Seven Years. Riding the Central California Coast.

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As I said, you could be sitting in the office.

Or you could be here standing beside me taking this same photo. Nothing quite like it.




How big is a Gray Whale?

This big.



California Big Sur Coastline

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Never know what you'll see or who you'll run into on the open road.

At Ragged Point, the very southern edge of Big Sur, we ran into this.




You could eat off this thing. Cleanest Honda CB750 you ever did see.

Mark loved this as he has one also.

Likely this one had been sitting in someones living room for the last 25 years.



Owner at right... Headed to the classic car & bike show in San Luis Obispo this weekend perhaps.




What every motorcycle needs. A police siren. Maybe all bikes should come standard with this sort of thing.

Makes splitting lanes great fun says its owner.

I bet.



And the trailer hitch, uh attachment thingy. Very cool.

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Ragged Point, good place to stop for some hot chocolate

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Jim's view of San Simeon & the nearby Hearst Castle







Awesome day of riding, Phil approves!

We have this great lil place we stay at in Cambria called the Castle Inn. Walk out of the room and either head for the hot tub & pool, or walk right onto the beach for a stroll along the Pacific as the sun sets. Perfect!

http://www.cambriacastleinn.com/

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Breakfast in Cambria






On to Santa Rosa Creek Rd




George with the Pacific Ocean in the distance.




In springtime, best to ride then, as it's brilliant green in here!

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At the low summit on Santa Rosa Creek Rd




Coastal fog in the distance






Phil says I approve this ride!




How you always feel on a Pashnit Tour

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Welcome to the Coast Range







These backroads in here are great! We skipped Peachy Canyon & Adelaida Rd for a lil surprise later on.

Vineyard Rd to Chimney Rock to San Marcos, roads to west of Atascadero & Paso Robles

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Our stop for the morning is the San Miguel Mission.

Dutifully restored, and reopened to the public about a year ago. If you like California History, do stop by one of the coastal missions starting in San Diego and running all the way up the California Pacific Coastline.









St Michael slaying the devil. Hand carved in life sized. Donated to the mission in the 1940's.

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See the wheel? Carved from solid wood. Bumpy ride I bet.






A small museum is worth wandering through and seeing life in the early 1800's.

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Not exactly a Sealy Posturpedic.






The wagon that wheel pictured above belongs too. That's the spare.

mission san miguel is one of california's historical and cultural treasures. The beautiful old mission building, whose foundations were laid nearly 200 years ago, is a precious part of our spiritual heritage, with a story that is integral to california's history.

Father fermin francisco de lasuén founded mission san miguel on july 25, 1797. Almost two years earlier, the site was selected to close the gap between mission san antonio and mission san luis obispo. It was a beautiful spot on the salinas river called vahca by the natives, las pozas by the spaniards or "the wells". The mission was to be named for the "most glorious prince of the celestial militia, archangel saint michael". Father buenaventura sitjar, the first administrator at mission san miguel had ministered to the salinan people for 25 years at mission san antonio prior to his arrival at mission san miguel. Father sitjar was fluent in the salinan language and baptized 15 youth the first day mission san miguel was established.

From the church building, the property extended 18 miles to the north and 18 miles to the south; the property extended 66 miles to the east, and as far as the pacific ocean, 35 miles to the west.

A temporary church was built in 1797 but was lost to fire in 1806, at a time when more than one thousand neophytes were living and working at mission san miguel. Preparation for a new adobe church began soon after. Tiles and adobe blocks were made and stored for 10 years before the stone foundation of the church was laid in 1816. By 1821 the church was completed along with the interior frescos designed by esteban munras. The success of the mission was largely due to father juan martin (1770 - 1824).

Following mexico's move to independence, mission life began to change. Mission san miguel was secularized in 1834 and put under the control of a civilian administrator and at the time, there were only 30 indians left at the mission. With the exile of the spanish franciscans, the salinan people had left mission san miguel for their ancestral homelands throughout the central coast.

On july 4, 1846, petronillo rios and william reed took possession of the mission buildings and the reed family occupied the recently abandoned mission. Following the murder of 11 reed family members and household staff, the mission rooms were converted to commercial stores such as, a hotel, saloon, and retail shops.

President buchanan returned the mission buildings and surrounding property to the catholic church in 1859. A resident priest was assigned to mission san miguel in 1878 and the mission parish was established.

In 1928 the mission was returned to the franciscans, serving as a local parish, a novitiate training school for those becoming franciscan friars and a center for retreats and meetings.