This last weekend was a 3 day weekend, so we decided to make the most of it and went out for the day on Saturday. We drove down to Oceanside (which is south, towards San Diego) to see the Mission. California Missions are each a days ride apart, so this would have been a days ride from San Juan Capistrano. Luckily for us it only took an hours drive to get there.
The Mission was founded in 1798. It has been renovated and slightly modified from it's original state but it is a beautiful complex. Although outside the Missions grounds could have used some watering.
The gardens looked amazing but it is now used as a retreat facility so we were not allowed to view them. It was really disappointing to only be able to see them from behind a fence. 
Apparently, across the grounds they had statues from the Stations of the Cross. I thought this was a great idea, it beats having to look at tiny pictures within the Church but unfortunately we couldn't see all 14 stations because many of them were within the gardens.
Jamie and I found this stone piece pretty fascinating. The tour called it a gargoyle but to us it looks more from Native American artwork than European. This is where the 'Indians' washed their clothes, called a Lavandaria. They are now in ruins but even so they were pretty impressive.
After the museum, we drove down to San Diego to the Cabrillo National Monument. It is on a peninsula that overlooks the coast of San Diego. It wasn't the clearest day but it still offered an amazing view. In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. He is attributed as the first European to arrive and a statue now commemorates this. There is also the first lighthouse in San Diego and a military base located within the park. 
We did a small hike and enjoyed watching the sailboats and yachts go by, with the occasional fishing boat being followed by crowds of seagulls. We enjoyed the day and the weather.
I can't believe Labor Day has come and gone. It's the unofficial end to summer which is a bit sad but with all the uncomfortable hot weather we are looking forward to Autumn this year.
