Mission San Juan Bautista and El Camino Real

Leaving Monterey back in January was nowhere as easy as it was getting in. Originally I was supposed to leave on the night of the 22nd but the rains were heavy along with the winds. That being the case I stayed an extra night and headed back home the next morning. Along the way I decided to drop in at San Juan Bautista in San Benito County to see the old Mission bearing the same name as the city.

Mission San Juan Bautista was founded back in 1797 in Spanish Alta California. The current structure at the site was built from 1803 to 1812 and has been in continuous service ever since. Mission San Juan Bautista was part of the highway known as the "El Camino Real" which connected the 21 Spanish Missions of Alta California.

Essentially the route of the El Camino Real was plotted out in the late 1700s from two Spanish survey expeditions. The Missions were plotted approximately 30 miles apart along the 600 mile route so that they would be a single day journey by horse. The El Camino Real name fell into disuse after the Mexican Revolution of 1821 but was revived by American highway promoters in the 1890s and 1900s. Today the El Camino Real is mostly associated with US 101 which follows the general path but deviates substantially from the actual trails that the Spanish used. Mission San Juan Bautista actually has an original dirt segment of the original El Camino Real located on the north side of the facility in the San Andreas Fault.

The City of San Juan Bautista was founded in 1834 as was centered around the Mission in Plaza Square. Plaza Square contains many historic structures aside from Mission San Juan Bautista and is now a California State Historical Park.

As for US 101 it did run directly through San Juan Bautista until 1932 via the San Juan Grade. The route of US 101 through the City southbound was; 1st Street, Monterey Street, 3rd Street, and The Alameda.

Comments

California State Route 38

California State Route 38 is a fifty-nine-mile State Highway located entirety in San Bernardino County and a component of the Rim of the World Highway. California State Route 38 begins at California State Route 18 at Bear Valley Dam of the San Bernardino Mountains and follows an easterly course on the north shore of Big Bear Lake. California State Route 38 briefly multiplexes California State Route 18 near Baldwin Lake and branches east towards the 8,443-foot-high Onyx Summit. From Onyx Summit the routing of California State Route 38 reverses course following a largely westward path through the San Bernardino Mountains towards a terminus at Interstate 10 in Redlands. Pictured as the blog cover is California State Route 38 at Onyx Summit the day it opened to traffic on August 12th, 1961. Part 1; the history of California State Route 38 California State Route 38 (CA 38) is generally considered to be the back way through the San Bernardino Mountains to Big Bear Lake of Bear Valley

The original alignment of California State Route 33 in Firebaugh

Firebaugh is a city located on the San Joaquin River of western Fresno County. Firebaugh is one of the oldest American communities in San Joaquin Valley having been settled as the location of Firebaugh's Ferry in 1854. Traditionally Firebaugh has been served by California State Route 33 which was one of the original Sign State Routes announced during August 1934. In modern times California State Route 33 is aligned through Firebaugh on N Street. Originally California State Route 33 headed southbound passed through Firebaugh via; N Street, 8th Street, O Street, 12th Street, Nees Avenue and Washoe Avenue. The blog cover depicts early California State Route 33 near Firebaugh crossing over a one-lane canal bridge. The image below is from the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Fresno County which depicts the original alignment of California State Route 33 in Firebaugh. Part 1; the history of California State Route 33 in Firebaugh The community of Firebaugh is named in honor of Andr

Driving the Watkins Glen Historic Road Course - New York

Situated at the south end of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, Watkins Glen is well known for wineries along Seneca Lake and waterfalls at Watkins Glen State Park . But one thing that gives the town much renown is its connection to the world of auto racing. The raceway at Watkins Glen Internationa l holds a number of big races every year, such as Six Hours at the Glen and the NASCAR Cup Series . The history of auto racing at Watkins Glen starts during the 1940s when the race followed a course on local roads and also through the streets of downtown Watkins Glen. It's a course that you can follow today, preferably at a more moderate speed than the auto racers of yore raced at. Let's explore the history of the original course, how it came to by and why it is no more. Organized races through the village of Watkins Glen and surrounding roads were first proposed and started by Cameron R. Argetsinger in 1948, marking the beginning of post-war sports car