El Camino Real ~ The King's Highway

California history has always been fascinating to me. I, as every child in California, had to learn of my Californios history in third grade. The Mexican/Spanish influence weighed heavily on my surroundings (though not as heavily as now). I even went to a high school named after an affluent Spanish Don, Don Antonio Maria Lugo High School. Our mascot was the Conquistador and our yearbook and newsletter was titled "El Camino Real"! I love my Californios roots and appreciate the history. For that reason, on our way to Carlsbad and the beach last week, we stopped at another mission in Oceanside called Mission San Luis Rey de Francia. This mission also lies on El Camino Real or "The King's Highway" that linked and unified los Californios from San Diego de Alcala to San Francisco Solana de Sonoma (San Diego to San Francisco). While the mission at San Juan Capistrano is known as the Jewel of the Missions, the San Luis Rey mission is known as the King of the Missions. Again, the mission was peaceful and calm. Here are a few pictures. Probably fewer than you care to see, but oh well!

The Flora and Fauna of the missions are typical coastal California desert. Beautiful and colorful.

This statue stands in the cemetery.

This is the doorway into the Mission Church Cemetery.

Sarah and Leah climbing the steps out of the laundromat.

The indians, under the direction of the Franciscans, built aqueducts for agriculture and other needs. This is the laundromat built in the late 18th century.

I assume they did not have sculpting clay otherwise there may be another reason why this statue was carved out of stacked bricks.

It is a beautiful place, but Sarah and Leah make it that much more beautiful!

The mission church.

The first pepper tree in California.

Leah liked it when I rang the bell.

The chapel of St. Francis.

Leah, Sarah and St. Francis.