidency under Eisenhower; his tenure as President; the Watergate scandal; his resignation; and life after his resignation. 

The information on his tenure as President focused on Vietnam and the re-opening of relations with China. The information on Watergate provided a detailed chronology of what occurred before and after the Watergate break-in; Nixon’s role and attempted coverup of his role; and the fates of players in the scandal.  A plaque with Nixon’s “legacy” included that he created the Environmental Protection Agency; increased funding for cancer research; signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 into law, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs, most notably sports (this is also one of the regulations that Tim enforced during his career); signed the 26th Amendment lowering the voting age to 18; and ended the military draft for the Vietnam War.

On our last full day at Anaheim Harbor, we went to Disneyland!  Pat and Tim are both Disney fans, but Pat is truly a fanatic.  We almost didn’t get reservations because when we first tried to make our reservations the previous evening, the website stated that there were no more reservations available for the next day.  Tim kept checking throughout the night though, and finally around 11:00 p.m. the website allowed Tim to make our reservations.  
We had been to Disneyland (and Disney California Adventure) in 2019 when the Star Wars attractions first opened, but a new attraction had been added since then: Rise of the Resistance.  So, that was our priority!  We paid the extra “lightning lane” fee to skip the line for this ride, as it is one of the most popular rides and has the longest wait times. 

The other new ride for us was Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway which we got to early to avoid its long lines.  Of course, we rode our other favorites as well, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; Haunted Mansion; It’s a Small World (the entrance indicated it was a 25-minute wait, but we waited over an hour for this one); Jungle Cruise; Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run; Pirates of the Caribbean; and Splash Mountain (we did this one just before we walked back to the RV for lunch because we knew we would get a little wet – and we did).  Tim also did Star Tours (Pat doesn’t like that one).  The only ride that we both wanted to ride but didn’t was Indiana Jones Adventure because it kept breaking down and then the wait times would be crazy long.
We also watched the afternoon parade and the evening light show.  There were lots of decorations celebrating the 100th anniversary of Disney, "100 Years of Wonder," and we felt quite lucky to have been there at this special time! 

We were thrilled that we could actually walk to Disneyland from Anaheim Harbor; however, our legs and feet were so sore from walking around Disneyland all day and the four 20-minute walks we made to and from our RV to Disneyland (we walked back to the RV for lunch and a nap, then returned to Disneyland afterward).  We may need to take more breaks in the future cause we aren’t getting any younger! 

The next morning, we overslept because we were so tired and had to rush to check out of Anaheim Harbor on time at 11:00 a.m.  We might have overstayed about five minutes but soon we were on our way down the road.


Anaheim Harbor RV Park is located in Anaheim, California, literally a walk away from Disneyland (there is a shuttle bus provided by Anaheim Resort Transit that you can take from Harbor Road in front of the Anaheim Harbor RV Park if you don’t want to walk; or take an Uber or Lyft).  It is also only a few minutes away from Angels Stadium and the Honda Center (where the Anaheim Ducks play).  There are numerous restaurants and shops within walking and biking distance of Anaheim Harbor, and some a bit farther away but within driving distance.

Anaheim Harbor has 177 full hookup RV sites that can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet in length.  Many of these RV sites are for permanent residents though.  Amenities include bathroom/shower facilities; a laundry room; and a Gazebo picnic area with grills.  It is not too far from I-5, but we really couldn’t hear the traffic at night.

As stated previously, the RV sites are located extremely close together on narrow roadways.  Accordingly, it is difficult to get in and out of the RV site.  We managed it though.  And again, as stated previously, the best thing about Anaheim Harbor RV Park is that it is within walking distance to Disneyland.  We would definitely consider staying here again if we were visiting Disneyland, but we might choose a different RV site within the park if available.



1 comment:

  1. Tim and Pat, you are welcome to come back anytime!!! It was a great visit, indeed.

    ReplyDelete