California Mission Tour Trip 3 - San Diego to San Fernando (5 Missions)

November 19, 2011 - 322 miles

It was extremely overcast on Friday, but for Saturday, the weatherman was calling for bits of blue sky, and the heavy rain would come on Sunday. So I got bundled up and left the house at 7:25 am to complete the last 5 missions. A quick stop to fill the tank before getting onto the freeway and then off I was for the 147 mile ride to Mission San Diego. In Irvine, I did hit some rain, mainly large drops that could be felt through the layers of clothing and were loudly pounding on the helmet, but the skies looked lighter to the south, so I pushed on. I also came upon 2 traffic jams caused by auto accidents, but they did not slow me down by much. At 9:35 I pulled into the parking lot for the mission and took my photos.

Mission San Diego de Alcalá was the first mission founded in Alta California. It was founded in 1769 by Father Serra. Originally it was at a site overlooking the bay near the Presidio, but in 1775 it was moved 6 miles inland to the current site. The current church is the fourth church built at this site. The mission almost failed in its first year of existence, but a supply ship eventually came. The mission was attacked multiple times by Indians who did not like the Spanish intrusion. When President Lincoln returned the Mission back to the Catholic Church in 1862, the church was in ruins. Restoration was completed in 1941.

Now that I was at the southernmost mission, it was time to visit the last 4 during my travel back north. Back onto I-8, I-805, and then I-5 brought me to Mission San Luis Rey, 39 miles by motorcycle from Mission San Diego. I started taking pictures at 10:25 just as it started drizzling.

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was founded in 1798. It was the eighteenth of the twenty-one missions in Alta California. The current church was built in 1811. This mission is one of the more pristine examples of a mission in California. After the secularization period, the mission was converted into a Franciscan college. The church and main quadrangle restoration was completed in 1905.

The fuel light was on so I made a quick gas stop before getting back onto I-5 North. 30 miles later, with some lane splitting through the usual traffic in San Clemente, I was at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The entrance sign was blocked for some wedding photography, so I circled around the mission and parked on the east side of the grounds, near a wall of the former mission church.

Mission San Juan Capistrano was the seventh mission founded in Alta California. The land was consecrated in 1775, but nothing happened until 1776. California's first vineyard was establish at the mission in 1779, and winery in 1783. in 1797 work was begun on "The Great Stone Church," the only non-adobe church at a mission. The church was large and in the shape of a cross with a multi-domed stone roof. It was completed in 1806. In December of 1812, a massive earthquake brought down most of the roof killing about 40. An attempt at rebuilding the stone church was made in 1815, but it failed. In the photo you can see a part of the wall that is still standing.

The next mission northward, Mission San Gabriel, is a bit inland. I took a slightly circuitous route using the 57 freeway to avoid any traffic along I-5. 65 miles in total from San Juan Capistrano. I arrived just after 1:00 in the afternoon. The mission was fairly quiet today so it was easy to pull up to the church for some photos. As I was finishing my visit, a limousine did pull up and a few dressed up girls got out and headed into the grounds. They probably were the bridesmaids for a wedding. The various missions I visited during the tour were quite popular for weddings and other events.

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was the fourth mission, having been founded in 1771. The original site was in the Whittier Narrows along the Rio Hondo, but it was severely flooded by a flash flood in 1776. The mission was then moved 5 miles towards the mountains.  The original three-bell campanario, which was on the east end of the mission, fell down in the same 1812 earthquake that toppled the church at San Juan Capistrano. A 6-bell campanario was then built on the west end on the mission. The photograph with my bike was taken at the east end.

It was time for lunch and a small celebration since Mission San Fernando, which is around 5 miles from my house, was the final mission to visit! I love pastrami sandwiches and since the first The Hat restaurant was less than 2 miles away, I was there in a flash. At 2:00, with my belly full of a delicious pastrami dip and fries, I pulled onto Valley Boulevard and headed west to Fremont Street and then north onto I-210 and eventually made it to the final mission, a distance of 30 miles. The mission parking lot was closed for some event, several horse drawn carriages were there, along with a mariachi band, and other people milling about. I was able to grab a prime parking space on San Fernando Mission Boulevard across from the mission arcade for my final pictures.

Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded in 1797. It was the seventeenth of the 21 missions. After secularization, the building had many different uses, ranch headquarters, storage warehouse, and even a hog farm. Complete restoration was accomplished in the 1940's. The Sylmar-San Fernando Earthquake in 1971 damaged the church building and it was completely rebuilt. The church is still used for weddings and other ceremonies. Bob Hope was buried in the mission cemetery in 2003.

Since I left the closest mission for last, I was home by 3:30. Now it is time to print the pictures and attach them to the booklet and send it in for verification. The award will be handed out at the annual banquet in the spring.