The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

This week, I shall be taking you over to San Juan Bautista, which is just a short hop from Highway 25, heading west on Highway 156. 

A three-mile segment of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a hiking trail in San Juan Bautista. The trail runs along the Old Stage Road, which is near the intersection of San Juan Canyon Road and San Juan Grade Road.

This national historic trail was the first overland trail from New Spain to San Francisco. It was named after Juan Bautista de Anza, of Spain, who led about 300 people—soldiers and their families—over 2,700 miles from Tubac, Sonora (now known as Nogales, Arizona) to San Francisco, California. Anza is also credited for choosing the sites for the Presidio of San Francisco  and Mission Dolores. The expedition started in October, 1775 and completed its journey in June, 1776.

For more information about this national historic trail, check out these Web sites:

 U.S. National Park Service Web page

The Trail Guide: San Benito County

Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail

The West Side of the Anza Trail

Last week, the Husband and I went up the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail via the Salinas entrance. I read that the west entrance is a few hundred feet higher than the east entrance. That may be why the hike up to the summit is easier. It's also nearer—about 1.5 miles from the gate, as opposed to about 2.5 miles from the San Juan gate.

Looking east towards San Benito County from the summit.

Looking west towards Monterey Bay from the summit.

There is quite a difference in terrain between the two sides. On the east side, you steadily traverse upward on the trail. At one point, it seems like you could walk right into the sky. On the west side, the climb is gradual. Your attention is diverted by the meadow along the start of the trail, then the rounded hills on the north, and the now and then pass through overhanging oak branches.

How to Get to the West Entrance
Via San Juan Grade Road: At the intersection of San Juan Grade Road and Crazy Horse Canyon Road, turn left. At the end of the road, turn left. You're on Stage Coach Road. Drive a few miles to the end of that road.

Via South on Highway 101: Take the Crazy Horse Canyon/Echo Valley Road exit. Go to the left for Crazy Horse Canyon Road, and continue for several minutes until the road dead ends at Stage Coach Road. Turn left and drive to the end of the road.

The west entrance of the Anza Trail

Heading Up to the Clouds

Yesterday was a gorgeous day to hike the Anza Trail, a mile or so south of the City of San Juan Bautista. The trail, formally known as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, is 1,200 miles long, stretching from Nogales, Arizona to the Carquinez Straits in Contra Costa, California.

The local segment of the trail used to be the Old Stage Road, on which once upon a time stage coaches ran between San Juan Bautista and Salinas. The first mile of the 4.5 trail is a rather steep climb that I wonder how often passengers had to get off the coach and walk.

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Wildflowers on the Anza Trail

Yesterday, the Husband and I walked a bit of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (pshew, that's a mouthful) in San Juan Bautista.  Butterflies and grasshoppers escorted us throughout the walk, bees serenaded us, and wildflowers greeted us as well. The flowers showed up in all sorts of places along the trail.

S is for. . .

The former home of John and Almira Steinbeck on Monterey Street

The Steinbecks. 

John and Almira Steinbeck, to be precise. They were the grandparents of author John Steinbeck, who was born in Salinas and lived there until he graduated from Stanford. 

John and Almira Steinbeck were originally from Prussia. They first moved to Palestine before migrating to the United States. They settled in Hollister around 1874. They owned a dairy on  Line Street, which back then was in the country. When they retired from farming, they moved into town, purchasing a house on Monterey Street. 

As a child, John Steinbeck and his family, from what I understand, visited their grandparents in Hollister by driving a surrey over the Gabilan foothills via the Old Stage Coach Road. Part of the road is known today as the Anza Trail. Something to think about the next time you hike that trail. 

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Saturday Errands in San Juan Bautista

Hellllooo! Yes, it has been a while. I am alive and well, thank you very much. Officially retired I am, so there you go. I've been catching up with the Husband who has been in every-day-is-a-Saturday mode for years.

This morning we actually got out of the house early to do errands in San Juan Bautista. First stop was the Pinnacle Farmstand in San Juan Valley for fresh locally grown organic vegetables and fruit. Only past 9:00 a.m., the place was already full of customers with potatoes, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuces, squashes, cantaloupes, apples, and other produce in their baskets and reusable bags. We're fortunate to have a source for organic vegetables and fruit in the area.

From the Saturday-only produce stand, we meandered the back roads to the Mission City. The further west we drove, the deeper we went into the morning fog. At Prescott Road, we turned left onto San Juan Highway to town while the fog veered to the right to head back to the coast.

It was a hard choice for breakfast: San Juan Bakery or Vertigo Coffee ? Vertigo Coffee or San Juan Bakery? The Husband let me choose, so sweet of him. 

Vertigo now serves delicious pastries, baked on the premises. The last time we were there, we had a peach scone with our mocha latte. Sigh, sweet delightfulness.

Because it had been awhile, I opted for the bakery where the Husband and I shared the last ham and cheese croissant that was in the display case We also split a raspberry and cream cheese croissant, and each had the perfect bite of an apple fritter doughnut hole. Droool. It's a good thing we don't live within walking distance to the bakery.

If I had remembered to wear my hiking boots we would've walked up the De Anza Trail for a bit. Instead we wandered a couple of blocks, peeked into store windows, and read signs about upcoming events. We also sat for a short spell on a comfy bench, enjoying the beautiful morning and saying hello to passersby.

Our last stop in San Juan was Vertigo Coffee where we purchased a bag of their roasted coffee beans, which comes with a free cup of coffee. Whooo-hooo!

See ya.

San Juan Grade Road

"Where does this road go?" asked the husband, as we kept straight rather than turn left towards the Anza Trail in San Juan Bautista.

"We've driven this before. It comes out on Highway 101 by the eucalyptus grove," I answered.

"I don't remember driving this," he said.

"We have," I said.

I was wrong, and so was the husband. We had driven it before. Just last year, in fact. It was the back road to Salinas. We didn't recognize it, I suppose, because of how green the hills were. It was so worth the drive forth and back on it that late afternoon.

Perspective

This is another view from the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. If you can repeat that several times as you climb up the trail, without breathing too awful hard, you're in pretty good shape, I say.

I also say that every day is Earth Day.

Four Places to Hike in San Benito County

(The photograph is courtesy of my hubby Dick. © Richard A. McDavid. All rights reserved.)

The mountains around Hollister are looking mighty green these days, and it won’t be long before all the poppies and other wildflowers are blooming wildly. Are you ready for a hike?

San Benito County has four parks that are worth checking out.

• Pacheco State Park is on the way to the San Luis Reservoir, heading east on highway 152. The above photograph was taken there a couple years ago.

• Fremont Peak State Park is south of San Juan Bautista, which is about 7 miles from Hollister. Once upon a time it was known as Gavilan Peak. It was named after Capt. John Fremont who supposedly defied the Mexican government in 1846 by camping there and raising the U.S. flag at the tippy-top.
  

• Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is just outside of San Juan Bautista, also to the south. The trail is about 6 miles long and takes you into Monterey County.
  

• Pinnacles National Monument is about 30 miles south of Hollister, off of highway 25
  

Anyone know of other hiking places in San Benito County?

View from Old Stagecoach Road

Looking down the trail on the San Juan Bautista side. As you can tell it was
a beautiful day. Late afternoon. Few hikers. One bicyclist heading down.
Three equestrians heading up.

Taking Old Stagecoach Road was one of the ways that people could get between San Juan Bautista and Salinas. Today, the three mile stretch from San Juan Bautista to the Salinas side is now known as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

It's a wonderful hike. A bit (okay a lot) strenuous if you aren't used to walking steadily uphill for more than a mile. It's about another mile to the crest, although that climb isn't so harsh. Now, if you're in awesome shape, the hike up and down is nothing. Me, ouch, my aching knees on the way down. All worth it.

Dry!

I took this photo from the bench on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. A beautiful landscape, but so very dry. Rain, please!

In January 2012 I wrote a post about the lack of rain we were having.  I can't recall last year at all. Maybe this dry season is a fluke. Maybe we're actually in a drought and the powers that be just don't want to tell us yet. Either way, it's time, if you haven't already, to start conservation practices. For water conservation tips, check out the Water Resources Association of San Benito County website.

A Mooooooo-ving View

"Moooove along," said this cow on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. "There's nothing to see here."

I took the photo anyway. Ha!

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I Spy . . . A Lot of Fun to be Had.

I spy with my little eye so many possibilities of things to do in San Benito County.

Just today, the Husband and I headed over to San Benito Bene in Hollister to purchase our tickets for the Gourmet Roasted Chicken Dinner Take-Out Fundraiser on August 23, 2016, for the San Benito Olive Festival.  Yummmm. We also bought our tickets for the Downtown Beer & Bacon Crawl on September 17, 2016.  I saw on the tickets that the LTD Sedan & Limo Service is offering free rides that day. Trés cool!

What else?  Well, how about. . .

• hiking the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
• wandering around the Pinnacles National Park 
• exploring the various San Benito County wineries
• discovering the history of San Juan Bautista
• entering flower arrangements, crafts, baked goods, photos, and a whole bunch of other things at the San Benito County Fair
• hanging out at the Hollister Farmers Market
• playing golf at the Pinnacle Hills Golf Course, Ridgemark Golf & Country Club, or San Juan Oaks
• jumping out of a plane with Skydive Hollister above Tres Pinos
• driving the back roads and stopping here and there to take photos of the gorgeous scenery

And, lots, lots more. I could write a book. Maybe I ought to. What do you think?

Cows and Horses

On Sunday, the Husband and I hiked up to the one-mile post on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. Eventually, we'll get strong enough again to reach the bench at the crest of the mountain, which is about another two miles. It was a great hike. The cows and horses were out that day. The cows looked to be enjoying the view as much as us.

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Pacific Harvest Seafoods

As you drive east on Highway 156, you may see this sign as you come to the traffic light outside of San Juan Bautista. On Fridays and Saturdays, that is.

You may also see the sign (or one similar) as you're turning left from San Juan Bautista onto Highway 156. If you're like the Husband and me, you see the sign too late and head home wondering what the sign is all about.

Well, it took several weeks before the Husband and I remembered to be in the correct lane to cross Highway 156. We followed additional signs and just past the fork to the Juan Bautista de Anza Historic National Trail, we found Pacific Harvest Seafoods.

Yep. You read correctly. A seafood distributor in San Juan Bautista! Pacific Harvest Seafoods processes and delivers fresh and frozen fish and shellfish  to restaurants and markets throughout San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. They sell both wild-caught and farmed fish.

Every Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the fish place sells directly to the public. Cash only. The other week, we bought fresh snapper. And, I mean fresh! Yummmmm.

Note to FTC: Nope, I was not given any money or free fish to write about this company. I'm just happy there's a source for fresh, wild-caught seafood in my neck of the woods. I'm sure others would be happy to know, too.