El Camino Real 203 



very joy of living in this land of soft winds and perfumed 

 air. Then there is the charm of the roads themselves, 

 running up over mounds of green, winding down into 

 little canons that tell of the sea ; not always smooth or 

 like a real King's Highway, but full of promise and pos- 

 sibility, and consistent in the realisation. Now we are 

 led by a long-necked paisano that paces like ecstatic ; 

 now blocked by a flock of quail that cry " Hands up ! " 

 wook-wook-wo you can translate it yourself. There is 

 always some siren of the road to lure you out into the 

 fields and far away to distant mountains that lie faintly 

 on the edge of the world to the east. 



We exchange opinions with the passers-by and the 

 owners of the ranches who come out as we pull up at 

 the slightest excuse. Then there is the fund of wisdom 

 drawn from the country store, and its habitues, all add- 

 ing to the charm of coaching or automobiling in the 

 land of the setting sun. 



Slowly we move down the coast ; now crossing some 

 little river-bed near the sea, again high on the mesa ; 

 stopping at Carlsbad a strange name for a California 

 King's Highway ; at Encenitas and Del Mar, which are 

 better, enjoying the fine beaches, the quail and duck 

 shooting; and one fine day we reach the end or the be- 

 ginning of El Camino Real the Presidio of San Diego. 



Here is the first of the Missions of Upper Califor- 

 nia, founded by Padre Junipero Serra in 1769, and while 

 once rich and prosperous it is a complete and sad ruin 

 to-da,y ; adobe walls and old palms alone tell the story 



