(119 km/74 miles)
Our short drive today takes us to the town of Loreto. Loreto is the birthplace of California, as it was the first permanent settlement anywhere in the Californians, including the U.S. state to the north. Loreto was the capital of both California’s’ for 132 years and was a sleepy village where summer’s heat made for a laid-back pace for locals and visitors. It had changed very little until the 1960’s. Fisherman began to learn about the Dorado, Yellowtail, Marlin, Sailfish, Grouper, Rock Sea Bass, Roosterfish and other species being caught there. This prompted the Hotel Oasis to be opened in 1963 and it is the oldest of the old Loreto resort hotels still around.
Loreto is very outdoorsy with the center of town having great shopping for tourists in a kind of market atmosphere. There are great restaurants, a beautiful malecon (beach front walk), and lovely people. We will be staying at an RV Park which is walking distance to the center of town and to the beach. This park has very friendly owners, we will be here for the next 4 days.
Our visit to Loreto provides you with an opportunity to visit “Nuestra Senora de Loreto” (Our Lady of Loreto) mission which was the first 17th century development which began the entire California mission system. We have visit planned to the 2nd oldest of these missions just outside of Loreto called San Javier, this is a truly magnificent mission and unforgettable drive. There are seven buildings in Loreto from the 18th to 20th century that are considered “historical monuments” by the federal government which is the start of “the royal road” (“el camino real”), an historic corridor that ends in Sonoma USA and follows the ancient route of the Spanish missions.
