Note: occasionally, plaques are temporarily removed for cleaning or maintenance. If you find this to be true, check the Owner Maint logs for a posted photo, as I will do this as soon as I am aware of a missing plaque. If there is no photo, then send me a message and I will get that photo to you as soon as I can!
- Audio Tour - if you are a smartphone user, bring your earbuds and access the YouTube file to enjoy a special audio/visual tour of your visit, using the Map and Info document or Waypoints for navigation.
- Self-guided Tour - Using the Map and Info document, follow the marked path around the grounds, while reading the Self-Guided Tour Script, or
- Geo-Tour - Beeline it to the 6 Waypoints, with the posted coordinates being Waypoint #1.
For Map and Info document, click here (ALERT: see Disclaimer below*)
For YouTube file, click here (ALERT: see Disclaimer below*)
*DISCLAIMER: You are about to download a file that contains further details needed to find this geocache. As the cache owner, I represent that this file is safe to download, although it has not been checked by Groundspeak or by the reviewer for possible malicious content. Download this file at your own risk.
Secret Word
At each stop along the tour, you will be gathering TWO letters of the alphabet to help fulfill your first of two logging requirements. Please take care in recording the letters at each stop. (There is a handy worksheet in the Map and Info document.) You may wish to snap photos, in case you need to double-check your work while completing this logging requirement at the end of the tour. Of course, these spoiler photos should never be posted!
Logging Requirements (sorry, but entries not meeting both requirements will be deleted)
1. Email me the secret word, AND
2. Email or post in your log a photo of you (face not required) at your favorite spot on the grounds, without revealing any spoilers of the secret word.
Preparation before heading to the Library
1. The main gate opens at 7am daily. Museum hours are 10am-5pm seven days a week**. (CO Note: I have hiked up Presidential Drive and walked onto campus many times after 5pm and have never been stopped or asked to leave, but I highly recommend doing this cache during regular business hours and definitely during daylight.)
2. Bring something to write with and on (Map and Info document is perfect for this!)
3. Bookmark the YouTube file on your smartphone, if you plan to listen to the special audio/visual tour as you cache. And don't forget your earbuds, so as not to disturb other guests!
4. There are plenty of things to spend money on at the Reagan Library, but this cache is not one of them! Parking is free, as is strolling the grounds. During museum hours, you can enter the lobby to use the rest rooms and the water fountain, but if you otherwise want to grab a bite to eat, tour the museum, or shop in the gift store, come prepared!
5. Pets are not allowed on campus, nor are backpacks, fanny packs, large purses, book bags, etc.
6. All areas for this cache are wheelchair accessible.
7. More visitor information can be found at the Reagan Library website.
**Exceptions: Christmas Eve Hours: 10 am - 3 pm. CLOSED: New Year´s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Self-Guided Tour Script
Waypoint #1 (Ground Zero) – Welcome to the Reagan Library, a true gem of Simi Valley! Whether this is your first trip to the Library or not, I hope you learn or see something new today, as you walk the grounds of this beautiful campus. Our first stop on today’s walking tour is this beautiful sculpture by Donald L. Reed, of President Reagan on his beloved horse, El Alamein. El Alamein was a gift from Mexican President José López Portillo in 1981. A thoroughbred-Arabian cross, El Alamein stood 16 hands tall and was reportedly trained in Mexico to come out of his stall standing on his hind legs. Although El Alamein was ornery and sassy, President Reagan was quite fond of his spirited white horse and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of riding him. As Reagan’s Alzheimer’s progressed, he had to give up riding this feisty white stallion. El Alamein was retired to pasture at the Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic, where he spent the remainder of his days.
#1 For the secret word, there is a couple listed as the last Benefactor on the plaque, NOT the last Patron. Record the first letter of each of their first names.
As you turn your back to the statue, you will see a set of stairs in front of you, near a bright yellow fire hydrant. Head up the right-hand stairway, making a sharp left u-turn at the top of the stairs. From there, you will see a statue of President Reagan. (Wheelchair access to this statue is available by returning via the fire road from which you came and making a right-hand u-turn after you pass the three flag poles. From there, you should see the statue of Reagan at the back of the Rose Garden.)
Waypoint #2 – You are now in front of a statue of President Reagan overlooking a three-quarter replica of the White House Rose Garden. The White House Rose Garden was once a formal flower garden, but it was eventually converted to a broad lawn surrounded by flower and shrub plantings so that presidents could hold press conferences out in the sunny, open area with the West Wing colonnade as a backdrop. In 1985, the U. S. Senate passed a resolution asking the president to declare the rose as the national floral emblem. On November 20th, 1986, President Reagan signed a proclamation certifying the rose as the national flower in a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden.
#2 For the secret word, on the wall behind this statue, to the far right near the stairway, there is a plaque mounted by the California State Society DAR. Record the two initials shown in the middle of the State Regent’s name.
As you turn your back to the DAR plaque, walk towards the 3 flagpoles and continue past the Library's Main Entrance towards the parking lot. As you pass by the Main Entrance, make sure to take in the breathtaking views to the east. See if you can spot the locally famous Simi Cross on Mt. McCoy, another wonderful place to hike in Simi and accessible on foot from the utility road off Presidential Drive.
Waypoint #3 – Welcome to Gipper’s Grove. Before you is a grove of Crepe Myrtle trees, each of which was a gift to President and Nancy Reagan, as part of a fund raising project. The following is a clip from President Reagan's remarks to students at Moscow State University on May 31, 1988: "Like a tree growing strong through the seasons, rooted in the earth and drawing life from the sun, so, too, positive change must be rooted in traditional values."
#3 For the secret word, on this plaque, there are two donors named Gerald, but only one is listed on the SAME LINE with his wife. Write down his wife’s initials, first and last name.
Waypoint #4 – You are now at the Reagan's Memorial Site, which looks out toward the Pacific Ocean, on the western portion of campus and adjacent to the replica of the White House South Lawn. Following his passing on June 5, 2004, President Reagan was laid to rest at this site. Nearly 12 years later, Mrs. Reagan passed on March 6, 2016, and was laid to rest next to her husband. Each February 6th since 2005, on the anniversary of President Reagan’s birth, the Reagan Library hosts a celebration of his life at this site, where U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton places a wreath on President Reagan’s gravesite. The program also includes patriotic music by the military band and a 21-gun salute.
#4 For the secret word, there is a quote at the site, engraved in granite. Write down the first letter of the last word on the first line. Write down the last letter of the third word on the second line.
As you leave the Memorial Site, turn north on the path approaching the replica of the White House South Lawn, with its large circular path. Turning left onto the circle, walk the path, enjoying the stunning views of the valley to your left. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean.
Waypoint #5 – You are now looking at an F-14A Tomcat, depicting the fighter jets from the Black Ace Squadron. This fighter jet was involved in the August 19, 1981 Gulf of Sidra incident, where two Libyan Su-22 fighter-bomber planes fired upon and were subsequently shot down by two American F-14 Tomcats off the Libyan coast.
#5 For the secret word, there is a plaque crediting Bradford M. Freeman. There are 4 words on the first line. Record the second letter of the last word. There are 3 words on the second line. Record the second letter of the second word.
Waypoint #6 – You are now looking at an actual piece of the Berlin Wall, an iconic symbol of the Cold War, which came to stand for the profound division between communism and democracy. Construction of the wall began on August 13, 1961. President Reagan took on the enormous challenge of bringing down the “Iron Curtain”. In 1987, he gave his famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate, where he challenged General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
This virtual rewards cache is being published on November 9th, in tribute to the anniversary of the momentous day, November 9th, 1989, that demolition of the Berlin Wall began.
#6 For the secret word , there is a single, small plaque in front of the Wall. Write down the first and last letters of the second word.
Alphabetize the 12 letters you have written down. Cross out every other letter, beginning with crossing out the 2nd letter on your list. Unscramble the remaining 6 letters to reveal the secret word.
As you look at the section of the Wall, the Ruwe Terrace is off to your right, where you may sit, relax and enjoy the view while you compile your first logging requirement.
I hope you have enjoyed this walking tour of the Reagan Library campus as much as I enjoyed creating it. Special thanks to Groundspeak for releasing these limited edition virtual rewards caches. Enjoy the rest of your day and cache on!
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog