By 1767, the Spanish decided to advance into and colonize California.
The Russians had settled in present-day Alaska and were developing a lucrative fur trade.
You can still visit the Russian colony of Fort Ross, north of San Francisco, which was established by Russian fur traders in the 19th century.
The English were also getting increasingly involved.
In 1769, the Spanish sent the Portola Expedition up from Baja California.
Comprised of three galleons and two mule trains, the expedition reached as far as San Francisco Bay.
The entire journey took six months and covered 1,200 miles.
However, when the expedition returned, there was consternation that they had not found Monterey.
A leading friar commented, "You come from Rome without having seen the Pope!"
A few years later, 2 new land expeditions, known as the Anza expeditions, were organized to access California.
These were relatively large undertakings, with one expedition including 200 settlers and their cattle.
The first expedition reached the future site of Los Angeles.
The second expedition reached San Francisco.
However, the trails were soon closed after Native American attacks.
As a result, the remaining way for the Spanish to reach California was by sailing up from Mexico—a journey that could take up to 2 months, with only 2 ships making the trip each year.
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