After several hikes with my wife on different trails that led to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, it seemed like there should be a worthwhile hike on this side of the pond. To be a contender for an urban type hike, it would need to have:
A clear starting and ending point.
Points of interest that would make the hike unique.
Places to stay (campgrounds, hostels, motels) within a reasonable day's hike of each other, and
Places to eat or buy food along the way to avoid an excessively heavy backpack.Mission San Diego De Alcala (Photo credit: mikol_ice)
The only real alternative seemed to be California's 21 old Spanish missions along the El Camino Real. Although I thought it would be as easy as finding someone's blog and retracing their steps, it soon appeared that no one had done this hike in recent history. After three or four months of Googling, reading, quizzing people, driving, bicycling and walking, I finally plotted a walking route that seemed do-able from San Diego to Sonoma, a total of about 800 miles.
My wife, Sandy, and I had met an Italian pilgrim, Beppe Sala, while hiking in Spain. He thought it sounded like a worthwhile adventure also, so he flew to L.A. to join us. Finally, in early March of 2011, Beppe, my wife and I headed north from San Diego to rediscover life on El Camino Real.
In following posts, I will show the maps of our adventure. It was a 54 day hike, and some days require more than one map. The next post will be the four day leg from "Mission San Diego to Mission San Luis Rey." There will be a total of 20 legs to connect the 21 missions.
Barcelona—once dismissed as a grimy, dull city—is now mentioned in the same breath as Paris, London and Rome as a must-see destination for anyone seeking to experience Europe at its best. What happened?
The city sports gorgeous architecture, both in the charming tangle of medieval streets and in turn-of-the-19th-Century masterpieces by Antonin Gaudi and other geniuses of the Modernisme movement. The Mediterranean Sea splashes right at its doorstep, creating a vibrant downtown waterfront where you can stroll past a harbor full of tall-mast sailboats and broad beaches crowded with stunningly well-toned sunbathers. Barcelona is ringed with mountains, laced with Parisian-style boulevards and dotted with lively nightspots.
Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma (Photo credit: Larry Myhre)
San Rafael to S.F. Solano de Sonoma
(Leg #20: Days #53 & 54)
These maps follow the route described in:
CALIFORNIA MISSION WALK: A Hiker's Guide to California's 21 Missions along El Camino Real.
by Ron Briery
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For the most part, this last leg was a nice pleasant stroll through rolling hills and small towns. The last day, however, was probably the scariest day of the whole trek. It was raining and we had to cross a long bridge on a narrow highway, later followed by narrow, curvy roads with no shoulders.
Mission San Francisco de Asis (Dolores), 320 Dolores St, San Francisco. Photographed from the median of Dolores St. between 16th and 17th Sts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
San Jose to Dolores and San Francisco de Asisi
(Leg #18: Days 49-51) These maps follow the route described in:
CALIFORNIA MISSION WALK: A Hiker's Guide to California's 21 Missions along El Camino Real. by Ron Briery
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The trek from Mission San Jose on to the ferry terminal follows main roads through some relatively seedy places. However, since we were on main roads in the middle of the day, we didn't see a problem. I had assumed that the ferry service was an all-day schedule. Wrong assumption!
Mission San Diego De Alcala (Photo credit: mikol_ice) 
