Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo was first established on
June 3, 1770 in Monterey, California, and was named for an
Archbishop of Milan, Italy. The following year, the Mission moved
to its present location near the present-day town of
Carmel-by-the-Sea. "Mission Carmel" as it came to be known, was
Father Junípero Serra's favorite, and being close to the the
capitol city of Monterey, became his headquarters. He is buried
beneath the altar of the church.
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The Mission in 1910 |
The Mission today |
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(note the differing roofline in the restored
building) |
All of the clues below can be gathered without having to enter
the Mission grounds, although if you've made a special trip to see
the Mission you just may want to take the tour. As of this listing
the fee is $5.00 per adult.
The posted coordinates take you to a large sign on the front
of the mission which reads "CARMEL MISSION BASILICA". The very last
time you can have your confession heard is A:BC. (if
it doesn't mention confessions, it's not the correct sign) - (I'm
told the sign is missing - use 8:30 for the time being)
To the left of the gift shop entrance is a plaque showing a
Saint. The number of letters in his last name - in other words, not
counting the leading "S." - is F, and should be a single
digit.
Downhill from the gift shop is the chapel entrance. The number
of letters in the first word above the door is D.
In the median of the street that runs in front of the Mission is
an El Camino Real bell. Be careful crossing
the street. On the pole that holds the bell is a brass
plate, about a foot above the ground. At the very bottom of this
plate is a faint four digit year. The last digit in this year is
G.
Across the street from the the mission is a Nature Preserve. At
the entrance to the preserve is a sign that displays a map of the
preserve. The sign is at N 36 32.572, W 121 55.099. The number of
letters in the second word on this sign is H. The word is at
the top of the sign in large letters.
Subtract 1 from H to get E.
A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H = 44
The final cache is at N 36 32.ABD, W 121 5E.FGH. It
is not all that far away, and I recommend you walk. There's a nice
place to stop near the cache site - take a break there and consider
what you can see.