Early on the morning of Monday, July 24, the Conquistadores dropped from their hilltop camp and began the easy ascent of the canyon to the north. Chaparral of cactus, white sage and artemisia covered its slopes, and when the morning sun warmed the vegetation it gave off a spicy odor. From the abundance of artemisia in the canyon the paisnnos in later years called it CaAada Gobernadora, the provincia1 name of artemesia.

A short distance above tho camp at Msgdalena two villages of friendly Indians were passed, and a league further on the chaparral became a blackened wasteland of burnt, twisted vegetation. The Indians had followed their usual custom of burning the mountain cover to drive out small game and rodents. The Spaniards trooped through ashes and charred stubble for another league then turned west from the canyon and climbed over n high pass in the hills.

Beyond was rolling, grass-covercd country, traversed by the head waters of a little canyon (Canada Chaquita ) After travelling about a ]eague over good mesas; " Crespi recorded," We descended to a pleasant Arroyo (Tijeras Canyon), and a vailcy very full of large alders and live oaks ( Trabuco Canyon), so that it looked like a fig orchard."

"After about three hours on tbe road from the starting place," Crespi continues, "during which we must. have traveled as many leagues, we pitched our camp on a very long mesa of earth, which runs to the foot of a high mountain range, from which flows an arroyo of good water. Instantly the Indians from a village in the valley came to visil us. They came without arms and with friendliness unequaled; they made us presents of their poor seeds, and we made return with ribbons and gew-gaws. Nearly the whole day they remained with us, men, women and children."

The expedition was encamped at the southern end of a remarkable highland now called Plano Trabuco, or Trabuco Plain. A thousand feet ahove sea level, three miles long and a mile wide, it is bordered on the east by Tijera Canyon and on the west by arroyo Trabuco. Tijera Canyon enters the Trabuco at the ]ower end of the plain. On the northeast, only four miles away, is the mile-high top of Santiago Peak, the sacred mount Kalawpa of the Indians. Trabuco Arroyo got its name through an accident. At the time of the Portola expedition, or perhaps a year or so later, a soldier lost hls army-issue gun, or trabuco, in the arroyo. Though a search was made, the gun was never found, but the stream became known as Trabuco Creek. Tijera means a small channel or drain.

To conlinue with Crespi's diary: "'l'hc soldier explorers said that on the preceding dny from the top of a hill, they made out six islands. Several of us went to the hill but we saw on1y two, which they said must be San Clemente and Santa Catarina. The Iatter was just opposite us, and they said the Bay of San Pedro must be about five leaguess distance from our camp. ( Actually it was more than forty miles distant) Because we arrived at this place today, the day- of San Francisco Solano, Apostle of America,we gave it his name, so with his intercession the conversion of these docile heathen may be accomplished."

In ten days Portola had led his men over twenty-six leagues of unknown land. The steady advance during those hot July days had worn down both men and mules. Sgt. Ortega, scouting ahead reported that the next march to water would be a long one over dry hills. The cool shade and running stream in Arroyo Trabuco was very inviting. Portola ordered a day of rest.

The soldiers relaxed in a military way while the Padres spent much of their time with the indians. " we observed that they have houses made of willows and large baskets of reeds so tightly woven that they hold water. They have given us to understand that in the interior there are people like us, vho are clothed the same, and that the soldiers carry swords and wear hats.and that they have horses and mules. pointing to those that we have."