USA California, it's a Nation State : Mission : California Missions

Mission San Juan Capistrano (March 2018)

Union Station in Los Angeles, "Approved in a controversial ballot measure in 1926 and built in the 1930s, it served to consolidate rail services from the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific Railroads into one terminal station."

It's gorgeous in here.

"Conceived on a grand scale, Union Station became known as the "Last of the Great Railway Stations" built in the United States. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980."

The station has gone through its ups and downs over the years sometimes being so run-down as to thwart tourism but at this moment it's flying high.

It's not just a central point for the trains but also a hub for the commuter light rail system...

...that I was counting on to relieve traffic on the west side with easy access to the Expo line, but no, the Expo line is packed and still no relief.

Ingalill and I took the train to San Juan Capistrano for our traditional photo-photo outing.

We arrived in plenty of time, got our ticket from a person who wrote the track number on the ticket, we went to said track number and waited with a fellow traveler while the signboard continued to flash the arrival of our train - but no train arrived.

Finally we went back to the ticket counter and found the same woman who sold us the tickets. OOOPS, she had given us the wrong track and the wrong track still thought it was the right track. Confusion all around.

In the end we had to wait an hour and a half and they comped us our fare both ways and we were satisfied to spend the time in the remarkable Union Station.

We travel through a big industrial area of LA...

...and even that...

...is Fun. It's Fun not to drive!

I'm a sucker for high-voltage power lines.

Anaheim Stadium.

And an hour and twenty minutes from leaving LA we arrive rested and ready to take some Pictures!

me, Ingalill

Look at this day, wow.

I do want to write more about the mission but I also don't have time right now. Let's see what later brings!

Hollyhocks. I wish I had a wall of them.

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Oh goodie, a bride.

This isn't for the bride though - we saw their reception in town.

The mission is actually getting set-up for the return of the swallows!

"St. Joseph’s Day and the Return of the Swallows Celebration is a world-renowned tradition celebrating the annual return of the famous swallows to Capistrano. This tradition was started by Father O’Sullivan in the 1920’s at Mission San Juan Capistrano, historic California landmark and home of the swallows, and is carried each year on March 19th."

For so many years the swallows didn't come back to Capistrano and I think even now they have relocated themselves to less urban areas BUT we did see some swallows thanks to Lill's Look! Swallows!! flying overhead.

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The charming little train station at San Juan Capistrano.

Check this out from wiki: "The San Juan Capistrano station was originally opened October 27, 1894 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was one of the earliest examples of Mission Revival Style architecture in railway stations."