Last week's drive down to Southern California

I didn't take that many photos of the trip, but I want to share these with you.  We stopped for lunch in the college town of San Luis Obispo, which this book says is one of the happiest places on earth.  While my wife went clothes shopping, I hung out on the sidewalk and spotted this very tall Delica with British Columbia plates.  These Delicas are so rare, I remember every one I have seen in the States.  I saw my first one in Napa, then in Portland, then Oakland, and this one in SLO.

We then stopped in Santa Barbara because I wanted to show my wife the mission there.  In the 1700s and 1800s, the Spanish and the Mexicans built 21 missions in Alta California to convert and house Indians.  They were each a day's walk from the next mission.  Santa Barbara is arguably the grandest and most beautiful of them all.

Finally, we have this picture from my hometown of Irvine.  We visited a friend and I noticed his neighbor owns an Audi A8L.  Thus, this picture.

Mercedes 600 And Mission Santa Barbara

I am proud to say that many fans of the International M-100 Group also frequent this blog. No picture better epitomizes this blog (other than the Ferrari 612s in Xinjiang) than this Mercedes 600 parked in front of Mission Santa Barbara.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Santa Clara de Asis (Santa Clara)

Santa Clara de Asis
Founded January 12, 1777 (8th mission)

After a seven month hiatus, I finally visited Santa Clara, my last mission. It's on the campus of Santa Clara University, an obviously Catholic school. I got lost going there and was a bit flustered when I got there. The cross in the foreground of the picture above actually has a piece of the original cross from the mission inside a little clear plastic box. The mission was unremarkable but the campus was beautiful.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Diego (San Diego)

San Diego
Founded July 16, 1769 (1st mission)

The first mission ever built in Alta California was the 20th mission I visited. Aside from the facade and its claim to being the first mission, there was not much else to it. I did find the flags on display-- American, Spanish, Mexican, and Californian-- to be noteworthy.

San Diego ended my four-day, 20-mission trek down California. I returned home the next day. I would not see the 21st and last mission, Santa Clara, for another seven months.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Luis Rey (Oceanside)

San Luis Rey
Founded June 13, 1798 (18th mission)

Prior to planning for this trip, I never knew there was a mission in Oceanside. This mission was very clean, perhaps even sterile. It didn't look like a California mission. It felt like it belonged somewhere in the Caribbean. There were a lot of visitors, but not much to see. I wonder if they are disappointed like me.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Juan Capistrano (San Juan Capistrano)

San Juan Capistrano
Founded November 1, 1776 (7th mission)

At the end of Day 3 of my odyssey, I crashed at my grandmother's place. After a big breakfast on the morning of Day 4, I headed further south to San Juan Capistrano.

This was just a few months after 9/11. Next to some scaffolding, a huge American flag draped over the ruins of the old church. The juxtaposition of it all was, to put it bluntly, a bit absurd and disrespectful.

The highlight here are the grounds. The maintenance crew has done an incredible job of taking care of the trees, flowers, and shrubbery.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel)

San Gabriel Arcangel
Founded September 8, 1771 (4th mission)

It's late afternoon, smoggy, and 99 degrees. After battling more traffic, I arrive at San Gabriel. It definitely looked rougher than San Fernando, but it had a lot more character. The people who restored this mission appeared to try to cram as much history and artifacts onto the grounds as possible. It verged on cluttered. The highlight was the hole in which the people made soap and tallow.


CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana (Los Angeles)

San Fernando Rey de Espana
Founded September 8, 1797 (17th mission)

It's 1:25 p.m. on my third day. I'm officially in L.A. and I'm stuck in a traffic jam. I arrive at the San Fernando mission to find a very plasticky, Southern California mission. Manicured lawns, palm trees, and a facade and roof that looked identical to the thousands of tract homes in southern Orange County. There was no character at all. It was a rip-off at four dollars (for the entrance fee).

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Buenaventura (Ventura)

Buenaventura
Founded March 31, 1782 (9th mission)

This is a disgrace to missions. There was nothing except a church and a gift shop in a strip mall. Yuck.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara)

Santa Barbara
Founded December 4, 1786 (10th mission)

The Queen of the Missions! Aside from the remarkable and grandiose facade, the rest of the mission was mediocre. The parking lot was jammed with taxis, buses, and cars full of tourists. It is in stark contrast to the serenity of Purisima.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Santa Ines (Solvang)

Santa Ines
Founded September 17, 1804 (19th mission)

My marathon continues. Mission Santa Ines is about twenty miles east of Purisima, just on the other side of Highway 101. It was extremely dull. Check out the Danish themed town of Solvang nearby if you want amusement.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Purisima Concepcion (Lompoc)

Purisima Concepcion
Founded December 8, 1787 (11th mission)

This is, by far, my favorite mission. The remote location adds to its feel of authenticity. Livestock like horses, pigs, and sheep add to the realism. There's even a Native American wigwam! I climbed inside and found it quite spacious. The main complex had quarters for soldiers, a blacksmith shop, a church, etc. An amazing experience...for only two bucks.

CKY

California Missions Tour (Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (San Luis Obispo)

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Founded September 1, 1772 (5th mission)

This may be the most bland mission of them all. The town, which is akin to a small town in the Pacific Northwest with Southern California weather, was much more interesting.

After walking the grounds, I hopped back in my car and drove briefly to Pismo Beach. I ended the day (Day 2) watching the sun set at a restaurant on a cliff top.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Miguel Arcangel (San Miguel)

San Miguel Arcangel
Founded July 25, 1797 (16th mission)

As I drove to San Miguel, the temperature rose. The foggy and drizzly weather from yesterday was quickly forgotten. The mission is located at the end of a run down, dilapidated town.

The mission itself was quite nice. It had plenty of artifacts, including olive presses and a cannon. There were no ropes, metals bars, or plexiglass to separate the visitors from the exhibits.

Cracks from earthquakes over the years

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Antonio de Padua (Fort Hunter Liggett)

San Antonio de Padua
Founded July 14, 1771 (3rd mission)

Mission San Antonio is the most remote of the missions. It is located inside Fort Hunter Liggett, a military base. After driving approximately thirty miles through some desolate and beautiful country, I arrive at a checkpoint manned by two soldiers toting M-16s. I got a big pink pass and placed it on my dashboard. As I enter the base, there is a traffic sign warning me of tank crossings.

Mission San Antonio is worth the trip. It is well restored and not spoiled by nearby development. It has lots of cool period artifacts, including an wooden ox cart axle and wine barrels in a cellar.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (Soledad)

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad
Founded October 9, 1791 (13th mission)

The Soledad mission was hard to find. It was in the middle of rich farmland, worked by Latino immigrants. There was so much dirt and mud on the road, it was hard to distinguish where the pavement ended and where the fields began.

Aside from the clucking chickens in the mission's front lawn, the area is serenely quiet. Soledad is quite an apropos name. I met an older couple in a Buick who was also visiting all of the missions. The lady was so friendly (and bored?) that she ran over to me in my car to give me tips on the best route to the next mission, along with good restaurants for lunch.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (Carmel)

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
Founded June 3, 1770 (2nd mission)

The Carmel mission is, without a doubt, the most aesthetically pleasing of the Alta California missions. The amount of resources spent on restoring and maintaining this complex is obvious. A couple of busloads of children were visiting the mission when I arrived. The interior was jam packed with people and soured my experience.

Father Junipero Serra is buried here. The picture above is a reenactment of his death scene. Morbid.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Juan Bautista (San Juan Bautista)

San Juan Bautista
Founded June 24, 1797 (15th mission)

The drive from Santa Cruz to San Juan Bautista was fantastic. I took the Pacific Coast Highway down to Watsonville, then crossed Highway 101 via 129 and 156. The route was filled with farmland, interspersed with rolling hills. Because I started so early, I arrived before the museum opened. The mission sits on top of a fair amount of land and is located smack dab in the middle of town. San Juan Bautista has the feel of a small, tourist-free town in Hawaii. The pace is very slow. Even when I had a stop sign, local motorists who had the right-of-way waved me through.

The mission faces several colonial-styled buildings, giving the whole place an old-timey feel. As I left, I almost ran over an errant rooster crossing the road, just like on Kauai.

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz)

Santa Cruz
Founded August 28, 1791 (12th mission)

Early on the morning of Day Two, I set off for Santa Cruz. The drive down Highway 17, against the flow of traffic, was terrific. It was a cool, overcast day. The mission is set in a residential neighborhood with a school next door. I did not go inside because mass was taking place. The Catholics go to church a lot!

CKY

California Missions Tour: Mission San Jose (Fremont)

San Jose
Founded June 11, 1797 (14th mission)

Contrary to popular belief, Mission San Jose is not in the city of San Jose. Rather, it is in nearby Fremont. It took me a while to get there because of the rush hour traffic on the surface streets. This will have to be my last mission for Day One. It was rather mundane and not at all exciting. It has the obligatory museum, gift shop, and a cemetery as well.

CKY