For me, a visit to this mission is always like a trip back in time.
Off the beaten track just outside Lompoc, La Purísima was founded in 1787 as the 11th of California’s 21 missions. It moved to its current site in 1812 after a huge quake destroyed the first complex, four miles away.
Now a California State Park, its nearly 2,000 acres include ranch animals, corrals and gardens reflecting the Mission Era, as well as more than 10 fully restored and furnished buildings, plus 25 miles of hiking trails.
It’s safe to say that few places offer a more serene (or realistic) experience of Pastoral California under the Spanish flag.
