The Lunch Box Journals

As we entered the Salinas River Valley north of San Luis Obispo the striking feature is how absolutely flat the valley is, running north and south between a low range of mountains to the west and a higher range to the east (this is not the great Central Valley but a smaller one created by the Salinas River and the San Andreas Fault).  The area around San Miguel is the beginning of an irrigated agricultural paradise that stretches north to Salinas and Monterey.  However, during the period of the mission settlement, this was a dry and hostile land.  The next mission as we move north from San Miguel is the mission Nuestra Senora de Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), established in 1791.  Never prosperous, success was hampered by the geology of the valley.  It is so flat that the brief, but torrential downpours that occur repeatedly created destructive floods.  The mission building of today is actually the result of a series of reconstructions built in 1955 (the church) and 1965 (the father’s wing) that may or may not bear some resemblance to the original structure.  There is only this one L-shaped small building, otherwise this is a desolate site out in the middle of the fields which now carpet the valley.  However, it is still a functioning parish and the Saturday that I visited a christening was taking place so I was unable to tour the inside.  The highlight of the visit was actually almost getting stuck in the mud on the dirt road on the way to the mission.   While it was not raining at the time, it had poured the night before and the ground had turned to gumbo!  However, we just punched the power and made it out – Augie was glad that he did not have to get out and push!

The next mission of the El Camino Real couldn’t be more different than the two in the lower Salinas River Valley, San Miguel and Soledad.  They reflect the poverty of the communities they serve.  In its’ own way, the mission in Carmel does the same, except that it reflects the incredible wealth of the community that it serves.  I’m afraid I’m going to have to “gush” for a moment, despite my abhorrence of such verbiage, but the mission in Carmel is simply stunning.  To the north over the hill Monterey Bay opens up at the mouth of the Salinas River Valley and stretches in semi-circle nearly 40 miles from Santa Cruz in the north to Monterey in the south.  The Monterey area at the southern edge of the bay is a fabulous vacation spot:  lots of history, tremendous weather, golf, great restaurants and galleries, spas, etc., and scenic views up the wazoo!!  The peninsula in particular rises steeply from the sandy shore of the bay and is home to the exclusive communities of Pacific Grove on the north side, Pebble Beach (of golf course fame) on the promontory, and Carmel-by-the-Sea on the south.  The Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo is on the south edge of the “village” Carmel-by-the-Sea, commonly known as Carmel.

First, some words about the community.  While this is not my kind of place, I know many people who love it here.  Carmel exudes the aroma of money.  Lots of it has been spent to not look like it was spent.  The downtown area is jammed with exclusive shops, restaurants, and art galleries.  Not built for cruising in a motorhome (even one as nimble as the Lunch Box!), the streets are designed about 2 BMW’s wide with a foot on each side…  Here are some shots of the downtown area:

First is the local grocery store, next is the main street looking towards the ocean.

The town spreads down a hillside into the Carmel River Valley and the coast.  The mission, founded in 1770 with final construction completed in 1797,  sits at the base of the hill at the edge of the river plain.  The face that the mission presents to the road is not particularly impressive.  The mission was originally established over the hill in Monterey by Father Junipero Serra in 1770 but moved to this side of the hill because of more favorable agricultural conditions.  The by now familiar story of earthquakes, seizure by the Mexican government, decline, restoration by the US in the middle 1800’s, decline until restoration in the 1900’s, etc., also unfolded here.  Most of the building that we see today is restoration of the finest quality, but the interior is full of original items.  The mission was built in the traditional quadrangle shape, which survives today.  Not particularly large, the quadrangle current houses a school on the south and west, with the church filling the north and the low building in the picture facing east.  The larger part of the picture above is not the church, but part of the front side.  The church is actually set back into the northwest corner of the quadrangle.  Visitors can tour the church and the north wing, which is a series of museum rooms set up as they were in the late 1700’s.  The restoration is incredible, with original artifacts in period settings.  Let’s get to the pictures!

To the right of the front wing is a small courtyard in front of the church but behind the wall along the parking lot. A fountain and statuary center the gardens, with a small building housing restrooms to the left.

The interior of the basilica is totally restored, complete with original statues and ornate décor.  This is also the first mission that we’ve seen that has an arched ceiling.  Father Junipero Serra is buried to the left of the front altar. The series of pictures shows the altar, statues from side chapels, and the choir loft above the main door.

The inner courtyard of the triangle is paved, with the church and museum forming the north wall and the two wings of the school forming the south and west.