Day 3 - Paso Robles to Tehachapi

Before taking off for Tehachapi, we took the tour of Mission San Miguel, and it was well worth it.         

 

It's California history: The native Salinan population and the missionaries.
It's obvious that the Salinans were happier before the Spanish arrival in 1769. They had no fancies for wars, which was proven in studying their tools and weapons.  But the missionaries needed them not only to convert them, but to build the mission and produce food.
In some ways, the Salinans in this mission had a community, learned new skills, new technologies and food was not lacking.
The sword came down when California became a state. After Mexican independence from Spain, in 1834 the Mexican government took all the mission properties and secularized them. The Salinans left and some inherited some land. In 1949 before California was added to the union, the federal government required that every piece of land have an owner with a valid deed to prove it. Everyone hurried to get a piece of the pie, laws were made that removed any right to the non-white inhabitants. Hence Salinans were killed, children were kidnapped and raised as slaves. That's when the Salinans went into hiding to survive.
It's always the same story of conquered and conquistadores. We are better off today no doubts, except that there are less Salinans left in this part of the world.
One date to remember, September 9, 1850, when California became the 31st state.

This endless fields of oil wells was before the town of Lost Hills on the way to Tehachapi. I have never seen so many in one place!

In Tehachapi, we stayed in a small but very welcoming RV campground with nice views of the hills: Mountain Valley RV Park  
Address: 16334 Harris Rd, Tehachapi, CA 93561
Phone: (661) 822-1213