Stan's Travels: San Diego, CA (1/27/2018) & Alpine, CA (1/26/2018)

California has 21 original Spanish missions spread up and down the coast, approximately thirty miles apart. I've visited a few of them over the years, but this was my first time touring the very first one, Mission Basilica San Diego De Alcala. Founded in 1769 in a chapel built of sticks, the mission set out to educate and convert the Indians of the area. Things went well for a while, but the Indians became unhappy about something and attacked the church, killing the priest and burning the building to the ground.

The mission was subsequently re-built of much stronger materials and the rest is history. It is in a lovely location and displays beautiful gardens. A recent archeological excavation has uncovered some very early buildings that were used to house visitors.

Original office/bedroom for the priests.

Father Jayme being martyred.

Heavy wall construction.

Main chapel


One of 14 Stations of The Cross.

I also did a quick visit to the Presidio Mission, not one of the original 21, located on Presidio Hill above Old Town. The grounds are actually part of a park, so very nicely maintained. I did not take time to go inside this one.

One of the remarkable things about this area is the size of some plants. In Presidio Park, a cluster of yucca plants has grown incredibly large.

Since it was nearby, I took a ride over to San Diego County Credit Union Stadium, formerly QualComm Stadium. This was also known as Jack Murphy Stadium at one time. It was home to the Padres baseball team until they moved to PetCo Field. The NFL Chargers played here until the team moved to Los Angeles after the 2016 season. Now its is home only to the San Diego State University Aztecs, but is also used for special events.

Going downtown again, I stopped at Tuna Harbor Park, home berth of the decommissioned USS Midway, a large aircraft carrier. Having been on several such ships, it was enough to stay on shore and take a few photos.

The park also has some interesting statues, such as one called "Embracing Peace", a larger-than-life sculpture depicting the iconic 1945 image of a sailor planting a kiss on a nurse in Times Square, NYC, when it was announced that WWII was over. For scale, notice the plaque next to it that is about four feet high.

I also enjoyed a series of bronzes showing Bob Hope delivering his monologue to a group of servicemen. The memorial includes audio of a few of Bob's monologues that play continuously.

I've taken a break from touring for a few days, so there may be a short lull in the action. I've had a good stay here in Alpine, despite some surprisingly bad weather. The latest event was two days of extremely high winds, much like a hurricane without rain. The people here have been very nice and there are lots of birds around. Being close to the mountains has made it easy to get up high for scenic vistas. I'm hoping my next stop will be as good.