We visited thirteen historic California Missions over four days (among other attractions along El Camino Real (The King’s Highway) and California’s Highway 101.
HOME! #mkMissions … 988 miles (588 since SJ Capistrano), 13 Missions, 12 counties, and ~67 statues of Fr Junipero Serra !!
— David Keller (@dhkeller) June 15, 2013
Twitter updates and the official Storify archive are available after the break, or you can read the #mkMission Twitter hashtag or the Storify page itself.
Follow along up-to-the-minute on Twitter, or via periodic updates to Storify and this blog entry. Enjoy!
Storify will display things chronologically, also showing our plans for each day beforehand:
Our Mission: Missions!
Visiting thirteen historic California Missions over four days. Follow along up-to-the-minute on Twitter, or via periodic update to this Story. Enjoy!
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If you were coming to the SJ Library WG Branch to check out their *only* book on California Missions, I just beat you to it. #mkMissions
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Post: This Week’s Mission: Missions bit.ly/13yh2GX
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Day Zero: Monday, June 10, 2013Driving I-5 from San Jose to Orange County
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Kettleman City. Early contenders for ‘Strangest Sight’ are huge engine block and the massive underground water tank, both on tiny flatbeds.
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Long Beach (mile 350) cruising the PCH (Hwy 1) down to San Juan Capistrano. Maybe dinner soon. #mkMissions
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Dinner at ‘The Hangout’ in/on Seal Beach, in time for the sunset.
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I-5 for today: New Counties for #9yoF: Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Kern. Only Kings (?) and def Kern are new for #14yoJ. #mkMissions
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IIRC, last time I drove I-5 to LA was in a bus. Yes, I drove a Bus! I was driving it for a YMCA Beach Caravan Camp in 1995. #mkMissions
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Day One: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 … The “Urban Missions” of Los Angeles
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#mkMissions Starting off bright and early: Mission #1: San Juan Capistrano (established 7th overall, 11/1/1776) missionsjc.com
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Visitor Info & Tickets | Mission San Juan Capistrano
Visit Mission San Juan Capistrano historic landmark and museum. The whole family will enjoy budget-friendly activities, experiencing cult… -
Reading how namesake St John of Capistrano was the “Soldier Saint” who lead battles against the Ottomans in 1400s. Small world. #mkMissions
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We’ve been joined by first school field trip group #mkMissions … Does the elementary school across the street take the bus here?
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Congratulations graduates of Serra HS in SJ Capistrano (the public high school down the street, not same-name private one next to that)
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Mission Bells – San Juan Capistrano #mkMissions
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Lunch in San Gabriel at Los Tacos … “World’s Greatest Soft Tacos” (says so right on the awning), then the Mission. #mkMissions
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#mkMissions Rolling along … Mission #2: San Gabriel Arcangel (established 4th overall on Sept 8, 1771) bit.ly/12jOfIb
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2013 seems to mark the 100th Anniversary of the city of San Gabriel, along with 300th birthday of Fr Junipero Serra #mkMissions
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San Gabriel Mission Church
Thank you to Ramona Museum of California History in San Gabriel for co-sponsoring the contest and the many monetary prizes! Nativity Elem… -
Mission San Gabriel was the western end of the Old Spanish Trail for emigrants leaving Santa Fe, an alternate to Donner Pass. Small world.
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Mission Bells – San Gabriel Arcangel #mkMissions
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#mkMissions In today’s LA traffic, missions would be closer together … #3: San Fernando Rey (17th, est 9/8/1797) goo.gl/rUQgB
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Mission San Fernando Rey de España – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mission San Fernando Rey de España is a Spanish mission in the Mission Hills district of Los Angeles, California. The mission was founded… -
Mission Bell – San Fernando Rey de Espana #mkMissions
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Todays #mkMissions complete. Warm humid day, might say “earthquake weather” … Like on Dec 8 1812, which impacted all three we saw today.
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Santa Monica Pier & Beach. (there’s a mission around here somewhere, isn’t there? ;-p) #mkMissions
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Took a bit of a sprint to guarantee our arrival before sunset, but we made it! Buenaventura Beach #mkMissions
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Sunset in Ventura (and a new county for both) #mkMissions
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Day Two: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 … The “Beach Trip” became the “Chumash Missions.”
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#mkMissions Day 2 …”Beach Trip” … San Buenaventura, Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, with a Danish interlude in Solvang.
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Mission San Buenaventura opens at 10, so we’re soaking in beach town morning drizzle watching some surfers, before heading over. #mkMissions
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#mkMissions Why did we drop the “good” from “good fortune”? … #4: San Buenaventura (est 9th, 3/31/1782) bit.ly/SAPMPa
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Mission Bells – San Buenaventura #mkMissions
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San Buenaventura gets TWO ‘Missions Bells’ photos because it was the only mission to also have wooden bells #mkMissions
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Wooden Mission Bells – Mission San Buenaventura #mkMissions
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Downtown Ventura wifi to the recue! All pictures taken yesterday have been upload to Flickr. And now we’re off to Santa Barbara #mkMissions
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Santa Barbara (new County for Girls). Still overcast, but fun to follow historic El Camino Real Hwy 101 bells from Ventura. #mkMissions
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#mkMissions Our first nod to a female saint … #5: Santa Barbara (our 5th this week, est 10th overall, Dec 4, 1786) bit.ly/11HzQn1
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Tremendous privilege just now, greeted by Fr Charles, the friar here at Mission Santa Barbara. Took a picture, and he took ours. #mkMissions
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#9yoF with lengthy Q&A with Fr Charles, talked about our trip, Franciscan heritage, bell tower chimes. 12n ringing just now! #mkMissions
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Santa Barbara is the only one of all 21 missions that has continually been a church, explaining its exquisite condition. #mkMissions
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Mission Bells – Santa Barbara #mkMissions
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Cloudy 65° in SB. In lieu of beach time, added a bonus stop at Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. Off to Santa Inez #mkMissions
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Awarding points for spying El Camino Real bell markers … #14yoJ: 16, #9yoF: 11 (pending bonus pts for good pics taken @ 65mph) #mkMissions
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Crazy: Just drove through the crowded tourist masses at Solvang to Mission Santa Inez, where there are a total of six cars. #mkMissions
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#mkMissions Holding strictly to date established, “newest” one we’ll see … #6: Santa Ynez (19th, est Sept 17, 1804) bit.ly/14xwJPT
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Mission Bells – Santa Inez #mkMissions
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Found sun at Santa Inez, but still cool. Decided to rename today’s segment “The Chumash Missions” after indigenous Indian tribe #mkMissions
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In Solvang for the rest of the night now. #mkMissions … What were the odds that we would park in front of ‘Hamlet Square’?
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Two minor miracles: Despite being in Solvang (1) we all agreed (2) to eat at Spanish Tapas place (more in line with the #mkMissions theme).
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Could happen, but more likely for breakfast 😉 #mkMissions … RT @SGC72: @dhkeller Have an ebelskiver for dessert. Best of all worlds.
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#9yoF: “Daddy, you have to be the age of how many missions there are to drink wine.” (21 missions, don’t ya know)
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Day Three: Thursday, June 13, 2013
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#mkMissions Day 3 “Weary Travelers”: La Purisimia, San Luis Obispo, San Miguel Arcangel, and spending the night inside San Antonio de Padua
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#mkMissions Who knew Lompoc had a mission, let alone a state park? … #7: La Purisima (est 11th, Dec 8, 1787) bit.ly/16iPUwC
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La Purisima is only remaining “complete mission,” restored by CCC in 1940s. Nice to see the full scale of all the buildings. #mkMissions
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Mission Bells – La Purisima Conception de Maria Santisima – #mkMissions
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Guadalupe (Hwy 1), finally our first construction delay (assuming you don’t count all of LA). Officially a Road Trip! #mkMissions
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San Luis Obispo, eating lunch in the park outside the Mission (longest time to have a sandwich made ever; SLO = slow). #mkMissions
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#mkMissions #8: San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (5th, est Sept 1, 1797) bit.ly/IlnFBM … Why don’t we call SLO by its real name “SLOT”?
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Mission San Luis Obispo de TolosaPhotography by Michael LaFreniere. Design and Hosting by GFL Systems, Inc.
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“Wedding in Progress” in the Old Mission Church, so I guess these things *are* still used today #mkMissions
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While we wait for the Wedding, there isn’t much to except visit famous ‘Bubble Gum Alley’ (just don’t tell @KarenMKeller)
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Mission Bells – San Luis Obispo de Tolosa #mkMissions
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#mkMissions Closest one to Hwy 101 (new “El Camino Real”) #9: San Miguel Arcangel (est 16th overall, July 25, 1797) bit.ly/1bB90i0
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Mission San Miguel
Founded in 1797, Mission San Miguel is a National Historical Landmark that has been an important part of Central Coast history for over 2… -
San Miguel Mission seamlessly blends history and roadside California tourist stop (I mean that lovingly) #mkMissions
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Mission Bells – San Miguel Arcangel #mkMissions
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Leaving Hwy 101 for Jolon, 26 miles to San Antonio de Padua (may not have txt/sms/email/wifi/twitter, just like missionaries!) #mkMissions
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#mkMissions Most remote Mission on our trip, let’s stay the night! … #10: San Antonio de Padua (Est 3rd, 7/14/1771) bit.ly/10gy2mL
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Mission Bells in setting sunlight – San Antonio de Padua – #mkMissions
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You guys! We’re staying the night *inside* Mission San Antonio de Padua! No one else is here. No one. Just us! Legit, sooo cool! #mkMissions
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Are you allowed to kick a soccer ball in the Mission courtyard? Asking for a friend. #mkMissions
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@lfletche Real beds, modern upgrades, but also the real rooms used by real mission visitors since its founding in 1771.
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Day Four: Friday, June 14, 2013
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#mkMissions Day 4 … “Closer to Home” … Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, San Carlos Borromeo (Carmel), and/or San Juan Batista.
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Picnic Breakfast under the Mission Bells – San Antonio de Padua – #mkMissions
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Heading out … just lik Spanish missionaries traveling on horse to Soledad, I hope I don’t run out of gas before King City. #mkMissions
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#mkMissions It’s 100 miles from Jolon to Carmel, so … #11: Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (est 13th, Oct 9, 1791) bit.ly/13LEeQo
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Home
La Mision de Maria Santisima, Nuestra Senora Dolorosisima de la Soledad is located in the Salinas Valley near Soledad, California. Founde… -
Fascinating parallels between the mission sites and modern towns/cities around them … like, ahem, Soledad. #mkMissions
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Mission Bell – Nuestra Senora de la Soledad – #mkMissions
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#9yoF ringing the Mission Bell – Nuestra Senora de la Soledad – #mkMissions
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Whoo boy, thinking we’d find a simple sandwich place in Carmel was a miscalculation. Even the delis are super fancy. Pancetta! #mkMissions
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No place to picnic near Mission, so we’re eating at a Bus Stop. Since it’s Carmel, it’s quite pleasant (tho we may look ghetto) #mkMissions
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#mkMissions On the Coast! … #12: San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (Oldest on our trip, established 2nd, Jun 3, 1770) bit.ly/14BuRpd
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San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo Mission: Museum
The most often heard comments from visitor’s center around the natural and spiritual beauty, of the Mission. They also show an appreciati… -
Mission Bells & 1st Cross – San Carlos de Borromeo del Rio Carmelo – #mkMissions –
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#mkMissions Pretty sure *I* took a field trip here in 4th Grade … #13: San Juan Batista (15th, est Jun 24, 1797) bit.ly/13MoVqI
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Old Mission San Juan BautistaOld Mission San Juan Bautista
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Mission Bells – San Juan Batista – #mkMissions
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SJB closes at 4:30 … So we’re shutting down this Mission, and heading to … la salida hacia el final de este viaje. #mkMissions homeward!
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HOME! #mkMissions … 988 miles (588 since SJ Capistrano), 13 Missions, 12 counties, and ~67 statues of Fr Junipero Serra !!
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#mkMissions Not Pictured: (south) San Diego de Alcala, San Luis Rey, (north) Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Jose, Delores, San Rafael, Solano
Related stories
And for the record, here are links to our previous Road Trips:
- Hwy 1 & Redwood Coast “Fall Break” 2012
- 2012 Eastern Sierra Camping
- Oregon & Northern California “through” Lassen in 2011
- And … Does Driving All Around Germany count? (Summer of 2011)
#mkMissions Not Pictured: (south) San Diego de Alcala, San Luis Rey, (north) Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Jose, Delores, San Rafael, Solano
— David Keller (@dhkeller) June 15, 2013
Future trips? Maybe something in the Gold Country in the Fall or Spring 2014, Summer 2014 is TBD, and Summer 2015 will be our car/plane/train trip through Canada for the FIFA Womens World Cup.