California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

The Drive » Backtrack west

on Hwy 156 to Hwy 101, which

speeds north past the garlic

farms of Gilroy past San Jose

and Silicon Valley, then curves

along the west side of San

Francisco Bay. After 90 miles,

you’ll arrive in San Francisco:

exit at Duboce St, turn left on

Guerrero St, then right on 16th

St to arrive at Mission San

Francisco de Asís.

7 San Francisco

Time seems to stand still

at Mission San Francisco

de Asís (%415-621-8203;

http://www.missiondolores.org;

3321 16th St; adult/child

$5/3; h9am-4pm, to 4:30pm

May-Oct), also known

as Mission Dolores.

With its gold-leafed

altar and redwood

beams decorated

with Native American

artwork, this the only

intact original mission

chapel in California,

its adobe walls having

stood firm in the 1906

earthquake. Today it’s

overshadowed by the

ornate 1913 basilica,

where stained-glass

windows commemorate

the 21 original California

missions. The graveyard

out back, where Kim

Novak wandered in

a daze in Hitchcock’s

Vertigo, is where 5000

Ohlone and Miwok

who died in measles

epidemics are said to

be buried, along with

early Mexican and

European settlers. In

the surrounding Mission

District, a bohemian

neighborhood known

for its contemporary

art murals, Mexican

taquerías mix with

California farm-to-table

kitchens.

Continue exploring

San Francisco on our

walking tour (p58).

54 p301

The Drive » Hwy 101 rolls

up and down San Francisco’s

famous hills, from the Mission

District to the Marina, finally

exiting the city via the Golden

Gate Bridge. North of the

mission town of San Rafael,

follow Hwy 37 east to Hwy

121 north, then take Hwy 12

north into downtown Sonoma,

over a 40-mile drive from San

Francisco.

8 Sonoma

The wine country town

of Sonoma is not only the

site of the last Spanish

mission established

in California. It also

happens to be the place

where American settlers

declared independence

from Mexico in 1846.

Mission San Francisco

Solano is now part of

Sonoma State Historic

Park (%707-938-9560; http://www.

parks.ca.gov; 20 E Spain St;

adult/child $3/2; h10am-5pm

Tue-Sun), which preserves

military barracks and

a mid-19th-century

Mexican general’s home.

Its petite adobe chapel,

dating from 1841, is also

the finish line for El

Camino Real.

54 p300

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Start: 5 La Purísima Mission

Named for the towering spires that rise abruptly out

of the chaparral-covered hills, this park (%831-389-

4486; http://www.nps.gov/pinn; entry per car $5) is a study in

geological drama, with its craggy monoliths, sheer-

walled canyons and ancient volcanic remnants.

Besides hiking and rock climbing, the park’s biggest

attractions are its talus caves and endangered

California condors. It’s best visited during spring

or fall; summer’s heat is too extreme. Camping is

available near the east entrance off Hwy 25 between

San Juan Bautista and King City, accessed via Hwy

101 north of San Luis Obispo.

PINNACLES NATIONAL

MONUMENT

DETOUR:

SOUTHERN.CALIFORNIA.

28

(^) MISSION TRAIL