We arrived in the Port of Los Angeles (aka America’s Port) around 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 30th. Located in San Pedro Bay, the Port of Los Angeles is America’s largest port and the busiest in North America. In 2018 the port moved approximately 9.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (port speak for shipping containers – a twenty-foot equivalent is equal to one shipping container 20′ long x 8′ tall). It covers 7500 acres of land and 43 miles of waterfront, and includes passenger and cargo terminals. There’s a lot going on here, including the replenishment of our cruise ship’s supplies. During the journey from the ship to Customs (even though we began our trip in the U.S. and it’s not yet over we had to clear customs) we caught site of the many pallets of foods and other supplies being loaded onto the ship for these next few days of sailing. These pictures are a fraction of the load.
Once we made it through Customs we met up with Ken’s youngest sister, Lois, who graciously agreed to make the 90-minute one-way journey from L.A. proper to San Pedro. We spent the day at Knott’s Berry Farm. Most folks familiar with Knotts Berry Farm know that it began as a real berry farm owned by the Knotts family. Over time the family added a restaurant, stores, and small attractions to keep waiting guests entertained. One thing led to another and an amusement park was born. Here’s an interesting bit of trivia for you. In 1932 Walter Knotts was visiting his friend Rudolph Boysen. Boysen introduced Walter to a new berry he had created by cross-breeding a blackberry, a red raspberry, and a loganberry. Boysen sent Walter home with his last six plants, which Walter proceeded to cultivate at his farm and sell at a roadside stand. When people asked him what the big delicious berries were called he told them, “Boysenberries!”
Ken spent the day at Knotts Berry Farm getting his adrenaline fix for the year. If you look closely, you’ll see him in the front seat of the roller coaster that is going straight up in the air. The name of the coaster is Hang Time – just as the coaster is about to begin its descent from the top it stops. The track comes back in on itself just enough to create the illusion you are being suspended in mid-air. You get to “enjoy” this feeling for about 10 seconds before the mad rush through the flips and turns begins. He’s also in the front seat of the pink colored coaster tracks, where the operator warns you to plant your head firmly against the headrest to avoid whiplash just before the coaster shoots out of the gate like a rocket, and sends you straight up and straight down. On the Supreme Scream, he rode his car all the way to the top, just so he could experience the quick drop to the bottom!
There were also some fun historical stops. Lois is a teacher, so it was especially fun to check out the school house from the 1800s with her. Take a look at the rules for the teachers and the punishments for student’s bad behavior. Note that male teachers were allowed to court but female teachers were not; female teachers who married would be immediately dismissed; and male teachers who made the poor decision to visit a barber for a shave would have their character and integrity called into question. If you performed your duties faithfully and well you might receive a raise after THREE years.
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