BajaNomad

Digital Baja Almanac coming

4x4abc - 1-19-2019 at 05:16 PM

I am a couple on months away from releasing the first digital Baja Almanac.
Designed primarily for use in conjunction with Google Earth.
Best for the big screen at home.
To study. To explore. To search. To plan.
Not intended for phones - will work on tablets though.

For the first time every map item (ranchos, beaches, mountains, arroyos etc) are searchable.

I have section G12C29 ready for your viewing and feedback
http://baja101.com/Baja-GPS/G12C29-12.kmz

what is it you would like me to add?
what should I omit?




[Edited on 1-23-2019 by 4x4abc]

trailwerks - 1-19-2019 at 05:26 PM

My feedback is "wow"! The almanac would be a very useful tool. Your own personal experiences? And maybe crowd-sourced in the future?

Cappy - 1-19-2019 at 05:44 PM

WOW WOW WOW

trailwerks - 1-19-2019 at 06:04 PM

My feedback is "wow"! The almanac would be a very useful tool. Your own personal experiences? And maybe crowd-sourced in the future?

trailwerks - 1-19-2019 at 06:20 PM

My feedback is "wow"! The almanac would be a very useful tool. Your own personal experiences? And maybe crowd-sourced in the future?

BajaBlanca - 1-19-2019 at 06:34 PM

wow! I can't open it (computer says I need to choose a program)?? but I think this is an AWESOME idea and I can't believe no one has already done it!

4x4abc - 1-19-2019 at 06:53 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca  
wow! I can't open it (computer says I need to choose a program)?? but I think this is an AWESOME idea and I can't believe no one has already done it!


as I mentioned, it was designed for Google Earth
get it - its free

https://www.google.com/earth/versions/#download-pro

[Edited on 1-20-2019 by 4x4abc]

JZ - 1-19-2019 at 07:56 PM

Very impressive. That's an incredible amount of very hard earned knowledge.

4x4abc - 1-19-2019 at 08:09 PM

a word of advise

the Digital Baja Almanac works best Google Earth Pro
using the data on the web version of Google Earth will eliminate all custom icons
same if you were to convert to gpx (sure works) - you'll lose all of the custom features

Google Earth Pro for desktop is free
https://www.google.com/earth/versions/#download-pro

TMW - 1-19-2019 at 09:53 PM

Interesting to say the least. Would you be doing sections as you presented now that can be turned on and off as needed. Lots of stuff there, thanks for the hard work.

4x4abc - 1-19-2019 at 11:56 PM

Tom,

all categories are in separate layers
they can be turned on and off at will

in fact the dataset is so extensive that I always start the program with most layers off
otherwise graphics on the computer can't handle all at once

there are no regional layers though
turning "ranchos" on - starts displaying all ranchos in Baja

I created a separate data set of the G12C12 topo sheet just to demonstrate how the final product will look like

basautter - 1-20-2019 at 05:28 AM

Awesome, cant wait for the finished product!

4x4abc - 1-20-2019 at 08:38 AM

I turned some of the layers off for more clarity
less clutter - clearer picture

its up to you to turn on items that interest you

here is the version you download (some general interest layers are on):



how it looks when all layers are on:



David might just turn on the Camino Real and Cuestas layers:



[Edited on 1-20-2019 by 4x4abc]

David K - 1-20-2019 at 09:55 AM

Great work, Harald.
Maybe in the Baja Road Conditions forum have a thread with each area of Baja you have made these maps listed for future reference?

4x4abc - 1-20-2019 at 10:05 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Great work, Harald.
Maybe in the Baja Road Conditions forum have a thread with each area of Baja you have made these maps listed for future reference?


I have it for all of Baja. Like in the printed Almanac - everything is covered. Without the Almanac errors. I added my own goofs.

David K - 1-20-2019 at 10:19 AM

So you have a map with arroyos named? Changed Zamora to El Volcan, etc.? Great... is this something we can see? My area of most interest is the San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay region and inland to the mountain divide.

4x4abc - 1-20-2019 at 10:32 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
So you have a map with arroyos named? Changed Zamora to El Volcan, etc.? Great... is this something we can see? My area of most interest is the San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay region and inland to the mountain divide.


I used only names provided on Mexican government topo maps (with some exceptions).
H11B87 shows Arroyo Zamora as well as Arroyo el Volcan
what would you like to change, David?

David K - 1-20-2019 at 10:37 AM

Those two need to be reversed.

defrag4 - 1-20-2019 at 10:49 AM

hellllll yesssss, this is amazing! nice work my friend

4x4abc - 1-20-2019 at 11:45 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Those two need to be reversed.


H11B87 is wrong?

David K - 1-21-2019 at 02:45 PM

You yourself said "without the Almanac errors". The Almanac is made from Mexican government topos with some additions.

Yes, H11B87 is wrong, Arroyo Zamora is incorrect. It is Arroyo el Volcán.
Go to H11B88 and see that they applied Volcán to the next arroyo south, in error.



H11B88.jpg - 188kB

At El Volcán, 4 mi east of El Mármol

David K - 1-21-2019 at 03:00 PM

Error on H11D17, "Zamora" instead of El Vocán, right at the geyser...

4x4abc - 1-21-2019 at 08:44 PM

but which authority says its wrong?
guess I have to go to the INEGI office

4x4abc - 1-21-2019 at 09:07 PM

H11B88 and H11B87 match just fine


David K - 1-22-2019 at 12:53 AM

I never said the maps didn't match, but the one on the right has A. el Volcán printed right below Zamora.

El Volcán is the geyser (onyx soda spring) east of El Mármol... The arroyo it is in would be the one named Vocán.

The also goofed with the name of Bahía San Luis Gonzaga and Ensenada de San Francisquito, reversing those two bay's names.

norte - 1-22-2019 at 07:40 AM

Excellent job 4x4. Way better than other attempts at mapping.

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 08:39 AM

David, do you have a good map showing us the correct names of Bahias and Ensenadas around Gonzaga?

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 12:02 PM

the name game on topo maps is never ending
not only do they change names every other decade or so - they also have names in places where you think they should not be (ran into that many times in Baja) - but they are the maters and we have to use what they present us with.
And then there are the map maker's games
they add phantasy names wherever they like
Landon Crumpton (Baja Almanac) was a master
AAA had some pretty creative names for places as well

I am sticking what is on the official Mexican government topo maps
on occasion I add names that the Gringos have created
not instead but parallel

a map is not an opinion piece - it is a collection of facts

David K - 1-22-2019 at 12:09 PM

I think that is the only issue Harald... the smaller, harbor-like bay between Papa Fernandez' and Alfonsina's is the true Bahía San Luis Gonzaga... some call it Willard Bay after the U.S. Navy H.O. Chart designation. The bigger, more open bay to Punta Final is the Ensenada de San Francisquito, named after the gold ore mill, now called Molino de Lacy and the place where the ore was shipped from (Puerto de San Francisquito, which is now the tourist campo, Punta Final. With a name like that, you can't blame anyone for simply calling it "Gonzaga Bay" too!







PS, some the island names have been changed from what the maps called them.

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 12:52 PM

totally agree with you David

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 04:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  




PS, some the island names have been changed from what the maps called them.


that map is a good example.

None of the Arroyo names seem right - or they have been changed as well.
And Cerro Maximilian EL 1901? No significant mountain in that area. And the hill that the map indicates is 2230 ft according to GE.

But anyway - the B.J. Edwards map seems interesting. Do you have more?

geoffff - 1-22-2019 at 04:48 PM

Wow, I'm super-excited for this project!

Though you are way more traveled than me, I'm happy to review your maps on the off chance there's somewhere I've been that you haven't.

What to omit? This can be a polarizing topic. When I post things, people have asked me to omit the exact locations of rock art, and also sometimes hot springs (such as El Palomar canyon off Laguna Salada). I tend to agree.

-- Geoff

David K - 1-22-2019 at 05:04 PM

That map was in the Auto Club's Baja Norte guidebook (1968-1973). The arroyo named 'San Francisquito' reaching the Ensenada de San Francisquito (on the map) is actually the south fork (today called Arroyo Las Arrastras) and the one coming down from the west it joins with is really Arroyo Santa María... all the way to the bay.

Here's a map from 1930, note the name at Lacy's Mill...



All the area names of San Francisquito originate with the waterhole on El Camino Real, originally named "San Francisco" and written about by Junípero Serra in 1769. The water hole was very near Las Arrastras, just downstream and around the corner before going under the new Hwy. 5 bridge, north of Las Arrastras.

Here it is on a 1956 map:

norte - 1-22-2019 at 06:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
the name game on topo maps is never ending
not only do they change names every other decade or so - they also have names in places where you think they should not be (ran into that many times in Baja) - but they are the maters and we have to use what they present us with.
And then there are the map maker's games
they add phantasy names wherever they like
Landon Crumpton (Baja Almanac) was a master
AAA had some pretty creative names for places as well

I am sticking what is on the official Mexican government topo maps
on occasion I add names that the Gringos have created
not instead but parallel



a map is not an opinion piece - it is a collection of facts




Shouldn't mapmakers use the official names for places to avoid confusion? A new ranch or ejido pops up and the name changes...or a camp site is created and a name pops up. An excellent example is the use of "shell Island" on some maps. That is one of those fantasy names. There is no such place and therefore should not be on a map.




[Edited on 1-23-2019 by norte]

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 07:21 PM

I was always intrigued by "Pozo Salorro" on that map
still don't know which well/spring it is

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 08:01 PM

considering that those maps are hand drawn, it is probably Las Palmitas

4x4abc - 1-22-2019 at 08:03 PM

for a long time I was also trying to find Calam spring - today it hit me, they must have meant Calamajue spring

geoffff - 1-22-2019 at 10:44 PM

Harald, I don't know if it'd be useful to you, but I have put together the INEGI 50K and 250K topo maps for all of Mexico. I just put them here on my website:

https://topogeek.com/mexico/

It shows 250k when zoomed out, and 50k when zoomed in. You can Google-search by place name or lat,lon in the lower left input box.

-- Geoff

David K - 1-22-2019 at 11:37 PM

OMG Geoff... that is fantastic!!! May I link to it on VivaBaja.com?
WOW, incredible work...

geoffff - 1-22-2019 at 11:47 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
OMG Geoff... that is fantastic!!! May I link to it on VivaBaja.com?
WOW, incredible work...


Actually, no, please let's not for now. This is temporary. It's on my cheap Dreamhost server which can't handle a lot of traffic.

I'm working on getting these maps a better home sometime in the next year.

-- Geoff

David K - 1-22-2019 at 11:55 PM

Let me know because that is really great work. I like you have a crosshair and two GPS formats, as well. A real treasure there amigo!
PS, I moved about 18 miles from my old but there is a great Chinese restaurant near here, too! That is if you ever come back down this way. The good news, I have a guest room now so you are welcome to crash here on your way to Baja, if need be.

4x4abc - 1-23-2019 at 09:37 AM

there has been a request to see the files in .kml
so, here we go:
http://baja101.com/Baja-GPS/G12C29-10.kml

geoffff - 1-23-2019 at 10:13 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
there has been a request to see the files in .kml
so, here we go:
http://baja101.com/Baja-GPS/G12C29-10.kml


There's a trick to always getting the KML file from any KMZ file - KMZ files are really just "ZIP" files. (At least on Windows) you can rename them from myfile.kmz to myfile.zip, and then they open right up when you click them. Inside is your kml file.

-- Geoff

PaulW - 1-23-2019 at 10:20 AM

Example
http://baja101.com/Baja-GPS/G12C29-8.kmz
http://baja101.com/Baja-GPS/G12C29-8.zip
Click on the KML version and get the same display

We like KML because we want to convert tracks for our GPS and the converters do not like the compressed KMZ files.

4x4abc - 1-23-2019 at 10:25 AM

or you load the kmz file into Google Earth
then save it as kml

fantastic work, by the way, Geoff!

HeyMulegeScott - 1-30-2019 at 12:30 PM

Good stuff! I was looking at some hikes in Loreto and this helps.

4x4abc - 1-30-2019 at 02:21 PM

the later version of the Digital Baja Atlas will have hiking and goat trails
but that version is at least a year out
the Camino Real in the teaser gives you a good idea of what is in store

main Digital Baja Atlas sometime this year
will have to get the funding in place

JZ - 1-30-2019 at 02:26 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
I think that is the only issue Harald... the smaller, harbor-like bay between Papa Fernandez' and Alfonsina's is the true Bahía San Luis Gonzaga... some call it Willard Bay after the U.S. Navy H.O. Chart designation. The bigger, more open bay to Punta Final is the Ensenada de San Francisquito, named after the gold ore mill, now called Molino de Lacy and the place where the ore was shipped from (Puerto de San Francisquito, which is now the tourist campo, Punta Final. With a name like that, you can't blame anyone for simply calling it "Gonzaga Bay" too!


PS, some the island names have been changed from what the maps called them.


Navonics charts list the top bay as Bahia Williard and the bottom bay as Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. The Southern most inner bay is Ensenada de San Fransquitio.

That's what Harold should go with. That's what boaters will know them as.

4x4abc - 1-30-2019 at 02:32 PM

oy - boaters charts are another can of worms

I have used them to find names that INEGI 50k will not give me
but that information has to be used with caution

In some cases I will list 2 different names for bays and playas
very true for some ranchos

David K - 1-30-2019 at 04:07 PM

I think Harald wants the true names rather than those on U.S. navy charts. The small north bay is the true Bahia San Luis Gonzaga named by Padre Consag in 1746. The bigger Bay is also called Gonzaga by everyone because the actual given name is really rediculous to say, Ensenada de San Francisquito, lol.
The point by Papa Fernandez's is Punta Willard, at the entrance to San Luis Gonzaga Bay. That is how the bay got called Willard also.

JZ - 1-30-2019 at 04:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
I think Harald wants the true names rather than those on U.S. navy charts. The small north bay is the true Bahia San Luis Gonzaga named by Padre Consag in 1746. The bigger Bay is also called Gonzaga by everyone because the actual given name is really rediculous to say, Ensenada de San Francisquito, lol.
The point by Papa Fernandez's is Punta Willard, at the entrance to San Luis Gonzaga Bay. That is how the bay got called Willard also.


I'll go with Navonics.

David K - 1-30-2019 at 04:12 PM

I like tradition when it comes to Baja names.

gueribo - 1-30-2019 at 11:44 PM

Coming to this a bit late . . . but what a cool project!

willyAirstream - 1-31-2019 at 04:01 PM

Great work Harald!!!! And geoffff also!