Approximately 1.5 hours north of San Luis Obispo, lies a granite playground to explore. By going across the Fort Hunter Liggett training grounds, you will access some pristine swatches of the Los Padres National Forest.

At one time, shortly after 9/11/01, you had to pass through a security checkpoint to access this natural wonder. These days they've done away with the pat-downs, allowing you to pass by tanks firing, troops organizing, even a mini Baghdad (with flipped over cars, like a movie set) unimpeded by security forces. While you're passing through the Army base, you'll also have the opportunity to see Mission San Antonio de Padua, but that's for another article.

There are 21 California Spanish Missions that reach from San Diego to north of San Francisco, 

each with a unique story to tell. These missions represent the first contact the California Native 

Americans had with Europeans and are a living history of the struggles and triumphs that each 

culture experienced hundreds of years ago. The missions were all established as churches and 

some are still active with mass held regularly since their founding. Others have become part of the 

California State Park system. The buildings started as humble rooms and grew to the stately adobe 

structures that are still standing today. They were started by the Franciscan order with the first one 

in 1769 and the last in 1833. The El Camino Real, or The Royal Road, still links the missions from 

San Diego to Sonoma, although it follows modern highways today. Each mission has a fascinating 

founding story that is steeped in history and the politics of Spain at the particular time that they were 

built. Some of the most interesting ones to visit today are: