Mission San Juan Capistrano Postcard Day

California state history, including the missions, are the focus of fourth grade studies, and this week Maria and I made a special class visit to the mission in San Juan Capistrano, only an hour away by train. I will spare you the historic tidbits and trivia I have amassed over the years, because Wikipedia can probably do it better, anyway. As close to home as this mission is, as many times as I have stopped in San Juan Capistrano in forty-eight years, this was the first time I've been into the mission. It was a gorgeous day... a postcard day, and well worth the trip. I especially loved the gardens, and the areas where we could see how things were done... like the tallow vats, the kitchen, where they forged metal. As a chaperone, I was accompanied by Maria and four of her classmates, including her friend, Emma. After our self guided audio tour, we ate lunch on the lawn, then made the short trek back to the train station. {Five Stars... Five Thumbs Up... Five Fat Hens... I rank the train ride and stop in San Juan Capistrano very highly for the gorgeous ocean views, and relaxing ride, for the central station, convenient to sights, dining, shopping, and scenic walking.}























Riding home... backwards. I had forgotten how gorgeous this ride can be, how often there is only bluff and sand between the train and the Pacific Ocean. And. We saw dolphins playing in the surf. Yes, dolphins. Actually, we see dolphins playing in the surf, from the beach, often, but everything that happens on a train is somehow magnified in awesomeness... like riding backwards, seeing the ocean, eating chips and guacamole... Awesome!