I started today's journey riding the bus some 30 minutes along with students going to their schools that seemed a long way from their home. We headed south from Santa Maria to Orcutt. On the trail, it was a gentle climb until I found myself on the legendary Harris Grade Road which, in fact, used to be the old PCH--Route 1. It connects the Los Alamos Valley with the Lompoc Valley and is so dangerous in terms of sharp and blind curves and numerous switchbacks, that Santa Barbara County voted in 2010 to ban all semis / trucks longer than 30 feet. To avoid the blind curves, I had to switch sides of the road numerous times.
The pluses of the Harris Grade Road are stunning panoramic views of Lompoc valley, passing through a 100-year old oil field, and seeing rare Bishop pines who release their seeds only during a forest fire!
Arriving at Mission La Purisima, I was reminded that the California State Parks manages this mission, the only other one being my first one, Mission Solano. It was the 11th mission founded (Dec 8, 1787 by Padre Lasuen). See the enclosed pics.
