We like this photo taken by Tony Chiatello as we were walking on the El Camino Real in Carlsbad, California. Tony’s caption “Not everyday you see 3 mules on El Camino” was not a true statement from the 1600s to late 1800s when the El Camino Real was the route used by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries traveling from Baja California to San Francisco by foot, horse and mule.
In the 1920s with the invention of the automobile, the El Camino Real slowly became paved over time from San Francisco to the Mexican border.
Thus, this route has historically been used longer by equestrian travelers than by those traveling in manmade machines.
We the Mules exercise use our right to use this ages old public thoroughfare called the El Camino Real.