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Part 3: A Journey to Mexico: Missions
Episodes 6, 7

Episode 6 — Stops At Missions

Our 3 day speed run going home was interrupted only by food, sleep, and stops at the Missions. I thought Father Serra was the guy that built the missions. He was not the first to do so. One of the pictures will tell the mission story. The first one was completed in 1697. We visited 3 of them and all 3 were open when we stopped. Bob had found 1 open before but never 3. The missions we visited are still in use as churches. They were actually mission compounds with outer buildings and courtyards. The mission floor plan is built in the shape of a cross.

This is the first of the 3 we visited and it is still in great shape. Some of them are in ruins because they were neglected.

Episode 7 — Stops At Missions

This was the second mission we saw on the second day of our drive. This was a very plain mission still used as a church. This was in Mulege (moo la hay). It is on the east coast of Baja on the Sea of Cortez. Hiway 1 followed a long, natural bay for a long time that had a lot of beach resorts on it that we could see from the cliffs overlooking the Sea. The water was a beautiful blue with sand beaches. The resorts had grass huts that tourists rented right next to the water.

This part of Baja is an old tourist area. Bob says it was built up in about the 50's as a resort area. Where we stayed had a private landing strip cut into the sand next to it. During tourist season, the complex fills up with people who fly in and walk over to the motel. The motel reminded me of the old motels that used to be in Calistoga.Concrete block construction with rows of rooms surrounding a garden area. There is also small bungalows you could stay in for a longer time. They had an indoor/outdoor restaurant with an outdoor bar between the restaurant and pool.