President Ronald Reagan photos courtesy of Young Americas Foundation
ancho del Cielo,
(Ranch in the Sky) sits at an elevation of approximately 2,300 feet, on 688 acres of remote back country in Santa Barbara, California. The harrowing, often fog shrouded, 7 mile drive is laced with hairpin turns, boulders and breathtaking views of the Santa Ynez Valley and Pacific Ocean. A mile up, its obvious why this magical retreat is not open to the public. It would be several hours later before Id fully realize how privileged I had been to experience it. I had traveled there in search of a place and discovered, instead, the soul of a man a man who, along the way, happened to become President of the United States. On first glimpse, the house appears shockingly small, and at 48
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a mere 1,500 square feet, touchingly intimate. An L shaped porch
fronts the 1970s Western entry, warm and inviting in Nancy red dcor, the only room where guests were entertained. The living room was their inner sanctum, containing paintings of Western
landscapes, a gun cabinet and the
famous jellybean jar within arms reach of the couch. Only a select few were allowed. Evidence of the character of this man is everywhere. In the master bedroom, a king size bed is comprised of two twins joined. No need to buy another bed when they already had two. Mattress too short? A bench at the foot of the bed could handle the long presidential legs. Standing in the two-person kitchen, youre surrounded by 1970s Harvest Gold appliances, reminders of his days with General Electric. Perfect for whipping up a favorite macaroni and cheese. His gentle sense of humor made me smile at every turn: at the front door plaque (On this site in 1897 nothing happened), on the riding lawnmower bearing the presidential seal and on a hilarious
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poster, a spoof of Gone With The
Wind, showing him rescuing a fainting Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of England. A round leather table on the front porch is where the largest tax cut in American history, the 1980s Economic Recovery Act, was signed. When asked at the ranch what his proudest accomplishment in life was, he would look around the ranch, viewing the countless improvements he had made himself, and answer, building the dock and surrounding fences out of telephone poles on the original property. An oft told story involves a heart shaped stone at the base of a sycamore tree planted to commemorate their 25th wedding anniversary. His gift to Nancy, a canoe, dubbed the Tru Luv, was put to use that evening when he rowed her out on Lucky Lake to propose 50
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once again. She had always wanted
to be proposed to on a lake and he was every inch a romantic. Early in the mornings, after presidential homework was completed, hed climb the hill to the stables, prepare his Arabian, El Alamein, a gift from the President of Mexico, for a ride and ring the antique train bell belonging originally to Nancys father, for her to join him on the trail. Following their ride, Nancy would head back to the house to fix breakfast, while the President looked after their horses. He received many saddles as gifts, riding each one once, always English saddle. Stories of him assisting Secret Service agents who would fall off their horses while on duty are endless. Once he phoned a new agent, wanting to personally welcome him. The agent was so thrilled to
be meeting Rawhide, the Presidents code name, that he came
barreling down the hill, standing up on the stirrupsboth no nos. The horse tripped in a ditch at the bottom of the hill, throwing the agent over the horses head, landing him upright on his feet, still holding the reins. The President, impressed, turned to his agent and friend, John Barletta, and said, Say John, does he always dismount that way? It was Johns sad duty, when Nancy couldnt bring herself to do it and Alzheimers was taking its toll, to tell the President that he could no longer ride horseback safely. Displaying his lifelong empathy for others, the President turned to his agent, who was visibly distraught, put his hands on his shoulders and said, Its OK, John. I know. It struck me that the ranch and the
man were one. Both simple and
pure and good, with no room for pretense. No room for guile. No room for ego. Ronald Reagan was the same person whether with Mikhail Gorbachev, Queen Elizabeth II or a stable groom. Everyone got the same respect. More than any President in recent memory, I believe that his public and private
personas were the same. To some
with a more intellectual bent, that may have been a problem. To the many, it was his strength and the source of his becoming known as the Great Communicator. Following Reagans death, and through the contributions of generous supporters, the ranch was purchased by the Young Americas Foundation, a non-profit, non-
political organization dedicated
to promoting the conservative movement to young people, ideals embodied by the life of Ronald Reagan. As stated on their website, www.yaf.org, Rancho del Cielo serves as both a living history lesson and a testament to the true character of Ronald Reagan. How privileged I was to walk in his steps. s e a s o n s