October 27, 2024

No aches or pains at all today, and I walked just under seven miles. I think I can move forward with consecutive walking days now instead of sticking with the one-day-walking-one-day-rest approach.

Mission San Francisco de Asis, aka Mission Dolores, is the oldest building in San Francisco and was built by Father Junipero Serra in 1791, fifteen years after he and other Spanish colonists arrived in 1776. Some of the logs in the roof are the originals. Masses and baptisms are still performed here. At least one of the original colonists is buried in the adjacent cemetery. This site is along the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, the trail follows the Spanish colonizing expedition of 1775-1776 and connect San Francisco with Mexico.

While walking around, I stumbled upon the US Mint.

The last rider on the last Pony Express arrived at the western terminus on October 26, 1861. Technically, the Pony Express ended in Sacramento since mail was taken by ship from there to San Francisco. The last rider on that last journey ceremoniously went all the way into SF (with the help of a boat). Location is the corner of Clay and Montgomery Streets.

The last photo is the unmarked western terminus (middle of Battery Street between Washington and Merchant) of the Butterfly Overland National Historic Trail. The trail is the route of another historic mail route, one that utilized stagecoaches and transported packages and people as well as mail from 1858-1861.