Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library

Eleven years ago when we started our full-time RV lifestyle, in addition to seeing as much of the country as we could, we also had a handful of specific goals in mind: Get to all 50 State Capitols, visit all the Major League Baseball Parks in season, and visit each of the (then) thirteen Presidential Libraries. For every president since Herbert Hoover, presidential libraries have been established in each president's home state in which documents, artifacts, gifts of state and museum exhibits are maintained that relate to the former president's life and career, both political and professional.

During our month long stay in San Diego in April 2018, we took the time to visit the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library.

Dan and I know we are not going to agree with all our past presidents, and indeed, in some cases we have deep philosophical differences. On occasion we’ve have had to put aside very strong personal objections in order to carry through with our visit. Of course, this begs the question, then why would we bother? In a word, history. As George Bernard Shaw once said, “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must (we) be of learning from experience.”

Richard Milhouse Nixon most certainly falls into this category. He was the 37^th president of the United States from 1969 until his resignation in 1974, the only president to resign from office. His tenure in office was fraught with controversy and strife, and had he not resigned over the Watergate scandal, he almost certainly would have been impeached. He was president during a turbulent time in this country, dealing with the Vietnam war, civil rights issues, the energy crisis, and diplomatic relations abroad.

If one can set aside the obvious flaws in, and the downfall of his presidency, there were some notable accomplishments during his administration worth mentioning. Nixon ended American involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1973 and brought the American POWs home; he ended the military draft; his visit to China in 1972 eventually led to diplomatic relations between the two nations; he initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; he enforced desegregation of Southern schools; he established the Environmental Protection Agency; he was in office during, and presided over, the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is located in Yorba Linda, California on land that his family once owned. The 9-acre campus incorporates the Richard Nixon Birthplace, and was where he spent his childhood, as well as the museum complex. During our visit, in addition to exploring the museum, we were able to tour the tiny house where he was born and raised, and step inside the VH-3A “Sea King” helicopter, which is on permanent display on the grounds.