Hail to the chief

Before leaving San Luis Obispo this morning, I just had to get my groupie mobile washed. It was a mess from the rain in Oregon, a couple of muddy roads in Northern California and not to mention the dust I just seemed to pick up yesterday. I ended up going to the same car wash I went to the last time I was in town... Sunset North Car Wash. It's one of those typical hand wash places, but they're fast and do a great job at a fair price. Fifteen minutes later, my Blazer looked great!

I was in the homestretch and due to arrive in the Los Angeles area today. But, before I made the drive south, I had to take a little side trip to a radio station in Bakersfield. You see, back in September, I bid on a couple of items in their charity auction...a guitar and a poster, both autographed by John Ondrasik. Happy to support a good cause, I placed my bids and ended up winning both items. Rather than go through the hassle of having the items shipped, I arranged to pick them up during my planned road trip. I stopped by Kelly 95.3 this morning, and received my auction prizes. The guitar was especially nice...a pretty blue acoustic. While I was waiting in the lobby, I noticed there was writing on the sofa there. I soon realized they were autographs of musical artists who had visited the station. Scanning the signatures...yes, there's John's Hancock! He signed his name with the note, "I Got Your Back!" Why? The autograph was located on the inside seat back...funny! While I was there, I asked if I could have a couple of Kelly window stickers. The one on the back window of my groupie mobile was holding up pretty well, but I would want to eventually replace it. The nice radio station guy gave me FOUR! Before I left town, I had my first meal of the day...and my first In-N-Out Burger of my road trip. Tasted great, and SO much better than Five Guys' greasy food!

My task complete, I headed south to Simi Valley and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. I love museums, and I heard this was a good one. When I got there, I was a bit surprised to find that they had a polling place set up there for Election Day. On the other hand, it was only fitting...I mean, why not? After looking at a replica of Reagan's White House Oval Office, I headed into the large pavilion holding an Air Force One Boeing 707. In the same building, there was also a special motorcycle exhibit, with vintage and movie motorcycles. The high point of my visit was seeing a model miniature White House, complete with tiny rooms with equally tiny furniture and objects. The photo above is the visitor's entrance to the White House...looks real, huh?

Well, tomorrow I'm planning to spend the morning playing tourist in Hollywood. Then, I'll be attending a taping of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I did the show last year, and it was awesome! Hoping to get a seat up front this time, though!