Father Junipero Serra Statue

For years I drove from LA to SF and had no idea that this existed, probably because the 280 is very dark at night and you can’t see it. It’s also only accessible if you are driving north.
This is pure roadside kitsch which almost looks silly in ridiculously affluent Hillsborough. It basically serves as a break for 15 minutes or so where you can take a walk go to the bathroom, and get some fun pictures of the statue. There are also some nice views of the hills and lake across the freeway. It’s good for someone on a long road trip of California. Fairly close by check out Half Moon Bay, Filoli, or the Pulgas Water Temple.
I’m not sure what Father Serra is trying to say but I interpret it as saying «Go West, young man.» I know that wasn’t the person that coined that phrase but it makes sense to me with the intensity with the way he points as well as he is after all pointing west. Maybe he wants you to go to Half Moon Bay.

Very unique! Well worth the stop with beautiful plants and rocks near the statue.
It’s my understanding that he was SUPPOSED to be pointing North, toward the last mission Serra founded, Mission Delores in San Francisco. Had he been pointing North, fewer people would notice it, so they (CALTRANS) decided to have him pointing West, for maximum exposure.

Although built with a level of craftsmanship most frequently found in sculptures constructed of mashed potatoes, its a pretty rad and mighty weird little highway stop off that you just can’t help but love.
I did not grow up in California and I’m not at all familiar with the history of Father Junipero Serra beyond what a quick Google search tells me, but I can say that this statue is totally worth a 15 minute stop, right off 280 located mere steps from a really clean rest stop that has coffee vending machines with the good (super bad for you) coffee creamer that I like.
It would have been nice to have some sort of informational marker at the site of this giant statue (that I previously thought to be a decorative highway troll) because I would have enjoyed learning a thing or two, but instead they have a few things about area plants and one about the San Andreas fault, which for those of you not in the know, is an upcoming blockbuster starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson that I can’t wait to see on opening day.
It’s not a super detailed statue and it definitely looks about 10 000% more like Abe Lincoln than any renderings of Father Juniper Serra, but whatever. I’m no artist so I can’t be too critical.
I like how he looks kind of angry like he’s damning the highway or something but I LOVE how when you walk around he’s clearly scratching his butt. Kudos to the sculptor on that. Surely a man or woman after my own heart.

There was a foam finger on this statue’s pointing hand this morning. Made my commute a little more fun. We’re #1, indeed.

This statue RULES. It is obviously one of if not– my favorite hero’s –Father Junipero Serra, AKA the Apostle Of California. My Dad used to always joke and tell me that it was to direct people to the 9er games as a kid!!! Good-​times.
Serra was the real-​deal, came all the way from Spain in little wooden-​boats, and made shit happen. Enjoy driving the 101? Him and his men blazed that trail, look at that mustard seed growing along the sides of the road… it was meant to mimic GOLD, for when the King Of Spain was to visit.
I live in San Diego and Serra’s first mission is here, lots of monuments and institutions in his honor. Dude was a small man with a big heart.
Of course he helped to build many of the 21 amazing missions… I always love seeing this particular monument when I’m up North visiting my old stomping grounds.

I drive past this statue every day on my way to work. What is Father Junípero Serra pointing at? Is he warning us of god’s wrath if we aren’t quickly converted to Christianity? Is he pointing out to sea and warning us that more boats filled with Conquistadors are headed for our shores?
I’m not entirely sure what purpose this big statue serves, but Father Junipero Serra is a welcome sight some days on my long commute when I need to make a pit-​stop at the nearby rest area.

The Father Junipero Serra statue is a landmark on the 280, a highlight of the South Bay/​Peninsula. It’s in a scenic part of San Mateo County. The Fr. Serra statue embodies the goofy spirituality of the Franciscans. It’s rustic, unpretentious, and serene. Fr. Serra points down at the 280 in a paternal, gentle way. A peaceful landmark.

I have always seen this statue and stood out.

When I was a kid on long road trips with my parents to see Mom’s sister in San Francisco, I used to LOVE driving by this statue.
I’d always get excited when the massive genuflecting effigy came into view, mostly because it meant we were so close to the end of our journey.
As I got older and started going on semi-​regular trips up to the Bay Area, I normally didn’t take the 280, so I went years without seeing the Serra statue.
So I see it again recently. Funny how things are never how you remember.
It looks like it melted into this oddly shaped shadow of what it once was — going from the striking, ultra-​realistic, large scale Junipero Serra of my memory to a larger version of some kid’s unfired clay figure from his second grade art class, what with its overly large hands and feet, that was left out in the rain before my eyes.
At the same time, I’m not the bright-​eyed, young Catholic I used to be with a high opinion of the missionaries and their spreading of Christ’s love to the godless natives that was instilled in me along with assignments to construct San Diego de Alcala out of sugar cubes and cut handprint turkeys from construction paper while wearing a buckle hat.
Tastes just change as you grow older and learn more about a topic.
Still, the Serra statue? It’s a genuine piece of Americana, and the level of silliness in its appearance makes it all the more valuable as a roadside attraction.

This is hands-​down the worst piece of public «art» in the Bay Area, rivaled only by the Sir Francis Drake statue in Larkspur.
How this bad boy could be foisted upon us all is a comment on the corruption and horrible taste rife in the self-​aggrandizing transportation industry, itself awash in tax dollars and bonds: freeways named after CALTRANS and CHP staffers and advertised in landscape-​spoiling billboards; statues bequeathed by retiring engineers erected at public expense and blighting scenic vistas.
It’s far worse than nothing! TAKE IT DOWN!!!

I grew up driving by the statue as well. It was extra special for me because my grandfather, Louis DuBois, built the statue. I don’t know if there’s anything at the stop that has his name on it because I think the county covered up his engraved signature years and years ago. It definitely wasn’t his best work but it has been seen by millions, provided a unique place for resting travelers to stop, and a comforting site when I drive to the city.

What happened to him? I just noticed recently that he is no longer there since they started tearing down the rest stop.

I like when he’s dressed as Superman best. :0)

This is a statue of THE MAN. As in: Just another example of THE MAN trying to put us down.
Kidding. That is how things were done 250 years ago. If you had the better technology, you won. It is hard for me to imagine how the explorers walked here from San Diego, and then Monterrey when that port and Mission was established. Rural and pastoral California. Not much left. Cool statue though.

I am just so amazed that there is actually a thread started on this that I feel compelled to leave a review.
Um…he’s cool, I guess. I have no real problem with him. He’s nice and quiet, and always lets me know that I’m almost to San Francisco.