Impromptu trip to San Juan Bautista

We had a lazy morning and thought it would be fun to get out of the house with the dogs for an impromptu day trip. But where? We decided we should opt for a town fairly close considering the time of day. After a bit of research, San Juan Bautista seemed like the perfect choice so we loaded up the dogs and headed south.

San Juan Bautista is steeped in history and feels like your stepping back in time. It was a nice change of pace and refreshing to see that small towns like this still exist in the area. Mission San Juan Bautista was founded in 1797 and was the 15th largest Spanish mission in California. The buildings of the community can still be seen in their original form and the main street is filled with structures that take you back in time.

We wandered the street and peaked in the windows of the various antique stores. Our first stop was the local bakery. Brad went in to survey the options and came out with a generous bag full of goodies all fresh baked onsite - Walnut Date Bread, haystack, apricot turnover, date bar and a cowboy cookie were among the sweet cash.

With baked goods in hand we headed towards the mission. We took in the sights and admired the Mission and the various bronze statues, plaques and bells. 

Bronze of  Franciscan priest Fr. Fermin de Lasuen & the bells of the Mission

The cashier at the bakery pointed us to a short trail behind the Mission were we could walk the dogs. We found the trail; although it was shorter than we anticipated, the dogs enjoyed exploring it nonetheless. It offered a view of some of the harvest fields of San Juan. With Fall around the corner we could see pumpkins curing in the fields getting ready for the festivities to come. The walls below the mission were rustic and had a mysterious aura to them with plants growing from the brick crevasses. 

Behind the Mission

On our way out of the mission we came across the old jail that consisted of one cell. It was a tiny white structure and made us wonder what would happen if they had more than one criminal in town. The lady at the bakery had also mentioned that the town has less chickens than they used to which we found charming. Although we didn't see any chickens we did hear a rooster crowing and both got a chuckle.

We decided to grab a bite to eat then headed to the local taproom - Bears Hideaway. We were greeted at the door by the venues namesake, an Australian Shepard named Bear and his lil' sister Teddy. We each chose a beer and relaxed out on the patio before calling it a day and heading home.

Brad and Bear

It was a nice trip but both felt like there was more to explore sans dogs so we plan on revisiting someday soon.

Milling around Mill Valley

It was a long holiday weekend thanks to Labor Day so we decided it was a great time for a day trip. We tossed around a couple ideas and decided to visit Mill Valley and we were happy we did. We loved this place!

First stop was lunch. We decided on Small Shed Flatbreads which, as you might guess, specializes in flatbreads. They use local organic ingredients and the menu is far from the ordinary. We had the Pelagias's flatbread which featured chevre, kalamata olives, whole roasted garlic, mozzarella, rosemary, dressed arugula and a light tomato sauce. We opted for the organic spelt and cornmeal crust - very tasty. The waiter suggested one of his favorites- meatballs with walnut olive pesto, jalapeno & mushrooms. We took his suggestion and quickly understood why he liked it - delicious! We also had the burrata with fruit and honey but after one bite we wished we had skipped that selection...luckily the flatbread and meatballs made up for it.

After lunch we decided to explore the town. It had a very peaceful vibe. Even the dogs seemed to be affected by the zen atmosphere as they had very little reaction to other dogs that we passed by - which is a change from the usual reaction to a dog-stranger. We walked through some of secluded residential streets surrounded by beautiful redwoods and enjoyed the fresh air which was filled with a pleasant pine aroma. The homes were a mixture of Victorian and rustic design. Many of the homes were set up above the street level and seemed secluded and private even though they had neighbors and public streets all around.

Victorian house in the center of town

Not too far into our exploration we found Old Mill Park and stumbled upon a small free play that was held in an inconspicuous outdoor amphitheater.

As we made our way back to town, we stopped at a small chocolate shop for a treat.... dark chocolate truffles. Our choices - organic coconut, unsweetened dark chocolate and red wine - yum, yum and yum. The chocolatiers didn't seem to recognize us as hard core chocolate lovers as they tried multiple times to talk us out of the unsweetened dark chocolate selection. Lucky for us they were unsuccessful as it was our favorite pick of the bunch - although they were all delicious.

We enjoyed our treats in a plaza at the center of town which used to serve as the train depot. The plaza was bustling with people. Some were sitting talking with friends, others strolling around and many were playing with their kids. It was refreshing to see. We even overheard an elderly couple walk by discussing the meaning of a poem - not something you hear discussed in today's age. 

The skies were filled with beautiful, fluffy clouds. The bottom shot is Tweenee enjoying her break in the plaza.

Before we headed out of town we stopped by LaCoppa coffee. The coffee was average so we will need to try out one of the other coffee shops next time along with the Beerworks brewery which we didn't fit in during this trip. On our way out of town we spotted a portion of a rainbow which is unusual for this time of year. It had a disproportionate amount of green which seemed to be symbolic - although we aren't quite sure what it symbolized but hopefully the meaning will reveal itself in time ;) 

Getting a shot of the rainbow wasn't easy to get with the car moving but you can catch a glimpse of it here.