Mission San Miguel Photos

Paso Robles is within easy driving range of several California Missions. The closest mission to us is Mission San Miguel. In just a few minutes Paso Robles residents can go back in time and enjoy the peace found away from the frantic pace of normal activities. You can go to Mission San Miguel when the tourists are not there and enjoy a quiet retreat from normal daily life. The photo  to the left shows a small wooden cross I saw as I was leaving the Mission Cemetery. 

Since I did a series of posts on Mission San Miguel last year shortly after my first visit, I will not repeat those photos here. Here are some of those previous posts. The rest are in the related links below at the end of the post.

• Mission San Miguel: Going Back in Time without Leaving San Luis Obispo County
• Playing Hide and Seek with the Ground Squirrel Who Lives at Mission San Miguel
• A Peek Inside the San Miguel Mission Church

I explored the mission grounds quite thoroughly the day I visited. I walked all the way around the mission. Here are a few photos that aren't typical. The one below was taken in the garden near the entrance to the church. 

 San Miguel Mission Near Church Entrance, © B. Radisavljevic

The one below shows an outdoor altar or worship area. 

San Miguel Mission Outdoor Worship Center, © B. Radisavljevic

During the time I've been visiting our nearby California missions, I have made quite a few Zazzle products, especially postcards of California missions that probably weren't available to visitors in the mission gift shop. Those can be found in this California Missions Card Collection. Below are some selected products featuring Mission San Miguel 

 San Miguel Mission Bell Tower and Sign Jigsaw Puzzle San Miguel Mission Bell Tower and Sign Large Tote Bag San Miguel Mission Bell Tower and Sign Plate San Miguel Mission Bell Tower and Sign Round Clock San Miguel Mission Bell Tower and Sign Ceramic Ornament

If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of this post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.

This is my thirteenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is Things You Can See or Experience in North San Luis Obispo County. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Acorn
B is for Barney Schwartz Park
C is for Cattle in Wine Country
D is for Dark Star Cellars
E is for Electric Wires
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean

Laguna Lake is Full Again

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Related articles

• Saying Goodbye to the San Miguel Mission
• Historic Mission San Miguel, California - A Sacred Sanctuary
• The Olive Press at Mission San Miguel

Saying Goodbye to the San Miguel Mission

There's something about wandering around a California mission when hardly anyone else is there that makes you feel you've stepped away from the modern world for a while. Maybe it's the crumbling walls and the antique tools in the garden. Maybe it's the quiet of the church. I think for me it was the feeling of solitude and peace. Unlike many other missions found in the center of cities, Mission  San Miguel is away from most other properties. When I was there I saw only the gardener, a couple of others quietly taking pictures, and God's little creatures.

Although the birds and the bees were there, it was far from being "The animal fair" an old funny song speaks of. No "baboon combing...his auburn hair," or drunk monkeys -- just one squirrel playing hide and seek very quietly. The bees were gathered around the mission fountain, getting their drinks. The birds went wherever they pleased. As you see, one is perched on top of an arch near the entrance. I saw it looking down at me as I returned from my walk all the way around the mission grounds.

This bird is the last one I saw as I left. It is perched near the top of a tall flower spike on what I believe is a type of agave plant. I'm not positive, since I've never seen agave in bloom. I do like the silhouette against the cloudy sky. I was sorry I had to leave so soon, but it was almost closing time. So I said goodbye to the birds and joined my husband in the car for the ride back to Paso Robles.

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A Peek Inside the San Miguel Mission Church

I grew up in California and I taught fourth grade in California. That meant I studied California missions as both student and teacher. I don't remember ever getting to actually visit a mission until I was teaching my own children at home.

At that time we visited La Purisima near Lompoc on a mission life day. I remember making candles and watching other mission activities that were part of the everyday mission life performed by people wearing historical dress.  I would recommend that anyone take their children to any such enactments at a nearby mission.

 We also visited the Ventura Mission, since we lived close to it at the time. On a trip to San Diego we explored every mission in the area and on the way. I took my son to visit the mission in Carmel many years later. For some reason, we never made it to Mission San Miguel, even though we often passed it on our many trips between Newbury Park and Carmel Valley. Now that I've taken a closer look than we saw passing by on the 101 Freeway, I'm sorry we never stopped.

It's always best to see a mission in person if you can. You can see the sights in the virtual tours linked to above, but you miss the sounds, the smells, and the overall atmosphere, such as the sense of peace in an isolated mission such as San Miguel, Santa Ysabel Asistencia or La Purisima. You also miss the squirrels and the birds. With that said, the virtual tours are the best substitute I know for visiting a mission in person. You can see the virtual tour of Mission San Miguel here.

I discovered these virtual tours of the missions when I was trying to understand my own pictures. I will show you two of my photos of the interior of the mission church here. This was taken as I walked in the side entrance from the mission arcade. You can click on either photo to enlarge it.

This photo was taken looking toward the altar from the middle of the nave. If you take the virtual tour linked to above, you an actually move around the church and stop where you want a closer look. You can then zoom in on what interests you.

I certainly wish they had virtual tours available when I was in school. Now any student anywhere can visit any California mission -- almost. But you still can't watch the squirrels. And I hate to tell you, teachers and priests, that most nine-year-olds would rather be outside watching the squirrels than inside looking at the art on the walls. One needs to grow up a bit to properly appreciate the church architecture and art that man created more than the squirrels and birds God created.

Related articles

• The Olive Press at Mission San Miguel
• Going Back in Time without Leaving San Luis Obispo Mission San MiguelCounty

Playing Hide and Seek with the Ground Squirrel Who Lives at Mission San Miguel

As I was taking photos of the olive press at Mission San Miguel, I was focusing on the west wall of the mission and suddenly noticed this ground squirrel on this old stump. I always enjoy seeing some wildlife, so I took the squirrel's picture from a distance with my zoom. I didn't dare get closer for fear of having him disappear.

Squirrel Prepares to Hide

Sure enough. As I began to cautiously approach the squirrel, he became nervous. You can see him preparing to hide. As I suspected,  he disappeared into his hole in the stump.

Squirrel Can't Resist a Peek to See If I'm Still There

But I kept watching. Sure enough. Soon I saw his head sticking out again to see if the coast was clear. He decided it wasn't when he saw me, and then he disappeared for good -- or for as long as I was there.

Looks Like He's Gone for As Long As I'm Here

After he made his final dive into his hole. I came by to see what I could see inside. Not much. It was too dark.










If you ever visit Mission San Miguel, if you enter at the west entrance, look to your left for the stump. Many you will see this fellow, too.

Related articles

• The Olive Press at Mission San Miguel
• Tracking down squirrels on the National Mall (2007)
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The Olive Press at Mission San Miguel

People have been growing and pressing olives for their oil for a long time in California. The Franciscan missionaries brought them to San Diego and the Mission olive cultivar developed in the late 1700's accompanied the establishment of the California missions along El Camino Real. This olive press remains at Mission San Miguel.

This photo shows the other end of the olive press with the sign explaining it. Unlike the top photo which is the view one sees upon entering the mission grounds, this view looks out to the street. If the print is too small for you to read, just click the photo to enlarge it.

After I had taken a lot of photos of the grounds, I walked completely around the mission, and it was a much longer walk than it appeared to be when I started walking from the exit of the cemetery grounds. The mission still covers a lot of territory, and I'll be sharing more photos in future posts.

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