reagan ranch

8/18/2019 Reagan Ranch

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48 S E A S O N S

R

ancho del Cielo,

(Ranch in the Sky)

sits at an elevation of

approximately 2,300

feet, on 688 acres of remote backcountry in Santa Barbara, Cali-

fornia. 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, it’s obvious why this

magical retreat is not open to the

public. It would be several hours

later before I’d fully realize how

privileged I had been to experi-

ence it. I had traveled there in

search of a place and discovered,

instead, the soul of a man… a

man who, along the way, hap-

pened to become President of the

United States.

On first glimpse, the house ap-

pears shockingly small, and at

RANCHO DEL CIELO

Story and photography by Judy Crowell President Ronald Reagan photos courtesy ofYoung America’s Foundation

a mere 1,500 square feet, touch-

ingly intimate. An L shaped porch

fronts the 1970’s Western entry,

warm and inviting in “Nancy”

red décor, the only room whereguests were entertained. The liv-

ing 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 thisman is everywhere. In the master

bedroom, a king size bed is com-

prised 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 presi-

dential legs.

Standing in the two-person

kitchen, you’re surrounded by

1970’s 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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S E A S O N S 49


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50 S E A S O N S

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 1980’s

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 count-

less improvements he had made

himself, and answer, building the

dock and surrounding fences outof telephone poles on the original

property. An oft told story in-

volves 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

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 presi-

dential homework was completed,

he’d 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

Nancy’s 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 Eng-

lish saddle.

Stories of him assisting Secret

Service agents who would fall off

their horses while on duty are end-

less. Once he phoned a new agent,

wanting to personally welcome

him. The agent was so thrilled to

be meeting “Rawhide”, the Presi-

dent’s code name, that he came

barreling down the hill, standing

up on the stirrups…both no nos.

The horse tripped in a ditch at the

bottom of the hill, throwing the

agent over the horse’s head, land-

ing 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 dis-

mount that way?”

It was John’s sad duty, when Nancy

couldn’t bring herself to do it andAlzheimers 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, “It’s OK, John. I know.”

It struck me that the ranch and the


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S E A S O N S 51

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 Reagan’s death, and

through the contributions of

generous supporters, the ranch was

purchased by the Young America’s

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 web-

site, www.yaf.org, “Rancho del

Cielo serves as both a living his-

tory lesson and a testament to the

true character of Ronald Reagan.”

How privileged I was to walk in

his steps.

reagan ranch

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