After finishing in the CCC in 1938, Friedolin made San Jose his home and worked as a self-employed free lance artist. His interest in the history of the area he was living in was piqued by a few photos, etchings and paintings he'd seen of the California missions. He felt that the paintings, in particular, were "sketchy, loosely done, and romanticized." Friedolin decided that his next project as an artist would be to travel to all of the California missions to create a straightforward rendition of each one as it currently looked.

As he laid plans for making the trip, economics once again played a heavy factor. He was determined to see every mission, to truly get a feel for them and their surrounding environments. His funds consisted of $100. He had no car. It became apparent to him that a bicycle was the only way to undertake the trip.

He had no bicycle either. But he did have the benefit of Carl Showalter's Bike Shop, right there in San Jose. Mr. Showalter was a former bicycle racer, and a man of considerable knowledge and expertise regarding bikes in general.

When he heard of Friedolin's proposed trip, he took a keen interest. Discussions ensued as to what type of bike would best serve the purpose. Friedolin had preconceived ideas of what he wanted, with comfort uppermost in his mind. Mr. Showalter proposed custom building the bike and fortunately, Friedolin said, "He built it not as I wanted it, but as he knew I needed it." The sturdy result cost $30 and exists to this day.

On May 16, 1938, after much training and preparation, Friedolin set out on a 1600-mile bicycle journey. He followed "El Camino Real" (present day Highway 101 & 5), the route that the Spanish Mission Padres traveled as they established their chain of missions from San Diego to Sonoma in the years 1769 to 1823. He would be on the road for eight weeks. Pedaling 30 to 90 miles a day, camping out each night, and trying to live on a budget of less than a dollar a day, he reached all 21 missions, photographing and making sketches of each one.

Upon his return, he would spend 14 months creating linoleum cuts of each mission. The prints he made from them have been exhibited throughout California, including at the World's Fair Treasure Island exhibition in 1940, and at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco in 1942.

The diary that Friedolin kept on this journey still exists, along with an audio reading of the diary with added comments that he made in 1989. It is our hope that the story of this remarkable undertaking will someday be written. It's a piece of history examining history; a record of scenery and travel adventures, expenses and people in the California that existed over 60 years ago.