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David K
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Neal, I never saw the crypt... the visita site was pointed out by Sony Espinoza who was camping there with family while he was road building. Also, I
saw an INAH site plan and it matched the site.
Please describe where the crypt was... I did go to the adobe ruins that Jack Swords 'found'... They are about a mile from the visita... northeast...
just north from the road to El Metate.
More photos of the area, too... PLEASE!
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John M
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Location: California High Desert
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Another view of what appears to be a burial crypt
attached.
John M
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John M
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Stream
This is the current view of the San Juan de Dios streambed within approximately 300 yards of what Jack Sword has referred to as the San Juan de Dios
adobe ruins.
The streambed at this point is favorably similar to that described by Fr. Crespi in March 1769 "...There are many willows and cottonwoods in the bed
of this stream, several large pools of good water and much fine grass. Our Indians went out ahead and brought back a heathen who was still a boy,
naked and heavily painted in stripes; and a soldier gave him a lighted cigar, which he smoked with great address."
Quote is from Gateway to Alta California by Harry Crosby.
We did not see the heathen, nor the remains of the cigar.
John M
[Edited on 3-14-2007 by John M]
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Neal Johns
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From the adobes, the crypt is on top of a small hill/mesa 100 yards toward the bulldozed site and 50 yards from the new road (in a direction further
away from Arroyo San Juan de Dios)). I am Directionally Challenged around there. As you can see, there is a rock wall around it. I thought it was a
corral before I checked it out. There are some Indian rock circles on the mesa behind the crypt. There are two adobes, one on either side of the new
road. According to my GPS, the old road is the one parallel and 0.2 miles further away (and higher) from the Arroyo.
Maybe John M. can post some pics, My camera hates me and screwed up. I take no responsibility for anything.   
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Neal Johns
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Here is the "new" shack at the bulldozed site:
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Jack Swords
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Location: Nipomo, CA/La Paz, BCS
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Interesting! The adobes and "crypt" were past the supposed location of SJDD on the other side of the hill. That is where the stream was too. The
supposed location of SJDD was in the clearing where the grove of date palms are/were. Passing up the hill past the date palm grove, to the right in
brush, was where the SJDD ruins were photographed. Now, once up over the hill you encounter the adobe ruins, still some walls, some adobe mounds, and
the crypt, and an horno where it appears white material was fired (mortar?). The stream was there, water, etc. It appears that a return trip is
needed to ascertain what is happening and where.
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David K
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Map of SJDD area
To help visualize these places, I sketched two maps to help...
John, the photo of you with the palms behind look (to me) to be too close to the palms... The visita was on the south side of the road to El Metate,
uphill from the river crossing.
The road (then) crossed the river and curved slightly to the north as it heads eastward... passes a branch north into the palm grove area...
The visita site could NOT be seen from the road as it was hidden by brush... However, the north end of the visita was only 20-30 feet from the road!
The visita was about 90 feet long and ran north/south.
[Edited on 3-14-2007 by David K]
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David K
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Here's one a bit further out... The distance from San Juan de Dios (Palms/ Visita) to El Metate is 2.5 miles.
[Edited on 3-14-2007 by David K]
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John M
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My sketch
David and Jack and others....
Here is my sketch using David K's as a base.
The plowed & cleared area, in my estimation, extends both north and south of the road to a distance of perhaps 300 feet, possibly a little more to
the north of the road. The cleared area also extends a similar distance to the east.
I'm not certain of the compass direction at the site so I am using the compass directions indicated by David - I believe them to be correct.
We had with us a copy of the visita ruins photograph David K had taken. Neal lined up the palms, rocks in the mountainside behind the palms in several
places to establish what we believe to be the same relationship as in the David K photograph. Where Neal stood to take the photograph is very close to
where David K took his photo, even though the photo posted may not look so exact. We were quite careful to line up several things to make an accurate
photo comparison.
Sadly this was in the MIDDLE of the cleared area. The cleared area extended another hundred feet or so behind and to the south where Neal stood to
take the photo.
More later today.
John M
[Edited on 3-14-2007 by John M]
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surfer jim
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I did a google search for "uma baja" there is some info....in spanish....some govt. agency it sounds like.....maybe someone can translate......
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Neal Johns
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Any translators out there? Just put "UMA Baja" into Google or any other search engine and you get a whole bunch of Spanish websites. Apparently they
are concerned with plants.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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John M
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translation help from FDT
I asked on another thread about the sign and FDT answered with this, and the next post as well.
John M
UMA = Unidad de Manejo para la conservacion de la vida silvestre
It is a program in place by the state of Baja California with SEMARNAT.
That particular sign has the number of a location.
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John M
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Second reply from FDT on translation of sign
This also from FDT:
here is alink I found
http://www.discoverbajacalifornia.com/hunting/umas.htm
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Too bad they destroy an irreplaceable mission site to build a hunting lodge... or whatever!
Are you guys going to enlighten us with the rest of your trip? Enquiring minds need to know! Canelo wash, La Turquesa canyon, etc... 
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Mexitron
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David K--I tried finding the adobe and crypt on Google Earth--they show the aforementioned bulldozed sight before being razed but the pixels get
blurry in the next frame where the adobe and crypt are...bummer...maybe someone has a better version of Google Earth(?)...Taco de Baja?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65304
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Edge of high resolution ends just at the edge of the visita, which you can see from space!
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