Trouteholes Go Californian - Episode 4

We fell in love with the bounty of the farmlands surrounding Monterey Bay, making ourselves nearly sick on fruit-eating orgies while on the road -- and off. Jess and I were green (pardon the pun) with envy seeing the signs touting artichokes 10 for $10! As the only choke-loving members of the family, we gladly pay triple that at home.

 

 We spent a few hours inland in San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist -- I lived near here for years as a kids and never realized the English translation, duh), a small town built around a 300-year-old Spanish mission.

Love this place, it isn't all commercialized, in fact the church is still used regularly. They use an adjacent barn and stables and home as a living museum, filled with items from centuries ago. The mission sits on a slight hill, so from its rear you look out over a lovely valley.

San Juan Bautista mission
The oldest part of the mission, the adobe sanctuary and buildings, have been preserved the best they can and you can wander at will looking at the displays. We even wandered into the church and found a traditional Catholic wedding taking place; we were surprised they hadn't closed off the sanctuary to tourists but tried to be respectful and stand in the rear while we gawked at the church.