San Luis Rey Mission

Guajome County Park, Oceanside, CA

 

    From the ocean-side fence of the Aliso RestArea on I-5S c5.8 miles north of Oceanside looking northwest. Much of what you see is part of the Joseph H. Pendleton Marine Corps training base.

 

 

    Looking due west from the Aliso Creek Rest area there appears to be either a fog bank or an island directly offshore. [Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in.] Checking out a 2010 Rand-McNalley atlas that island is Santa Catalina if this shot is due west or San Clemente if it's a view to the southwest.

 

 

 

    Just to the left of the post there is something on the horizon; whether it is a large ship or part of San Clemente Island is unclear.

 

 

 

    Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, dedicated to Louis IX of France. There is some debate [see Links below] as to whether a left bell tower was to be built. Or was it built and then lost to an earthquake?

 

 

 

 

    A monument dedicated in 1996 to the 500 Mormons who volunteered to join the US Army and march to California to aid in protecting American's settlers and interests there. [Click 1 or 2 times to enlarge.]

 

 

    In my travels through the Mother Lode in Tuolumne County I seem to recall another monument to the Mormon Batallion which spoke of their discovery of gold not too far from Tuttletown at a spot now call Mormons' Gulch. [See Links below.]

 

    If I counted correctly, there are 10 agaves in bloom, perhaps the most I can recall seeing bloom at the same time. Of course, in Central California they are called Century Plants because they allededly take nearly 100 years to bloom. However, agaves bloom as often as annually to every 50 years. [See links below.]

 

    Another view of the mission along with what appears to be a large oak tree. Now that I think of the several missions I've photographed (or seen before I began traveling), most of them face south with perhaps a few facing west; but I cannot think of a single mission which faces north or east. Perhaps solar warming of the entrance of the mission was a factor in how the missions were built.

 

 

    A closer view of the front of the mission as well as the fountain between it and the large oak tree.

 

 

 

 

    Just as many agaves were blooming, the catctus plant in the center of the photos was loaded with buds. [Click 1 or 2 times to enlarge]

 

 

 

 

 

    An "Old Salt" was responsible for the old pepper tree represented on the plaque to the right as well as in the next photo.

 

 

 

 

 

    The rose garden between this arch and the pepper tree is indeed well-tended.

 

 

 

    The docent working the museum in the mission itself told me it was OK to take a photo as long as I didn't use a flash; but I told her that I did not know how to turn the flash off. So I suggested that she close her eyes while I took this photo. She was a good sport, especially after she learned we were both descendants of ancestors from Eire.

 

 

    The mission's cemetery is apparently being used by the parrish church, which is to the right as one looks at the mission.

 

 

 

 

 

    As the old line goes, "People are just dying to get in here" -- and their relatives are paying a "pretty penny" for these gravesites.

 

 

    Unlike like the Soledad Mission (see post immediately below), where a former governor of California when it was controlled by Spain is buried, it appears that these sites are for more recent decedents.

 

 

    As I was about to take this photo, two cars drove up; and by the time I took the shot, there was less of a reflection of the sun on Mission San Luis Rey de Francia's white-washed facade.
--

 

 

Links:

• Wikipedia article on Mission San Luis Rey
• Website on the retrofitting of Mission San Luis Rey
• Wikipedia article on The Mormon Battalion
• Russian Misinformation site with an entry on Century Plants

T 24 Jan Actual Route: Simi Valley - Pomona - Orange - Yorba Linda - Anaheim Hills

W 25 Jan Actual Route: Anaheim Hills

Th 26 Jan Actual Route: Anaheim Hills - Huntington Beach - Anaheim Hills - Chino (Prado Regional Park)

F 27 Jan Actual Route: Prado Lake - Chino - Yorba Linda - Placentia - Anaheim Hills

Sa 28 Jan Actual Route: Anaheim Hills - Yorba Linda - Brea - Fullerton - Santa Ana - Newport Beach - Balboa Beach - Laguna Beach - Camp Pendleton - Aliso Crk Rest Area

Su 29 Jan Actual Route: Aliso Crk Rest Area - Oceanside - Mission San Luis Rey - Guajome County Park

M 30 Jan Actual Route: Guajome County Pk - Oceanside - Guajome County Pk

T 31 Jan Actual Route: Guajome County Pk - Oceanside - Escondido - Dixon Lake Park

W 1 Feb Actual Route: Dixon Lake Park - Oceanside - Encinitas - San Ysidro - Chula Vista

Th 2 Feb Actual Route: Chula Vista - San Diego Mission - Santee - El Cajon

F 3 Feb Actual Route: El Cajon - Ramona - Dos Picos County Park

Sa 4 Feb Actual Route: Dos Picos County Park - Ramona - Santa Ysabel - Juian - Powder Wash (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park)

Su 5 Feb Route: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - Ocotillo Wells - Salton City

M 6 Feb Route: Salton City - Coachella - LaQunita

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life or Woodalls for including links to their free campground lookups.

Soledad Mission

Morro Bay, CA

 

    Photo to the right was taken next to an avocado farm along CA41 as I approached Morro Bay with its distinctive Morro Rock.

 

 

 

    The Soledad Mission (Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad in Spanish) was dedicated on 9 October 1791 by Father Fermin Lasuen. [Incidentally, Father Lasuen also supervised the construction of the San Juan Bautista Mission, #13 of 21 and the Santa Cruz Mission, #12.]

 

 

    Unfortunately, floods in 1824 and 1832 devastated the mission and it was abandonned. In the mid-1950s the Native Daughters of the Golden West spear-headed the reconstruction, which was completed on 9 October 1955.

 

 

 

    The shot above was taken from the north-west and the one to the right as well as the one immediately below were taken from the west.

 

 

 

 

    My guess is that the palm trees were introduced during the reconstruction -- but I'll have to review my previous photos of other missions to see how often they appear.

 

 

 

    As you can see the lawn and garden on the west side of the mission is very well-maintained. [I thought about pilferring an orange, but the docent was talking with someone only a short distance away.]

 

 

 

    The gnarled roots of the olive trees in center of this shot guarantee that they were plant when the original mission was constructed. (Though they are not in any of the photos I took, the grape vines along the north side of the mission are also old and gnarly.)
--

 

Links:

• Wikipedia article of Soledad Mission
• List of California's 21 Spanish Missions
• Wikipedia article on Soledad

F 6 Jan Actual Route: Santa Cruz - Pinto Lake

Sa 7 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Twin Lakes Church - Santa Cruz

Su 8 Jan Actual Route: Santa Cruz - Freedom - Pinto Lake

M 9 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Aptos - Santa Cruz - Pinto Lake

T 10 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Pacific Grove - Salinas - Soledad

W 11 Jan Actual Route: Soledad - Soledad Cemetery - Soledad Mission -

Th 12 Jan Actual Route: Greenfield - Soledad - Spreckles - Seaside - Corral de Tierra

F 13 Jan Actual Route: Corral de Tierra - Seaside - Monterey - Ft Ord - Pinto Lake

Sa 14 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Aptos - Santa Cruz

Su 15 Jan Actual Route: Santa Cruz - Freedom - Pinto Lake

M 16 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Santa Cruz - Pinto Lake

T 17 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Marina - Salinas - Soledad

W 18 Jan Actual Route: Soledad - King City - San Ardo - San Miguel

Th 19 Jan Actual Route: San Miguel - Paso Robles - Morro Bay

F 20 Jan Actual Route: Morro Bay - Arroyo Grande - Grover Beach - near Los Alamos

Sa 21 Jan Actual Route: near Los Alamos - Los Olivas - Solvang - Cachuma Lake RV Park

Su 22 Jan Actual Route: Cachuma Lake RV Park - Goleta - Santa Barbara - Carpinteria - Ojai - Wheeler Gorge USFS CG

M 23 Jan Actual Route: Wheeler Gorge USFS CG - Ojai - Santa Paula - Fillmore - Morepark - Simi Valley

T 24 Jan Actual Route: Simi Valley - Pomona - Orange - Yorba Linda - Anaheim Hills

W 25 Jan Actual Route: Anaheim Hills

Th 26 Jan Actual Route: Anaheim Hills - Huntington Beach - Anaheim Hills - Chino (Prado Regional Park)

F 27 Jan Actual Route: Prado Lake - Chino - Yorba Linda - Placentia - Anaheim Hills

Sa 28 Jan Actual Route: Anaheim Hills - Yorba Linda - Brea - Fullerton - Santa Ana - Newport Beach - Balboa Beach - Laguna Beach - Camp Pendleton - Aliso Crk Rest Area

Su 29 Jan Actual Route: Aliso Crk Rest Area - Oceanside - Mission San Luis Rey - Guajome County Park

M 30 Jan Route: Guajome County Pk - Oceanside - Encinitas - Cardiff-by-the-Sea

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life or Woodalls for including links to their free campground lookups.

Remembrance for Kenneth M. Stewart -- and Some Recollections

Santa Cruz, CA

    Here's a remembrance for Ken Stewart, a long-time State Farm agent here in the Santa Cruz area and also a district manager here and in Southern California.
....
    Ken Stewart passed away at his Soquel home on December 17, 2011 with his children by his side.
    He was born in Quapaw, Oklahoma, on October 4, 1928 and raised in Monterey, where he attended local schools, graduating from Monterey High in 1947. He moved his family to Capitola in 1952 where he was a Deacon with the First Baptist Church of Capitola and served on that city's Planning Commission.
    He was an accomplished magician and stand-up comedian and very proud of his membership in the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians and the Magic Castle in Hollywood. He was a member of Sons in Retirement and Past President of East Santa Cruz Lions, Santa Cruz Host Lions and a chapter in Southern California.
    Two of his proudest achievements was being licensed as a private pilot and purchasing a Piper Cherokee.
    An avid Giants fan, he was a season ticket holder for over 30 years. In his younger years he was a regular at the old Capitola and Surf Bowls. Ken logged three "aces" during his golfing days and belonged to both Pasatiempo and DeLaveaga Golf Courses.
    Ken was associated for 45 years with State Farm Insurance as an Agent and Agency Manager in Santa Cruz, and later as an Agency Director in Southern California.
    He returned to Santa Cruz upon his retirement in 1995. He was very devoted to his faith and was most recently a member of Twin Lakes Church in Aptos.
    He is survived by his daughter Janice (Tom) McKinney of Corral de Tierra, and three sons, Dave (Mary) Stewart of Capitola, Mike Stewart of Soquel and Kenny Stewart of Live Oak, and two brothers; Ron (Margie) Stewart and Jim (Pam) Stewart of Monterey. He also leaves six grandsons; Ken Kimball, Matt (Natalie) McKinney, Phil Stewart, Stephen Stewart, Casey Stewart and Dylan Stewart.
    The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2012, at Twin Lakes Church, 2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos, CA.
    Ken was laid to rest in a private ceremony on Wednesday [December 21], beside his beloved wife Geri, who preceded him in death in 2000.
    The family asks that remembrances be made in Ken's memory to the charity of your choice .
    To light a candle for Ken and share your thoughts with the family, please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com.
....
    If I have a chance to speak at Ken's memorial, here's what I intend to say. [N.B. There was a plethora of speakers and I did not have a chance to speak to those at the Ken's Memorial. But I did meet a couple of people who may e-mail their recollections to me; if so, will include their remembrances below.]

    I had known Ken from the time he moved his family around the Monterey Bay from the Seaside/Monterey area to the Soquel/Santa Cruz area. And when he arrived, he was nearly as thin as I am now. The reason? His appendix had burst and, if he had not been hustled to a Monterey County hospital, we wouldn't be here today.
    He was the only non-family member we asked to speak at my late father's services in December 2005. Ken was thankful that my father shared his office with two newbies: him and the late Carl Lund. They had one rotary-dial phone with a long extension cord and moved the phone from desk-to-desk.
    When Ken learned I was interested in bowling, we started bowling practice games together -- first at the former Capitola Bowl and later at the newly-built Surf Bowl (now the Boardwalk Bowl).
    And since I was interested in magic he often took me and my sister Jane to the Monterey Bay Saahareen. I was at the meeting where Edwin Brush announced his retirement and gave all of those present part of his magazines, books, and paraphernalia. [Coincidentally, while searching for some headstones in the El Carmelo Cemetery in Pacific Grove, I stumbled across Edwin's grave; his headstone said, "Evangelist with Purposeful Magic."]
    Ken also liked practical jokes -- as long as they were done for laughs and not to injure someone physically or financially. My father was a member of the Optimist Club, which for years had a Christmas tree lot on Soquel Ave. The Santa Cruz Host Lions had a lot just across the street. Once, out of view of my father, Ken told a fellow to go across the street and look at the Optimist trees -- and "I'll come over and steal you from Bob."
    As my father was showing the prospect some trees, Ken came over and told the fellow, "We have batter trees across the street," and he grabbed the fellow by the arm and led him across the street. But my dad didn't react very much.
    Ken later asked, "Bob, do you remember when I stole one of your clients from the Optimist Christmas Tree Lot; didn't that bother you? My father replied, "No -- they're both worthy causes."
    Ken's response, at least at my father's services, "You take all the fun out of doing things." In other words, you didn't take the bait.
    My guess as to Ken's advice to practical jokers is to keep trying, for eventually a mark (or mullet) will take not only the bait, but the hook, line, and sinker as well.
    Lastly, Ken was a positive thinker -- even when his bowling team was losing.
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Links:

• Monterey Peninsula Herald Remembrance with photo

W 4 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Santa Cruz - Hitching Post Motel

Th 5 Jan Actual Route: Hitching Post Motel - Campbell - MLK Branch Lib (SJ) - Campbell - Santa Cruz

F 6 Jan Actual Route: Santa Cruz - Pinto Lake

Sa 7 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Twin Lakes Church - Santa Cruz

Su 8 Jan Actual Route: Santa Cruz - Freedom - Pinto Lake

M 9 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Aptos - Santa Cruz - Pinto Lake

T 10 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Pacific Grove - Salinas - Soledad

W 11 Jan Actual Route: Soledad - Soledad Cemetery - Soledad Mission -

Th 12 Jan Actual Route: Greenfield - Soledad - Spreckles - Seaside - Corral de Tierra

F 13 Jan Actual Route: Corral de Tierra - Seaside - Monterey - Ft Ord - Pinto Lake

Sa 14 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Aptos - Santa Cruz

Su 15 Jan Actual Route: Santa Cruz - Freedom - Pinto Lake

M 16 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Santa Cruz - Pinto Lake

T 17 Jan Actual Route: Pinto Lake - Marina - Salinas - Soledad

W 18 Jan Actual Route: Soledad - King City - San Ardo - San Miguel

Th 19 Jan Actual Route: San Miguel - Paso Robles - Morro Bay

F 20 Jan Route: Morro Bay - Arroyo Grande

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life or Woodalls for including links to their free campground lookups.