Continuing on the route from Santa
Barbara County, go north on CA 1 to Pismo Beach and turn north
on Price Canyon Road. At the intersection with CA 227, go north
on CA 227 to the City of San Luis Obispo. Follow signs to Mission
San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. From San Luis Obispo, travel north
on US 101. In the City of Atascadero, follow the scenic
route to several miles of trail along the Salinas River. Return
to US 101 if you get lost.
At Paso Robles, turn northwest
onto County G14. Just south of the intersection of Nacimiento Rd.,
on the east side of the road, Gate 10 of Camp
Roberts is posted with an Anza Trail marker. Continue north
on G14 to Monterey County. Access to the base is from US 101 north
of San Miguel in Bradley. To continue on the route, see Monterey
County.
From Hwy 101, take Hwy 58 east through the town of Santa Margarita
and turn north on El Camino Real. In Atascadero, take Viejo Camino
east and then Halcyon Rd. to the Salinas River. Return to El Camino
Real in Atascadero. Oaks in which woodpeckers have stored their
acorns are a significant natural feature in the area, as noted by
Father Font. Some of the largest of these trees can still be seen
near 6905 El Camino Real in Atascadero. Continuing on the El
Camino, turn east on Curbaril Ave. and follow it toward the Salinas
River. Turn right on Gabarda Rd., then left on Tampico Rd. which
ends at the Wranglerette Arena.
From the Wranglerette Arena, return to Curbaril Ave., and before
the bridge over the Salinas River, turn left onto Sycamore Rd. (Hwy
41) and follow it northwest along the river. Passing under the railroad
tracks, turn right on Ensenada Ave., then right on Via Ave., and
right again onto Traffic Way; follow it northwest along the river
and railroad tracks. Walk around the site of Camp #83 in the vicinity
of Ferrocarril Rd. along the Atascadero trail. Continue along Traffic
Way, turning left onto Carrizo Rd., turn right on El Camino Real,
and then enter highway 101 north. Take the Vineyard Dr. exit east
across the Salinas River, turn left on El Pomar Dr., left on Neal
Springs Rd., and left again onto South River Road. Follow River
Rd. north to highway 46, turning left on County Road G14 to rejoin
the marked auto route in Paso Robles (see Driving
Directions).
The Tuquski Wa Suwa (Bear and Child) statue and Mission San Luis
Obispo de Tolosa
Photo: Ron Ory
About
Your Visit to San Luis Obispo County
Continuing north from Santa Barbara, Anza and his colonists
passed dunes near Pismo beach, and continued along the coast
for several miles before turning inland at Price Canyon, finally
reaching the Mission
San Luis Obispo. While there, an Indian boy was baptized,
with Anza serving as his godfather. Upon leaving, they followed
San Luis Creek to the top of the Cuesta Grade, descended
to the Salinas River and crossed it.
Sites of Interest
A.Guadalupe-Nipomo
Dunes National Wildlife Refuge
The sand dunes near a long lake are mentioned in the diaries
of Anza and Font for their March
1, 1776 entries. The lake, southeast of Guadalupe,
was called Laguna Larga by Anza and Laguna Grande
by Font. During the 1769-1770 expedition, Gaspar de Portolá
named Oso Flaco Lake for the "lean bear" killed there.
The area still contains pristine wind-swept coastal dunes,
wetlands, and rare plants. Visitors may hike the dunes from
either the Rancho
Guadalupe Dunes County Park to the south, or the Oso
Flaco Lake Natural Area to the north. Access to the preserve
is off State Highway 1 west of the town of Guadalupe, and
more information is available at the Dunes
Center at 1055 Guadalupe Street.
B. Pismo Beach and Expedition Camp #81
On the coast to the north, but part of the same sand dunes,
is Pismo
State Beach and Oceano
Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The city names
Nipomo and Pismo are Chumash words. The site
of the Chumash village of El Buchón is located in Price
Canyon, and it was at this village that camp was made on March
1. Nearby, the Price
House grounds preserve several buildings of John Michael
Price's Rancho Pismo in Price Canyon. It is located at 100
Rancho Pismo Drive in Pismo Beach and is on the walking trail
at the end of Frady Lane.
C.Mission
San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Camp #82
Founded in September of 1772, the mission greeted the expedition
on March
2 with bells, volleys and the singing of the Te
Deum. The colonists rested here a day and Font baptized
a native boy, with Anza serving as Godfather. Belonging to
the Diocese of Monterey, the mission today serves as a parish
church. The Mission is located at Monterey and Chorro
Streets (35º 16' 54" N, 120º 39' 39" W).
D.Cuesta
Canyon County Park
This five acre park in San Luis Obispo (35º 17' 36" N, 120º
38' 22" W) spans San Luis Creek, the route of the expedition.
The Stagecoach Road trail west of Cuesta Grade is a rural,
single lane road that climbs Cuesta Grade just north of the
city limits of San Luis Obispo, and is quite probably the
route of the expedition along San Luis Creek. It is currently
the bicycle route over the grade as bicycles are not permitted
on Highway 101.
E. Santa Margarita River to Expedition
Camp #83
Font mentions a village at Santa Margarita River. Going further
along the Anza trail, the Atascadero Trail (via the Scenic
Route) is a hike on level ground. Camp #83 was at Asunción
(now called Assumption) located along the Salinas River near
Ferrocarril Rd. in Atascadero. On March
5, the Anza party crossed the Nacimiento River near Camp
Roberts, and Camp #84 was made at their first crossing of
the San Antonio River, and so was called Primer Vado
(First Ford).
Learning
On The Trail in San Luis Obispo
Oak tree with holes from
woodpeckers
Photo: Greg Smestad
Continuing north from Santa Barbara, Anza and
his colonists passed dunes near Pismo beach, and
continued along the coast for several miles before
turning inland at Price Canyon, finally reaching
the Mission San Luis Obispo. The mission greeted
the expedition on March
2, 1776 with bells, volleys and the singing
of the Te Deum. The colonists rested here
a day and Font baptized a 7 year old native boy,
Anza standing in as Godfather. Mission records
indicate that he was given the name Carlos Antonio
de Ansa and that his native name was Chayussosso.
He lived until 1849, the year of the California
Gold Rush.
By the Santa Margarita Creek, Font mentions small
holes in the oak trees that were made by what
he called carpinteros (woodpeckers). Father
Font noted, "…along here, there are some birds
which they call carpenters, which make round holes
in the trunks of the oaks. In each hole they insert
an acorn so neatly that it can be taken out only
with difficulty, and in this way they make their
harvest and store, some of the oaks being all
dotted with acorns in their trunks." Both the
birds and their trees can still be seen nearby,
and the song of the woodpecker can be as triumphant
and inspiring as the Te Deum.
On the CD: Carpenter Birds
Listen to the audio for San Luis Obispo County and
Monterey County to hear the Woodpeckers and the
Te Deum chant.
