US West

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad California Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, the 13th Mission of Alta California’s mission chain, was dedicated on October 9, 1791. It flourished until the Salinas River floods caused heavy damage in 1828. After secularization, the Mission became a ruin and was abandoned […]

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Pinnacles National Park- Day 1

Pinnacles National Park – Day 1 California Condor Gulch Trail, A Challenging Climb with a Nostalgic Reward We checked off another national park from our bucket list – Pinnacles National Park, number 35 and counting! Established as a National Monument in 1908, this California gem officially became a National Park in 2014, making it the

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Mission San Antonio de Padua

Mission San Antonio de Padua California A Detour Worth Taking: the Remote Beauty of Mission San Antonio de Padua Our planned detour led us to a hidden gem: California’s most remote and least-visited mission near Jolon (Ft. Hunter-Liggett). While our furry travel companion patiently awaited his turn for treats and playtime (bribery sometimes works wonders!),

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Mission San Fernando Rey de España

Mission San Fernando Rey de España California A Visit to Mission San Fernando Rey de España Mission San Fernando Rey de España, a Spanish mission in Los Angeles, was founded on 8 September 1797, the seventeenth of the twenty-one Spanish missions along the El Camino Real.The mission was a large, thriving agricultural center, producing several

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Channel Islands National Park – Day 2

Channel Islands National Park California Day 2 – An Unforgettable Voyage to Santa Rosa Island A Tale of Whales We had booked the Island Packers ferry to the Channel Islands National Park, to Santa Rosa Island, on this beautiful day. Sailing to the island was an unexpected sea safari, and it was the most incredible

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Channel Islands National Park – Day 1

Our Introduction to Channel Islands National Park California Learning About Channel Islands NP Our first introduction to Channel Islands National Park was at the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura, CA. As always, the center proved to be the necessary starting point for exploring Channel Islands National Park, also referred to as “America’s Galapagos.”

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