That Warm California Sun

Good day to everyone!

Day two of the SoCal roadtrip is in the books as today was a scheduled off-day for me. No baseball games today, but that doesn't mean I didn't go do some exciting stuff here and see some interesting sights. I find that these scheduled off-days during Baseball Roadtrips are a great way to catch up on sight-seeing, conversing with friends, and, especially during this trip, recharging my batteries for the next two days of busy traveling and baseball.

I woke up this morning and watched some of the Germany-England soccer game. Since I'm not a soccer fan, I used the two hours to check email, finish up the stats from last night's Angels game, and finalize on paper and in my head the next few days' itineraries. As a result of my last minute tweeks to the schedule, some things have changed here in the next few days. I will get to those changes here in a bit.

After the game, we had nothing planned, so I used the opportunity to take about a two-hour nap. This really helped me become energized and rejuvenated for the day. After my nap, we drove down the I-5 freeway to visit the world-famous Mission San Juan Capistrano.

As some of you may know, the California Missions are really a passion of mine and I have always had a keen interest in the immense history and lore that surrounds them. I have visited some of the twenty-one missions, but I have to say that San Juan Capistrano was the most extravagant and exquisite of all the missions I have been to. The "Jewel of the Missions" certainly didn't disappoint me.

The Mission is spread out on about ten acres of land in the middle of the bustling town of the same name. It is walled off from the encroaching city by a thick wall, but it really allows for the mission to retain at least some of the isolation and setting that it first enjoyed when it was founded back in the 1700's. The majority of the grounds are dominated by the large, but collapsed, stone church. The rest of the property is immaculately pristine gardens, impressive recreations of mission life, and insightful exhibits into the mission's history.

The large stone church, when built, was a huge edifice that was over seven stories tall and could be seen for miles around. It was the largest stone structure in early California and quickly became a symbol not just for Mission San Juan Capistrano but for the entire chain of missions stretching the length of the California coast. On a December morning in 1812, a massive earthquake struck the area collapsing the huge church killing 40 people. The ruins were never rebuilt and can be visited at the mission today.

Besides the church, I found the exhibits about the Church activities, the agriculture programs at the Mission, and the Hollywood legend of Zorro to be the most informative. But what really was the most beneficial experience for me was just wandering the grounds and soaking in the history of the place.

Ever since I started reading about the California Missions, I have wanted to go to San Juan Capistrano. The lore and the legend surrounding the mission really attracts me, and there were multiple times during the tour we were taking where I would imagine what it would be like to live like a Franciscan Friar in the old Mission days. To prowl the covered verandas of the quadrangle, to oversee the construction of the mission, to peacefully meditate under a verdant olive tree on a hot day. Back to the days when Southern California was just expansive and empty hills and civilization had not come and sunk it's claws into the land. When places like Newport, Fullerton and Los Angeles were simple trading post or watering holes rather than busy, traffic-clogged cities. My visit to the little oasis of paradise which was Mission San Juan Capistrano will be a defining moment in the Baseball Roadtrip legend.

After a stop at a Taco stand for lunch, we came back to the house, changed into our swim gear, and drove out to the beach. As a native Oregonian, when I want to go swimming, the ocean is pretty far down on the list of possible locations to go. Here in California, it is reversed. Even on a gloomy overcast day, the ocean was still a balmy sixty-five degrees. While my hosts were reluctant to go into the water, I jumped right in. But what I enjoyed in water temperature, I quickly lost to the battering surf. The waves and currents, even close to shore, were simply awful. The seas had to have been ten to fifteen feet high and came in repeated barrages that never let up. I can now see why Orange County is the so-called "Surfer's Paradise" because of the relentless waves. Even with the bulldozing I took in the surf, I still had a great time getting the experience of swimming on a Southern California beach.

Ok now on to tomorrow...I will be leaving Newport and Laguna early in the morning and taking the train back northward to Fullerton. I will transfer onto a city bus and go to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda. After the library, I will take another city bus down to the Anaheim Canyon Metrolink Station, board the Metrolink, and travel to San Bernardino. Once I have quickly checked into the hotel, I will walk to Arrowhead Credit Union Park to see the Inland Empire 66ers take on the Lake Elsinore Storm. It should be a long and busy day, but a ton of fun.

So, until tomorrow...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)