Friday, Sep.
14, 2007
A Hot Day!
Carpinteria→Refugio
State Beach
Distance: 80.0 km, Total: 475.82 km
As the saying goes "an early bird catches the
worm" I left the Refugio State Beach already at 8:10 in the morning. I continued on the Freeway
101 (!) through the Gaviota State Park. 'Gaviota' is Spanish for 'seagull'. According to legend a Spanish sailor killed a seagull while camping in
this area in 1769. The park has different hiking trials and even a hot spring but
it's main attraction is obviously its beach.
After this State Park bicycles had to leave the
Highway, which is named here also the "Cabrillo Highway". It is named after Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (1499-1543), the maritime navigator known for the first European exploring the West Coast of North America on behalf of the Spanish Empire.
The weather was wind-still
and very hot, much like a desert. This made the ride not only difficult but the land was not interesting.  |
Bikes have to leave Freeway 101
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On the road I
checked the new bike computer, it seemed that I did a good job yesterday. I
came to Lompoc (LOM-POKE), which was established on the land of the several time mentioned Chumash Indians. In their language (Purisimeño) the
name means 'stagnant water' or 'lagoon', around 40.000 people call it
their home today.
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Horses grazing beside the Road
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In a fast food
restaurant I enjoyed a big salad while my battery was charged... After my meal
I went back to my unlocked bike and discovered a missing bolt and nut fixing my
front carrier on the front fork. As my mountain bike it is also fixed on the
bolts of the V-brakes the carrier was still very tight but I wanted to solve
the problem. Beside the road I've discovered a bike shop and went inside. I
explained the guy my problem, he grasped into a drawer and gave me the matching
nut and bolt for free. Thanks!
Not far away
from the city center I ran into the Mission La Purisima Concepción, or La
Purisima Mission, which was founded by Padre Fermín Lasuén on Dec. 08,
1787. How this mission developed I would like to explain by the
official numbers of 1803: 3,230 cattle, 5,400 sheep, 306 horses, 37 mules. In
the same year the mission harvested 690 fanegas (or Spanish bushel; 1 fanega =
1.58 US bushels or 55.7 liters) of wheat, corn and beans.
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Mission
La Purisima Concepción
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The earthquake
of Santa Barbara (Dec. 21, 1812) destroyed the original Mission La Purisima
Concepción very much and due to the natural disaster the native Indians, important workers, refused to
return. The decision was made to start in the
Watercress Canyon, 4 miles east, with a new mission.
After
Mexico won the war of independence against Spain in 1823 the payments to
support the mission from the Spanish fund was suspended. The Spanish soldiers
got of course not paid by the Mexican government to the tensions grew within
the mission. After a Spanish soldier hit an Indian in the nearby Mission Santa Inés in Solvang the Indians revolted in 1824. The revolt spread over to
the Mission La
Purisima; the Chumash Indians occupied the place of one month. With the arrival of soldiers from Monterey the revolt ended and many Chumash left. But some Indians returned from their shelter during the revolt in the nearby mountains to the mission.
Due
to different reasons the mission stopped its function finally in 1834. The
buildings and the land was sold several times and its former glory
deteriorated. In 1934 the Mission La Purisima Concepción became a part of
the Californian State System.
As
I cycled onto the historical State Park I ran into the newly built visitor's
centers. But because it was already after 5 pm the workers already left and I
stood in front of closed doors. The park itself with the mission was still
closed and therefore I had the chance to look around only by myself. The
Mission was actually a self-sustaining community with different buildings and
land for farming and ranching. The church, the housings and warehouses in its
center were protected by a wall and provided a home for around 1, 000 Indians.
Around the missions were agricultural areas for the cultivation of grain,
vegetables and fruit. Animals were ranched for meat supplies, on its height
there were around 20.000 animals in possession of the mission. After a
historically very interesting time and some photos I went back onto the road
into the sunset.
Before
the nightfall I passed Vandenberg Air Force Base. As a Department of Defense
space and missile testing base it has a mission of placing satellites into
polar orbit from the West Coast by using expendable boosters.
Somehow
I found a suitable place for the night. Beside the Highway 1 several wild
California bushes (not related to the former US ex-presidents) provided me with
some shelter from the passing cars and, more important, from the ocean winds.
The air became already very moist which let me pack all of my stuff the water
tight bags. Nothing is more uncomfortable than waking up seeing damp clothes,
equipment and shoes.
I
had a comfortable night in my sleeping bag and was looking forward to experience an interesting
tomorrow...
