Joshua Tree National Park Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Year Nine of Retirement

Year nine of retirement in 2025 was another good one, but it has become clearly evident that we are getting older. My husband had a second knee replacement and I had my first Mohs procedure for skin cancer. Despite some challenges, we still managed to have some really good times.

Time at Home

We did not do our typical winter trip to a warmer climate. Our trip last year included some pretty cold weather, so we decided to enjoy our home instead. We also had a big summer cruise planned, so time at home seemed a good idea.

January brought a nice accumulation of snow. It was lovely, but it did not last long.

Snow for year nine of Retirement — Snow came to the South

In February, we visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham. The museum highlights the city’s past and the part that it played in the Civil Rights Movement. I was familiar with a lot of the information in the museum because I grew up in the city, but I did learn a few things. It is definitely worth visiting.

There are three covered bridges in nearby Blount County and we visited them all on one warm and sunny April day. Lunch at Charlie Bs topped off the excursion.

Blount county covered bridge at year nine of retirement — Blount County Covered Bridge

Another activity when we are at home is ballroom dancing with our Vikings Dance Club. In October, our club’s dance theme was Happy Days. While at home, we managed to also attend two or three other dances. It is always fun hanging out with this group.

The most important time we spend is with family. All three of our children were together at our house in July. Sadly, one son-in-law couldn’t make it. It was wonderful seeing them all together. We saw grandchildren and great grandchildren individually, but not at the same time.

A Knee Replacement

I have always said that I did not want to spend retirement sitting on the porch, but it can be wonderful in short stretches if the weather is nice. However, we spent a lot of time on the porch and at home this year.

Year nine sitting on the porch — Sitting on the porch

My husband’s knee became very painful and, consequently, his second knee replacement was done in early June. It went well overall, but as anyone who has had it done will tell you, it was no walk in the park. The entire summer was spent rehabbing it and going to physical therapy. We also had to cancel our cruise. I am very happy to say that overall he had a great outcome and now is in much less pain and is able to be much more mobile.

Road Trip to Mississippi

A short trip to Mississippi occurred in February too, and because it was very cold, we did not take our camper. We stayed at a hotel in Jackson for a couple of nights with our pup.

The State Capitol

State Capitol buildings are an interest of ours and we have visited many of them. So, we took a tour and learned a lot about the building and how the state conducts its business. Above all, it is a gorgeous building inside and out.

Year nine at Mississippi State Capital — Mississippi State Capital

Vicksburg National Military Park

We took a day trip to nearby Vicksburg to check out the military park. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but bitterly cold. I learned so much about that portion of the Civil War.

Year nine of retirement at the Vicksburg military Memorial — Walking one of the battlefields

Big Trip of Year Nine of Retirement

Right before my husband’s knee surgery, we flew to California for a few days. The trip included three cities to visit two presidential libraries and one National Park. Because we were there in late May and early June, the weather was incredible for the entire eight days. See my post, California and Stops in Four Citiesfor additional details and photos.

The Reagan Library in Simi Valley

We flew into Burbank, rented a car, and drove to Simi Valley for our first stop. Two nights there allowed us to check out the area and to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Semi Valley is beautiful and the library is on an incredible piece of property, high on a hill overlooking a picturesque valley.

The Reagan Library Sits on a Beautiful Hill

Ronald Reagan led an extraordinary life and I learned a lot about him. The library was impressive, but the tour of an actual Air Force One was the most memorable part.

Year none of retirement at the Reagan library in Simi Valley, California — Boarding Air Force One

The Nixon Library in Yorba Linda

Yorba Linda was another really nice city and the Nixon library was very interesting and unique. The centerpiece is a beautiful rose garden with an elegant fountain. The property is a venue for weddings and such. There was a wedding taking place while we were there.

The library is on the actual property that the Nixons lived when Richard was a boy. The house is one that his father built. Additionally, Richard and Pat Nixon are buried on the property.

Joshua Tree National Park

The third stop on our trip was Twentynine Palms, California. An entrance to the Joshua National Park is nearby. The area is in the Mojave desert and the air was super dry.

The desert has its own brand of desolate beauty. The distinctive-looking Joshua trees were interspersed throughout the park. There is a high part in the park where you can see for miles and miles and right below lies the San Andreas’s fault. It was incredibly beautiful!

Though it was a desert, there were many interesting plants there and rock formations.

The area is classified as dark sky site, meaning they’re very few lights. We went back into the park to watch the sunset and to see what we could see in the dark sky. It was fun until a very large coyote walked up, just a few feet from where we were. We hightailed it back into the truck.

Retirement Year Nine Camping

Despite the knee issues, we managed to do a good bit of camping, most of it with our Southeastern camping group. Our first trip in March identified that my husband had a serious problem with his knee as he was very challenged to do even a small amount of walking.

By September, he was doing much better and we were ready to try camping again. He had to really limit his walking, but he did a great job.

We also did a solo trip in September to Gulf State Park. I think the walking he did on these camping trips helped to get his legs stronger and to make his knee more mobile.

Year nine of retirement at Gulf State Park in Alabama — Gulf State Park in September

While at Gulf State Park, we visited Spanish Fort, which is in the Mobile area. We have lived in Alabama all our lives, but neither of us had ever been there. It was a good day trip.

We were back with our group in November at Skidaway Island. We did more hiking and went on a birding walk with some friends, which was very interesting. My husband was able to do much more walking.

Our last camping trip of the year was in December at Cypress Glen with our Camping group. It was another fun trip and for the first time in the wild, we saw an armadillo. He didn’t seem to mind me taking his picture.

Year Nine of Retirement in Conclusion

So, retirement year nine was a mixture of challenges with the knee and just getting older in general for both of us. But, it was a great year because we didn’t have any major issues and had a lot of opportunities to see our family and friends. We also had some fun traveling! Looking forward to year ten!

California

California is a very large state with so many points of interest. We have previously visited a few times, but there was so much we still wanted to see.

Ultimately, we focused on visiting the Reagan and Nixon Presidential Libraries and Joshua Tree National Park, all of which were in fairly close proximity. Therefore, we obtained a rental car from Alamo and I booked hotel rooms in four cities: Simi Valley, Yorba Linda, Twentynine Palms, and Palm Springs. Obviously, this was not our typical camping trip!

Things We Considered

Our Pup

Because we were flying to California, we had to find a place that we were comfortable leaving our pup. She had a small inflamed cyst on her leg and so we ultimately chose to board her at her vet where they could administer her daily medication for it. Our vet took very good care of her.

A Rental Car

It has been several years since we have used a rental car and are now older. However, we wanted to be sure there was no issue with our age. Also, to maximize our time in the area, we wanted to pick up at one airport and drop off at another. We confirmed Alamo met our needs and the entire process went without a hitch. So we flew into Burbank and flew out of Palm Springs. One thing regarding all rental cars at Burbank Airport, it is quite a hike to get to them.

Simi Valley

Our first stop was Simi Valley, a medium-sized city about twenty-five miles from the Burbank Airport. The tech industry really took off in the city and it still is a major part of its industry today. It was very clean and the area we were in was a bit upscale. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, just a few miles from the Reagan Library.

The Reagan Library

The Reagan Library is the major attraction in Simi Valley. We have visited many presidential libraries and this was the most memorable. One outstanding aspect of it is the amazing view. It sits on a hill overlooking a breathtakingly beautiful valley. The site itself is tastefully manicured.

Reagan Library in California — Reagan Library View

Nancy’s rose garden artfully captures that gorgeous view and features a statue of her sitting on a bench.

A common feature of presidential libraries is a replica of what the Oval Office looked like during its administration. This one was attractive with a replica of the Resolute desk that had to be raised to accommodate Reagan’s long legs.

Relations with the Soviet Union were strained during the Reagan presidency and he had four summits with Mikhail Gorbachev. A significant exhibit was dedicated to those meetings. Reagan’s efforts led to an arms control agreement and, ultimately, a thawing of the Cold War.

Air Force One is the major feature at the library. This particular plane served Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. It was such a cool thing to be able to go inside.

The plane has private quarters for the president and First Lady, conference and dining areas, and areas assigned to senior staff and the press. Reagan’s favored jellybeans were also on display. It was cool to see, but everything was very dated.

Air Force One in California — Interior of the Plane

The command center was surely state-of-the-art during the time the plane was commissioned, but it looks antiquated by today’s standards.

Reagan Library In Conclusion

I’m so happy we could be there on such a beautiful day. The library was interesting and well worth the visit. Most importantly, it was wonderful to be able to step into Air Force One and take in all its history. Reagan’s presidency was in my adulthood, so I was familiar with it. However, I learned some things about his personal history. He came from humble beginnings and was a very hard worker. Reagan developed his ability to connect with people as a sportscaster and his leadership through his work in the Screen Actors Guild. I was happy to learn that he was a defender of equality and was very much against racial intolerance.

Strathearn Historical Park

There were a couple of free hours in the afternoon, so we visited nearby Strathearn Historic Park. It has buildings and memorabilia from Simi Valley’s early history. Admission is free and it was a pleasant way to spend the rest of the afternoon.

Yorba Linda

Our second stop, Yorba Linda, is a suburban city that is approximately 35 miles from Los Angeles. It was also my favorite overall stop on this trip. The city was friendly and charming. Our favorite hotel on the trip was its Ayers Suites and our best meals were also there. The restaurants were Supatras Thai Bistro and Blue Agave; both were excellent. Additionally, we had the best ice cream at Rich Farm.

The Nixon Library

The Nixon Library is the main draw to Yorba Linda. It serves also as a venue for concerts and weddings. We were there on a Saturday morning and a wedding was taking place.

Yorba Linda California — The Nixon Library

Rare for a presidential library, President Nixon and his wife, Pat, are buried on the premises. It is in a beautiful setting with the Rose Garden and and outdoor amphitheater. Not too shabby for a final resting place!

Nixon’s birthplace was on the property in the house below. His father actually constructed the house from a kit.

Nixon birthplace In California — Kit house built by Nixon’s rather

The living room in the house includes a piano. Nixon played several instruments including piano, violin, clarinet, saxophone, and accordion.

The following is a listing of the things Nixon accomplished on the domestic front. Some of these were surprising to me, in a good way. He was a complex man.

In a break with tradition, Nixon used the Wilson desk, typically used by the Vice President. Nixon actually spent eight years as Eisenhower’s V.P. There was a reproduction of how the Oval Office was during the Nixon administration.

Lastly, the scandal that occurred at the beginning of his second term was an exhibit. I liked that it was not something that was ignored.

Twentynine Palms, California

Twentynine Palms was our third stop on our California trip. It is known as the Gateway to Joshua Tree National Park because it is close to the north entrance and headquarters. The Marine Corp Air Ground Center is also a major contributor to the town’s economy. The base is the largest by size in the U.S. at 1,102 square miles. Recent troops that were sent to California were deployed from there.

The city is in the Mojave Desert and is high desert at just under 2,000 feet. During June, the humidity is around 22%. Our time there really caused issues with my sinuses and a sore throat because the environment is quite harsh.

The city has many murals, including the one below dedicated to the Desert Storm Homecoming.

Joshua Tree

Our favorite restaurant, Joshua Tree Saloon, was actually in nearby Joshua Tree, which is another small city near the National Park. The food was very good and the decor was quite eclectic.

Joshua Tree National Park

The National Park was very lovely in a desolate way. We went very early in the morning because the afternoons get so hot. It was a pleasant high 70s while we were there, but the afternoons rose to the low 90s during our visit.

The famous Joshua Trees are in the photo below. The Mormons named them that because they reminded them of Joshua raising his hands in prayer.

The beautiful desert has a variety of plants.

There were many rock formations, but this shot by my husband is my favorite.

Keys View is at the high point in the park at an elevation of over 5,000 feet. The famous San Andreas Fault lies along the bottom of the cliff. The view was stunning!

We saw lots of lizards and a couple of coyotes. There were also many kinds of birds.

We went back to the park at sunset. The area is known for especially dark skies because of its remoteness. While stargazing, we had a scare when a rather large coyote was walking just across the street from where we were parked. We hightailed it to the car and pretty much stayed there!

Palm Springs

Stop number four was just to get us near the airport to fly home. It was not our first time there, but my older eyes really appreciated the beauty of the surrounding mountains. They are so close!

We had lunch downtown and then just walked a little in the area. I love how the mountains are so upfront and personal! I also found how they trim the Palm Trees to be interesting.

Palm Springs, California — The city has very close mountains

Our last hotel was the Hampton Inn. It was very nice, reasonably priced and close to the airport. Just look at that view!

Hampton Inn in California — View from our hotel

California, In Conclusion

We try to take one big trip a year and this was it for us. We returned home to a total knee replacement for my husband, so this was a last bit of fun for awhile. I’m so glad we got to have this time in California! Check out our big trip last year on a Viking longboat, First Viking Cruise.