I’d guess that the most well-known of the 21 California Missions is San Juan Capistrano — and it’s all because of the birds. Legend has it that the famous swallows of San Juan Capistrano return here every St. Joseph’s Day, March 19th, and remain until St. John’s Day, October 23, when they return to Argentina for the winter. The birds really do live here during the summer months, but I was visiting on February 28th, just a little more than two weeks before they were scheduled to return (assuming they were on time — the truth is, birds don’t have […]