Long Beach Area Council Boy Scouts of America Presents: Family Adventure Day II – May 15, 2021 Family Adventure Day Guide Welcome to Family Adventure Day II- a day for your family or Den or Patrol to get out and visit many fun and interesting locations in the Port of Los Angeles. We have curated many outings nearby that can be visited for no or low cost and we encourage you to join us on May 15 for an on-your-own tour of some of our region’s highlights! Some you may have visited before; others may be new- but they are all worth a stop. Go to one, go to three, try and go to them all- it is totally up to you. We just want you to have a Big Family Adventure! How it works: in the following pages you will find some maps of the stops, a general description of each and what you might find there. Plus, some helpful hints to assist in finding your way. On our Council’s event webpage, you will find an interactive map with links to videos of Scouts enjoying many of the outings and taking you on a virtual tour of the stop. Current Covid-19 rules will apply- wear a mask when required, social distance, stay home if you are not feeling well or have a temperature. Follow current Scout regulations on May 15. At the end of the day: from 2 – 4 pm, you may end your tour at our BSA Service Center, 401 E. 37th St. Long Beach. Pull in the parking lot and check in. Tell us how many stops you made, and you will receive an opportunity drawing ticket for each one. Fabulous Scout prizes will be awarded, including a new tent. A custom-designed bag of Saltwater Taffy also awaits you, as well as your 2021 Family Adventure Day Patch. Oh, and a bathroom. So, come on down! You may start the day anytime that is convenient for you, but some of the stops have limited hours- check out the descriptions very closely. Pay particular attention to the Marine Mammal Care Center as there are special times for Scouts only and they need to be reserved- you may not just show up there and hope to get inside. A big Thank You to Troop 65 Scouts and families for suggesting the outings, trying them out before the event, and creating videos to showcase what can be found at many of them. Also, for hosting the closing ceremony complete with Saltwater Taffy and prizes! San Pedro is an older city with narrow streets more suited for the cars and traffic of yesteryear, plus has lots of train and truck traffic along the waterfront. And yet it is a modern bustling metropolis! Drivers- please use extra caution and passengers- enjoy the stunning views! Great Dining suggestions are included in Appendix. Show your LBAC pride! Class “A” uniforms would be a great way to market Scouting. Smile and thank the volunteers staffing the many stops. While this may seem like a lot of stops, many of them are only minutes apart, sometimes within easy walking distance. And it’s about half of what we found! Just do what you can, plan your own Adventure from the list. What would YOUR family like to see? Go and do it! We will see you across the bridges! Bob Colley Vice President of Program - LBAC BSA Outing Descriptions [Note: these locations are not listed in any suggested order- travel to them in an order that best makes sense for you and where you are coming from. We are not recommending an order of visit. A map showing all the stops is available on the Council website for planning purposes.] Donut Shops- This may be the best way to start your Adventure- with a donut! Carson & Cherry, Long Beach Blvd & Roosevelt [Long Beach], Bellflower Blvd & Arkansas Street [Bellflower] have stands with a large donut stuck on the roof. Anywhere is fine (in your own neighborhood at your local shop is great) but BUY A DONUT! Enjoy a chocolate glazed twist with a carton of ice-cold chocolate milk. Or your choice- a maple bar, regular glazed, sprinkles, how about a freshly baked croissant? Treat your family to a warm donut. The NEW Bridge- Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge- Long Beach to Terminal Island This may be the best way to get to San Pedro, it’s certainly the most picturesque! Drive over the bridge! The previous Gerald Desmond Bridge was a vital part of the country's trade infrastructure, with 15 percent of the nation's imported waterborne cargo trucked over it. In addition, it was a critical access route for commuters between the Port of Long Beach, downtown Long Beach and surrounding communities. Built in the 1960s and in need of replacement, the old bridge was not designed to accommodate today’s larger cargo ships or the dramatic increase in trucking traffic that came with the growth of the Port. The Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project spans the Port of Long Beach’s Back Channel with a deck rising 205 feet above the water. The sleek, cable-stayed bridge includes additional traffic lanes, a higher clearance to accommodate larger cargo ships, and a dedicated bicycle path and pedestrian walkway, including scenic overlooks (The Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle and Pedestrian Path with three scenic overlooks). With two towers reaching 515 feet into the sky, it will be the second-tallest cable- stayed bridge in the United States. Its design reminds one of a tall sailing ship. The Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project was a joint effort of Caltrans and the Port of Long Beach, with funding contributions from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). You may access the bridge quite simply by driving west on Ocean Avenue in Downtown Long Beach towards San Pedro. Alternatively, from the Long Beach Freeway stay in the two right lanes designated as 710 fwy Terminal Island and you will wind up on the bridge. Enjoy the views! Japanese Fishing Village Memorial – Terminal Island Farewell to Manzanar. This historical site was the location of a Japanese-populated fishing village prior to the onset of World War II. In 1941, 3,000 first and second-generation Japanese made their homes in an area of Terminal Island known as East San Pedro. The Japanese Fishing Village was next to Fish Harbor. Most of the local residents worked in the fishing industry. Approximately 250 fishing boats were owned and/or operated by the residents. Most of the local people that were not working on the boats were employed in the many fish canneries that were clustered together on Terminal Island. Because Terminal Island was somewhat isolated, the Terminal Islanders developed their own culture and even their own dialect. The people called their close community village “Furusato” which translated literally means “old village”. An English equivalent would be “hometown”, “native place” or “home sweet home”. In February of 1942, Terminal Island residents were the first Japanese Americans on the West Coast to be forcibly removed from their homes. They were forced to evacuate their homes within 48 hours and had to leave almost all their possessions behind including all their fishing boats and fishing gear. Some were able to sell their furniture, fishing gear, boats, and other items. Since the residents only had 48 hours to complete the transactions, they were often forced to sell at ridiculously low prices by greedy individuals taking advantage of the desperate situation. Note: The luxurious Resort-appearing area across the channel is the Terminal Island Prison. 10 minutes average visitation time at this site. Ample parking is available. Enjoy the water vistas. Be aware of the port traffic while driving and the STOP signs painted on the streets (Terminal Way). Access is between the two bridges from the Ferry Street Exit. Follow your GPS map towards the site. City signs are in place as you get closer. When finished, simply double back. Take the 47 SOUTH onramp (not the NORTH ramp which seems more intuitive) to continue onto the Vincent Thomas Bridge and into San Pedro. 47 NORTH goes to Long Beach. Vincent Thomas Bridge- Terminal Island to San Pedro So, you need to traverse two bridges to get to San Pedro. What fun! And the views are spectacular of two of the world’s greatest Ports- Long Beach and Los Angles! Double back to Ferry Street and use the 47 South onramp to access the bridge. The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a 1,500-foot-long (460 m) suspension bridge crossing the Los Angeles Harbor, linking Terminal Island with San Pedro. It is the only suspension bridge in the Greater Los Angeles area. The bridge is part of State Route 47, which is also known as the Seaside Freeway. The bridge opened in 1963 and is named for California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San Pedro, who championed its construction. It was the first welded suspension bridge in the United States and is now the fourth-longest suspension bridge in California and the 76th-longest span in the world. The clear height of the navigation channel is approximately 185 feet (56 m); it is the only suspension bridge in the world supported entirely on piles. Enjoy the magnificent views! When the bridge opened in 1963, the toll was 25 cents in each direction, with the toll plaza on the Terminal Island side. In 1983, the toll increased to 50 cents for westbound traffic but became free for eastbound traffic.