THE CALIFORNIA MISSION RIDE

AUGUST 2012

08/17 – Sonoma, set up day – riders and horses gather from all parts of California and out of state. Campsite at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma.

08/18 — Sonoma

Early morning:  By the exterior church wall before the Indian Memorial, the CMR team gathers alone to pay silent tribute to the Indians of Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma and their descendants.

1:00 – 4:00 p.m. “Archaeology Day at the Mission” — An exciting research event as archaeologists and tribal scholars team up with hi-tech tools to uncover new information about  Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, including areas where Native American women and girls were lodged during the mission era.  Joining this endeavor to decipher the past will be members of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria whose tribal histories are directly tied to Sonoma’s mission.  An interpreter from California State Parks will be on site to greet visitors and answer questions as the archaeological team, led by California State Parks Senior Archaeologist E. Breck Parkman and Berkeley Department of Anthropology Professor Kent Lightfoot (generously volunteering time and special equipment) advances on this ground-breaking project with participation of Pomo Tribal Elder Nick Tipon.

Location: The archaeological site is just to the north of the mission, on the outer side of the mission’s courtyard wall. Please go north on First Street East in Sonoma (the mission will be on your right, and the Plaza will be behind you).  Just after the mission, there is a grassy vacant lot, also to your right; this is where the archaeological team will be working.

4:30-6:30 p.m.  ”The California Mission Ride Reception”  – The Blue Wing Adobe Trust hosts a wonderful send-off for the The California Mission Ride team in Sonoma’s exquisite  Blue Wing Adobe, a former inn whose colorful history reaches back to Sonoma’s Mexican era.  Guests are warmly welcome to enjoy  local wine, cheese, olives, bread, and olive oil; mingle with history-lovers and adobe aficionados; and experience the beguiling atmosphere of the Blue Wing Adobe.  Please join us for this gathering on the eve of our journey to connect all 21 missions on horseback!  Address: Blue Wing Inn, 133 Spain Street East, Sonoma CA (just across the street from the mission).  Please RSVP by August 15, 2012: [email protected] or Google phone: 707-939-5885.

(Note: for lodging in Sonoma, please visit the Sonoma Valley Visitor’s Bureau website; for additional information, call the Bureau on their toll-free number: 1-800-996-1090.)

08/19 — Sonoma:

9:30 a.m. “The California Mission Ride sets out from Sonoma” — Docents of Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks host a coffee & donut event at the Sonoma Barracks.  Riders and horses will be at the Barracks to meet the docents and to explore this important historic site.  This event is free and open to the public.

10:15 a.m. Time to saddle up and head out to connect the missions of California on horseback!

The California Mission Ride team and registered guest riders stop at  Cline Cellars for lunch.

We are honored to ride out from Sonoma with Michael Muir and mobility-compromised members of Access Adventure – ”Challenging the Limits of Disability.”

Overnight camp at the Sleepy Hollow Dairy Vineyards.

08/20- Continue to San Rafael, overnight camp on the trail.

08/21 – San Rafael, arrive by sundown, overnight at Elk’s Lodge.

(Note: for hotels in San Rafael, please visit the Marin County Visitors Bureau website.)

08/22 – Mission San Rafael, and at the nearby active spring that originally supplied water to the mission — join us at 2:00 p.m. for a special one-hour tour led by Theresa Brunner.

Overnight at Elk’s Lodge.

08/23 – Mission San Rafael to Marin Headlands, overnight camp Marin Headlands.

08/24 – Marin Headlands to San Francisco. Should we try to ride across Golden Gate Bridge?  Hmmm…. Our horses don’t love walking across bridges as much as we do, but we may be able to find a way to cross over safely.  Plan B is to trailer horses across the bridge.  Overnight in San Francisco.

08/25 – San Francisco, Mission Dolores

11:30 a.m. – noon  – Two thousand Marvel-like comic books depicting the life and work of Father Junípero Serra, Franciscan founder of the mission chain in Alta California during the Spanish era, will be presented by Mission Dolores Curator Andrew Galvan to the Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to serve the educations of 4th-graders in Marin County, San Francisco County, and San Mateo County.   Gather on the steps of the Old Mission Dolores.

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p. m.  ”Revitalization of the Chochenyo Language”  – An exclusive talk by Vincent Medina Jr. on the Chochenyo language and its revival.  This event will be held in the Old Mission Church and is free and open to the public.

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  ”Revolutionizing The California Mission Experience”  Chochenyo Ohlone Indians,  Mission Dolores  Curator Andrew Galvan and Assistant Curator  (and author of the blog “Being Ohlone in the 21st Century“) Vincent Medina Jr., will give a testimony of a California Mission from a native perspective.  Come and witness how tours have been revolutionized to focus on native resistance, culture, and perseverance into the modern day.  This event is free and open to the public.  Please join us in the mission cemetery near the Ohlone ruway (tule house).

Overnight in San Francisco.  Ohlone Dinner Night at the CMR campsite. (Visit our Trail Blog to read about the menu.)

(Note: for places to stay in San Francisco, please visit the city’s Chamber of Commerce website.)

08/26 – San Francisco to Peninsula Open Space, overnight camp.

08/27 – Peninsula Open Space to Santa Clara;  reach Mission Santa Clara by early afternoon.

2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. “Bells & Horses”  – An interactive installation curated by Jasmin Ruiz Blasco. Participants include Jasmin Ruiz Blasco, Scott Cazan, and Matthew Hettich.  These luminaries in the field of electronic music will gather on the steps of Mission Santa Clara to manipulate recorded sounds.  Join us as we experience the creation of a dynamic ‘sound sculpture’ that pays tribute to the campus roots of hi-tech creativity in and around Silicon Valley.  Jasmin and his collaborators will be introduced by a leading local historian, where Mission Santa Clara now stands at the heart of the University of Santa Clara campus.  We will hear how California’s oldest operating institution of higher education emerged here, and how Santa Clara County became home to other campuses, including those of Stanford University…and Apple Inc.

From Jasmin’s working notes for the project:

The sonic palette will be composed of recordings made in and around Mission Santa Clara, and the installation will be structured in the manner of a group prayer.  Tools and techniques that I will use for “Horses & Bells” will be derived from technologies developed in the Bay Area:

ChucK: A programming language dedicated to music and sound manipulation, developed at Stanford. 

QuNeo Midi Controllers: Developed by Keith McMillen Instruments in Berkeley California. 

Continue on from Santa Clara to camp near Alum Rock Park.

08/28 – Alum Rock Park to Fremont, Mission San Jose by afternoon.

Join us for a multi-faceted educational experience at Mission San Jose:

5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  ”Mission San Jose: Past, Present, and Future of the East Bay and the Bay Area” — A roundtable event at the mission with special guests to discuss how this mission shaped development of land, roads, and shore, as well as the history and future of  the Bay Area.  Gather with us to learn about the pre-mission era, the Indians of Mission San Jose, the Camino Real, earthquakes, and the influence of Mission San Jose on life and land today and tomorrow around the bay.  Confirmed participants include Professor Kent Lightfoot, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley; Dolores Ferenz, Administrator of Mission San Jose; Andrew Galvan, President, Board of Directors of the Committee for the Restoration of the Mission San Jose; Vincent Medina Jr., author of the blog “Being Ohlone in the 21st Century” and Assistant Curator of Mission Dolores; Breck Parkman, Senior State Archaeologist, California Department of Parks and Recreation; Thomas Blalock, Director, Board of Directors, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART);  Stuart A. Guedon, Archaeologist and Historical Geographer, Basin Research Associates; and Jack Boatwright,  Northern California Regional Co-Coordinator, Earthquake Hazards Program, U.S. Geological Survey (Department of the Interior).

7:00 p.m. – Join The California Mission Ride team and roundtable participants for a unique dinner hosted by the Committee for the Restoration of the Mission San Jose.  A mouth-watering Mission BBQ menu is prepared by Vintage Catering for this occasion: Chicken and steak fajitas with grilled onions and bell peppers; warm flour and corn tortillas; mixed green vegetables; Mexican rice; Texas caviar; shredded lettuce & cilantro salad with Baja vinaigrette, fajita condiments, tortilla chips, and watermelon wedges.  Tickets for the BBQ are $25.00 per person and may be reserved in advance by mailing your check and email to: The Committee for Restoration of the Mission San Jose; PO Box 3314; Fremont, CA 94539.  All reservations will be confirmed by email.  Please note that $5.00 per ticket is tax-deductible for this fundraiser to help restore the mission.  For a 10% savings on the dinner, you are invited to reserve a table of 8 for $180.00.  Dinner will be served at St. Joseph Parish Hall next to the mission.  For more information, please contact the CRMSJ Board of Directors President Andrew Galvan at [email protected] or by phone 510-882-0527.

Riders and crew overnight at Mission San Jose, hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose.

(Note: for lodging, please visit the City of Fremont website.)

08/29 – Head to Santa Cruz Mountains, overnight camp on trail.

08/30 – Santa Cruz Mountains, overnight camp on the trail.

08/31 – Santa Cruz Mountains to campsite hosted by the McCrary family in Davenport.

SEPTEMBER 2012

09/01 – Cyclists with People Power escort The California Mission Ride team into  Mission Santa Cruz State Historic Park in the afternoon  Note this line from the mission statement of People Power of Santa Cruz County: “We are committed to helping government, citizens, and businesses overcome their dependance on the automobile.”

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  ”The Lives of California Indians of Mission Santa Cruz” —   Join riders and crew of The California Mission Ride as Interpreter Julie Sidel of California State Parks leads them on an eye-opening tour at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.  This site includes the only neophyte housing that remains standing in the entire mission chain.  In a reconstructed apartment, we’ll see where Indian families lived, and we’ll hear about their daily lives and challenges there during the mission era. The rooms are filled with important artifacts, and examples of furnishings and tools that Native Americans used at this mission, including cookware, sleeping accommodations for babies, and many other illuminating items that bring the old adobe rooms to life.  After we visit the adobe, Julie Sidel will introduce us to the park’s cultural gardens, where we’ll discover some of the native plants important to Indians of this region before and during the mission era, as well as some of the plants introduced by the Spanish.  While donations are graciously accepted, this event is free and open to the public.

5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.  ”Dinner and Live Music” —  In the courtyard of Mission Santa Cruz State Historic Park with The California Mission Ride.    California Indian & Spanish agricultural traditions will be highlighted for dinner, and California Indian and Spanish oral culture and music traditions will be featured   through sunset in free events open to the public.  Please bring warm clothes and blankets or lawn chairs.

Dinner: Organic vegetarian items, and organic grilled meats, will be available for purchase on the grounds.  Vendors, finger food  & dinner plate offerings, plus basic prices, to be posted soon.  Complimentary tortillas will be served!

Concert: Santa Cruz’s one-and-only Blackbird Raum performs for the supper gathering.  Their “acoustic anarcho-punk” sound was launched on the streets of Santa Cruz, and has since gone on to wow audiences across the U.S. and Europe.  As band member Caspian put it in an interview with The Times of Malta last year, “Expect a rapturous, life-changing experience, and make sure you are wearing dancing shoes.”

Update August 2012: Blackbird Raum recently reported that, due to a schedule change, they will be in the recording studio on September 1.  BUT: they’ll be inviting another band to participate in their stead.  Good luck to Blackbird Raum for their new recording! And we look forward to posting info soon about the new band.

6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.  ”Campfire Gathering”  –  Join horsemen and crew of The California Mission Ride around the fire pit in the Mission Santa Cruz State Historic Park courtyard for enthralling stories and sweet songs.  Please bring warm clothes and blankets or lawn chairs.

Featured storytellers: Ann Marie Sayers, Ohlone Indian and Tribal Chair of Indian Canyon in Hollister (see our Trail Blog for an exclusive interview with Ann Marie Sayers); and Bethany Kilzer of Santa Cruz, known for her tales of frogs, turtles, snakes, and more.

Campfire tunes for cowboys and cowgirls will be performed by Michelle Kiba, the Ukulele Lady of Santa Cruz, and the evening concludes with historical and environmental songs by the 5Ms of Santa Cruz (the 5 Ms stand for “Mostly Mediocre Musical Monarch Mariposas”).

(Note: for places to stay, please visit the Santa Cruz County website.)

09/02 – Santa Cruz rest day for humans and horses!

09/03 – Santa Cruz toward San Juan Bautista, overnight camp at Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, generously sponsored by our host Diane Cooley.

09/04 – By sunset reach Mission San Juan Bautista.

8:00 p.m. attend Canción de San Juan: Oratorio of a Mission Town, a new work conceived and composed by Daniel Valdez, at El Teatro Campesino.   If you would like to join the CMR team for this special closing night performance of the 90-minute oratorio, please call 831-623-2444.

Overnight camp on the soccer field of Aromas San Juan School.

09/05 –  Join us for an exceptional look at the past and present of  Mission San Juan Bautista:

9:00 a.m.  “Commemoration of the Discovery of the Mother  Church of San Juan Bautista and Toypurina ” — At the site of the archaeological footings of the original mission chapel of 1797, we attend a ground-breaking ceremony honoring the site of the original chapel  or “mother church” of Mission San Juan Bautista, and the probable burial place of the legendary medicine woman and Gabrieleño tribal leader Toypurina, whose early contributions to the community of San Juan Bautista shall not be forgotten.  Details to be confirmed and posted soon.

Update: The California Mission Ride is happy to announce that representatives from the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, including Tribal Council secretary Christina Swindall Martinez, are traveling from Southern California to honor Toypurina at this commemoration event.

11:00 a.m – noon  ”Horses & Tack” — Docent and Vaquero/Cowboy John Grafton welcomes visitors to the State Historic Park for a whirlwind introduction to horses, tack, and horse culture of the early American West.  Mr. Grafton will also demonstrate old-school methods used to make tack.  We will also visit with Deborah Wolfe and her Colonial Spanish Horses and learn about the story behind this rare breed of horse.

3:00 p.m. -4:30 p.m. “Archaeological Mystery Tour” with Professor Rubén Mendoza to explore the unique world of Mission San Juan Bautista.  Share the excitement of examining recently discovered artifacts for clues they reveal about the past.  In the mission’s church, we’ll find out which elements work together to symbolize the Kingdom of Heaven.  And we’ll learn how to identify fascinating animal paw prints in tiles of the church floor.

Afternoon “California Mission Journey” — Pay an advance visit to the new art exhibit at the Galeria Tonantzin Center for Arts and Humanities that will run from September 7-30, 2012.  Jennifer Colby shows acrylic paintings on photo canvas exploring images of the Virgin of Guadeloupe and other sacred figures from the California Missions.

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  ”The Arts of  San Juan” — Reception at Casa Maria, the Old Mission Parish Hall with spectacular views of the San Benito Valley and the original Camino Real.  A very special gathering to honor local artists, photographers, and authors as well as their works.   Join riders and crew for delicious local wines and tapas with the vibrant arts community of San Juan Bautista and vicinity, including Kim Weston, whose forthcoming book of photographs of the mission will be highlighted.  This event is free and open to the public. Donations in support of the conservation and future retrofit of Old Mission San Juan Bautista will be most graciously accepted.  Food and wine provided by San Juan Bakery, Matxain Etain Basque restaurant, and the Aimee June Winery of San Juan Bautista!

7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. “Archaeological Mystery Tour by Night”  – Professor Rubén Mendoza offers a rare look at Mission San Juan Bautista based on his research.  Come and experience a recreation of the dramatic rays of sunlight that enter the church to illuminate its tabernacle at dawn on the annual winter solstice.  Professor Mendoza will demonstrate how the sun played a major role in the design and construction of the church, and will discuss the significance of the solar calendar at Mission San Juan Bautista.

Note: please visit the City of San Juan Bautista website to plan your visit, explore lodging options, and to learn more about the history of this remarkable town.  The website also features a handy self-guided walking tour map showing must-see highlights of historic San Juan Bautista.

09/06 – Mission San Juan Bautista Church, early morning blessing of horses and riders for their continued journey, details to be confirmed and posted.  Following the blessing, we head toward Mission San Carlos in Carmel via the old Camino Real that runs beside Mission San Juan Bautista, and then we travel on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail to the Monterey County border.

Overnight camp at the Marina Equestrian Center in Marina, Monterey County.

09/07 – By sunset reach Carmel, Mission San Carlos.

09/08 –  Mission San Carlos, join The California Mission Ride team for a unique look at this mission, home of Carmel Mission Basilica and the shrine of Father Junípero Serra. Our stay includes a field trip to Monterey.

Morning reserved for meetings with local artists.

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.  ”California’s First Capital and Father Junípero Serra’s First Chapel (1770)”  –  Join riders and crew from The California Mission Ride as we explore the site of California’s first political, military, and religious capital.  Walk the site of the earliest Junípero Serra chapels known to the archaeological record, those of 1770 and 1772; discover the beautifully renovated and oldest extant building in California designed by an architect, the Church of 1794; and pay a visit to the recently revamped museum of the Royal Presidio of Monterey.  We’ll find out why Father Serra in 1771 moved the Mission church to Carmel, where it became the centerpiece of Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo and the headquarters of the California Mission chain under Spanish rule. We’ll also learn how Monterey became the military and political capital of California under the Spain, Mexico, and the United States, and why Americans moved the state’s capital to Sacramento.  This multifaceted tour is open to the public and will be led by Professor Rubén Mendoza, the archaeologist who has launched major investigations culminating in major discoveries, at this historically rich site.  Please see our Trail Blog for an exclusive interview with Dr. Mendoza about his archaeological work and background.

6:30-7:30 p.m. “The Cenotaph of Father Junípero Serra and its Sculptor, Jo Mora.”   Meet The California Mission Ride at the central gate of Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo.  Inside the mission, we will visit the famous “Serra Cenotaph” sculpted by the Uruguayan-American Joseph Jacinto “ Jo” Mora.  Then, in the mission’s central courtyard, we will gather around the fire pit, where Peter Hiller, Jo Mora Trust Collection Curator, will relate highlights of the 1903 horseback journey that Jo Mora made to the California Missions.  Memorabilia from this historic trip will also be presented. This event is free and open to the public.  Visitors are also invited to bring marshmallows and skewers, or makings for s’mores, to enjoy around the fire pit.

(Note: for places to stay in Carmel, please consult the town’s website.)

09/09 – Carmel toward Soledad, overnight camp on the trail.

09/10 – Arrive Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad by sunset, overnight camp at the mission.

09/11 — Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad.

Join us for a unique look at the old mission as well as life in the Salinas Valley today:

Possible morning event, details to be posted.

Midday and early afternoon reserved for riders and crew of The California Mission Team to explore local agriculture and wineries of the Mission Soledad area, and to visit the sacred Paraiso Springs above the mission.

4:00 p.m. -5:30 p.m.  ”Our Mission” — A tour of the mission led by students of  Soledad’s Mission Union Elementary School.  Local 4th-graders show us what they find most interesting about this mission — it is very  close to their school — and introduce us to the teachers who explore Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad with them in their classrooms.  6th-graders present archaeological highlights of the mission, including the recently discovered irrigation system built by Indians of Mission Soledad.  Students describe the history of droughts and floods at the mission, and explain why water issues remain a key concern for them and their community in the Salinas Valley.

Evening reserved for cookout with members of the Mission Soledad community.  Overnight camp at the mission.

(Note: for lodging in Soledad, please visit the town’s website.)

09/12 – From Mission Soledad toward Misson San Antonio de Padua, overnight camp on the trail.

09/13 — By sunset arrive Mission San Antonio de Padua.  An evening of reflection and prayer with current and past soldiers of Fort Hunter Liggett.   At 7:00 p.m., Evening Mass, Bishop Richard Garcia, Presiding, and featuring the sacred music of  Fray Juan Bautista Sancho.  Members of the New World Baroque Orchestra participate under direction of John Warren.  For more information or for room reservations at the mission’s retreat center, please call Mission San Antonio de Padua at +1 831.385.4478, extension 10.

09/14 – Mission San Antonio de Padua.  Join us for special visits of the mission and grounds led by esteemed experts,  $7/adults and $5/children/seniors/active military.  Please call Mission San Antonio de Padua at +1 831.385.4478, extension 10, for any additional information about tours.

Discover the unusual music history of Mission San Antonio, including rare instruments and scores, with a musicologist, details to be posted.

4:00 p.m. “Honoring the Ancestors” –  Salinan Elders and Tribal Council and members welcome visitors to the Salinan Cemetery at Mission San Antonio de Padua to discuss their ancestry.  They will also speak about their recent petition to the US Government for tribal recognition. Tribal Elder and Council Member Susan Latta will be joined by Tribal Elder and Genealogist Suzanne Pierce Taylor and others.  Meet at the cemetery next to the mission. (Note: To obtain a copy of The Ancestors Speak, by Suzanne Pierce Taylor, you may contact the author directly by phone, 805-466-2532, or by email: [email protected])

6:00 p.m. Join riders and crew of The California Mission Ride for a full-on BBQ dinner on the mission’s festival grounds sponsored by The Campaign for the Preservation of Mission San Antonio.  Visitors are asked to register in advance for tickets to the BBQ, $35.00.  Proceeds will benefit the mission’s earthquake retrofit/restoration effort, an important step for the long-term preservation of this major site.

For information on tours, BBQ, and room reservations for the mission’s retreat center, please call Mission San Antonio de Padua at +1 831.385.4478, extension 10.

09/15 – Mission San Antonio de Padua toward San Miguel, overnight at the  North Shore of Lake San Antonio equestrian camp.  Riders camp a few miles from the Cuesta Grade, beyond which the land, flora, and fauna change dramatically.  These natural changes also mark the traditional boundary between the Salinan & Esselen Indians of this region and the coastal Chumash Indians to the South.

09/16 – Midday arrive at Mission San Miguel for the Annual Fiesta at Mission San Miguel.  Please join us as we reach San Miguel on horseback to celebrate the mission’s feast day.  There will be live music, dancing, games, prizes, beans and BBQ, plus spirited horses and riders!

Overnight at the mission.

(Note: for lodging  in San Miguel, please visit the town’s website.)

***
This marks the end of The North Ride and the halfway point on the California Mission Ride.  We’ll return to San Miguel in summer of 2013  to continue on to San Diego and complete The South Ride.