The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (8 page)

BOOK: The 100 Best Affordable Vacations

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CAMP IN A CABIN

National and state park cabins and lodges often book up quickly—and can be expensive. If you’re looking for a less outdoorsy alternative to tent camping, check out the cabins offered at the many private campgrounds run by Kampgrounds of America, located in wilderness areas across the United States—and often just outside national parks.

But it’s still camping. You’ll need to bring sleeping bags or linens, towels, and toiletries. Cabin rates vary by location and demand. At the KOA grounds near Badlands National Park, for instance, a one-room, air-conditioned cabin without bath costs about $53 per night for two people in June; shared baths are located on the grounds. At the KOA grounds near Deadwood, a Kamping Kottage with bath and half kitchen costs about $125 per night for six people. Be sure to bring your own towels and linens.
Kampgrounds of America, 406-248-7444,
www.koa.com
.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Black Hills Badlands & Lake Association,
605-355-3600,
www.blackhillsbadlands.com
.

South Dakota Tourism,
800-732-5682,
www.travelsd.com
.

follow the mission trail

CALIFORNIA

Always go forward, never turn back.

—
FATHER JUNIPERO SERRA (1713–1784), FOUNDER OF THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS

10 |
Father Junipero Serra was a man with a mission.

During the 1700s, the Spanish friar was assigned the daunting task of establishing Spain’s foothold in the California frontier by creating a chain of missions, one day’s horseback ride apart, up the Pacific coast.

For native Californians today, missions are something encountered in fourth grade, when all students, it seems, are assigned to write a report on them, draw one of them, and fashion a statue of Father Serra out of clay. After that, many think nothing more of them, even though the settlements started the state’s major cities like San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.

But for a traveler, visiting missions offers an excuse for a road trip, a chance to explore history, and a journey to what were—and for many still are—spiritual outposts.

For Lynn Korleski Richardson, it was a bit of all three that inspired her pilgrimage. Several years ago, she and her husband packed up an RV and their dog to go on a quest to visit all 21 missions, from San Diego de Alcala in the south to San Francisco Solano in Sonoma in the north.

“It was a really great way to see California,” she says.

It’s hard to generalize about the missions. Three are state parks—La Purisima, San Francisco de Solano, and Santa Cruz—and while some are restored to their former glory—Carmel and Santa Inés, for example—others are ruins. Most have a statue of Father Serra, and there’s usually a millstone sitting around too. Richardson’s biggest surprise was the San Fernando Mission near Los Angeles, site of Bob Hope’s grave. When his wife asked where he wanted to be buried, Richardson says, he answered: “Surprise me.”

Richardson’s mission mission took more than two weeks, but if you have time to just visit one, head to
Old Mission Santa Barbara
(2201 Laguna St., 805-682-4713,
www.santabarbaramission.org
), in the city of the same name. It’s called the “queen of the missions” and one look explains why. Battered by earthquakes and fire, the twin-towered building has been reconstructed and restored several times since its founding in 1786. The mission is maintained by the Franciscan Order, and its water system is still used by the city of Santa Barbara. Its facade mixes Spanish style with Roman design—legend says it was inspired by a picture in a book on classical architecture.

CALIFORNIA MISSIONS