Stage 2 of our Ford Flex Tour de California (and Oregon) brought us to one of California's most remote and unspoiled missions, Mission San Antonio de Padua. To get there you have to take a detour off Highway 101 for some 25 miles until you get to the checkpoint at Fort Hunter-Liggett, an active Army training facility. From there you drive 6 miles through the base to get to the mission. The military checkpoint requires ID, vehicle registration and proof of insurance in order to proceed.
Any California 4th grader can tell you about the missions and how Fray Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan from Catlunya, founded a string of 20-something of them along what was then called Alta California the late 1700's. The idea was to convert the local Indians and colonize the west coast of North America. San Antonio de Padua, the 3rd one built, was founded on July 14, 1771. It's still an active parish that serves 35 families. Admission is free.
About 2 miles south of the mission you'll find the start of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, a narrow, twisty road that cuts through the Fort and crosses over the mountains to the Pacific Ocean and Highway 1 at Lucia, right in the heart of the most spectacular part of the Big Sur coast. N-F Road is the only crossing over these mountains between San Luis Obispo and Carmel, and every motorcyclist I know talks about it.
I had planned to check it out for myself on this trip, but a brush fire in those mountains closed the road to all but fire personnel. So our side-trip to the mission was an out-and back affair, and we continued up 101 to our stopover in San Francisco.
Fuel consumption, Stage 1, Yorba Linda to San Luis Obispo: 259.7 miles and 13.2 gallons for
19.7 mpg.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 29,692 miles
wrinklebump says:
06:17 AM, 08/12/09
Should've barged through the police blockade and Con Air'd through the brush fire. Would've been a pretty sweet photo op.
ahightower says:
06:25 AM, 08/12/09
Beautiful photo, and a very interesting post. I forgive you for not taking the 750 on this trip. Although I bet that N-F Road drive would have been very entertaining in the big Bimmer and maybe helped your girls get over the lack of cupholders and fridges and video games.
adavis2493 says:
06:45 AM, 08/12/09
The more I hear about the Flex, the more I like it.
What the most favorited car in the fleet?
rick8365 says:
07:09 AM, 08/12/09
Love the "ride along" aspect of your road trips. My life plan after winning the lottery includes a lot of road trips all over North America for starters. Until then I'll have to settle for an occasional jaunt and the pleasure of reading posts that allow for the vicarious approach instead. The drive-in theater experience has me thinking about finding one within reach of coastal Jersey for something different to do.
Thanks, enjoy and keep us "posted".
wobbly_ears says:
07:20 AM, 08/12/09
Dan, looks like you & the whole family is having a really fun time out there! Nothing brings family closer than a fun trip together.
I have vowed that when I have my own kids, I would take the family road-tripping across this great land. There's only so much fun in being in a cubicle
Good for you buddy! Drive safe & enjoy!
fuhteng says:
10:14 AM, 08/12/09
Great photo. I'm sure the family would have loved that bike road in the rolling-living room. Yikes.
waevox says:
11:01 AM, 08/12/09
Hmmm. Twisty. I miss all the roads of the roads in CA.
mercedesfan says:
02:36 PM, 08/12/09
I'm so jealous, I love the California missions. I did my undergraduate work at Santa Clara University and went to mass every Sunday night at the Mission De Santa Clara, so beautiful and so prayerful.
By the by, they are still doing considerable construction on the 101 between San Jose and Palo Alto, so if you get the chance hop over to the 280. It rarely sees much traffic and is vastly more scenic.