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diff --git a/old/60359-0.txt b/old/60359-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a305e76..0000000 --- a/old/60359-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7750 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Oregon the Picturesque, by Thomas D. Murphy - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Oregon the Picturesque - -Author: Thomas D. Murphy - -Release Date: September 25, 2019 [EBook #60359] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OREGON THE PICTURESQUE *** - - - - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - OREGON - THE - PICTURESQUE - - - - -_By the Same Author_ - - -British Highways and Byways from a Motor Car - -THIRD IMPRESSION - -WITH FORTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS AND TWO MAPS - -Sixteen Reproductions in Color, and Thirty-two Duogravures 320 Pages, -8vo, Decorated Cloth Price (Boxed), $3.00 Net - - -In Unfamiliar England with a Motor Car - -SECOND IMPRESSION - -WITH SIXTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS AND TWO MAPS - -Sixteen Reproductions in Color and Forty-eight Duogravures 400 Pages, -8vo, Decorated Cloth Price (Boxed), $3.00 Net - - -Three Wonderlands of the American West - -SECOND IMPRESSION - -WITH FORTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS AND TWO MAPS - -Sixteen Reproductions in Color and Thirty-two Duogravures 180 Pages, -Tall 8vo, Decorated Cloth Price (Boxed), $3.50 Net - - -On Old-World Highways - -WITH FIFTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS AND THREE MAPS - -Sixteen Reproductions in Color and Forty Duogravures 388 Pages, 8vo, -Decorated Cloth Price (Boxed), $3.00 Net - - -On Sunset Highways - -WITH FIFTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS - -Sixteen Reproductions in Color and Forty Duogravures 376 Pages, 8vo, -Decorated Cloth Price (Boxed), $3.00 Net - - -THE PAGE COMPANY, BOSTON - - - - -[Illustration: BISHOP’S CAP, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY - -Copyright Winter Photo Co., Portland, Oregon] - - - - - OREGON - THE - PICTURESQUE - - [Illustration] - - [Illustration] - - A Book of Rambles in the Oregon Country and in the Wilds of - Northern California; Descriptive Sketches and Pictures of - Crater and Klamath Lakes, the Deschutes River - Canyon, the New Columbia Highway, the - Willamette and Rogue River - Valleys and the Cities - and Towns of Oregon; also of - the little-known Lakes, Rivers, Mountains, - and Vast Forests of Northern California, to - which is added a trip to the Yosemite and to the - Roosevelt Dam and the Petrified Forest of Arizona, by Motor Car. - - - BY - Thos. D. Murphy - - Author of - “On Sunset Highways”, “Three Wonderlands of the American - West”, “In Unfamiliar England” etc., etc. - - - With a Map, Covering the Country Described and Showing - the Author’s Route, and with Forty Plates, of - which Sixteen are in Color - - - [Illustration] - - - BOSTON - THE PAGE COMPANY - MDCCCCXVII - - - - - Copyright 1917 - By THE PAGE COMPANY - (Incorporated) - - All Rights Reserved - - First Impression, October, 1917 - - - - -Preface - - -I know quite well that there have been books without end dealing with -our great Pacific Coast, and I feel that a writer who adds another -ought to have some good excuse for such action. I flatter myself that I -have sufficient warrant for this modest addition to western literature -in that my book will not deal with the widely traveled and much -heralded sections of this great country, but to a large extent with -its little visited and comparatively unfamiliar regions. Ninety per -cent of existing books on California have dealt with San Francisco and -the region to the south of that city. None, so far as I can discover, -have covered in detail, the vast mountain-studded wonderland that -comprises the northern half of California and very few have dealt with -the eastern half of Oregon, which undoubtedly can boast of some of the -most impressive and picturesque scenery in the whole world. I dislike -that overworked--almost banal--“picturesque,” too, but if there is -any excuse whatever for its use, surely it is in this connection. If -my language is not strong and colorful enough to prove it, I can rest -assured that the forty beautiful plates which grace this book will -settle the question beyond peradventure. There is only one thing more -convincing--a personal visit to this little-known American wonderland, -and this, I hope, every one of my readers will find opportunity to -accomplish some time or other. - -In the title to my book I have given Oregon preeminence,--though I -have covered some adjacent territory outside of the state--because I -feel that the predominating interest will be centered in this great -commonwealth. I believe I have covered nearly everything in the state -that will be likely to interest the average tourist and many of those -who make the round by motor will no doubt make San Francisco their -starting-point, as we ourselves did. In such cases, our opinion is that -the routes we pursued through Northern California are well worth while. - -In addition to the credit given with each of the splendid photographs -reproduced in this book, I wish to reiterate here my obligation to -Portland’s masters of the camera, the Winter Co., the Weister Co., and -Mr. Fred H. Kiser, who so kindly permitted the use of some of their -most beautiful pictures as illustrations. - -October 1, 1917. - - THE AUTHOR. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - I AN UNFAMILIAR WONDERLAND 1 - - II TO THE LAND OF SKY-BLUE WATER 23 - - III RENO TO KLAMATH FALLS 57 - - IV THE MARVELS OF CRATER LAKE 81 - - V CRATER LAKE TO THE DALLES 110 - - VI WHERE ROLLS THE OREGON 132 - - VII THE VALE OF THE WILLAMETTE 162 - - VIII GRANTS PASS TO EUREKA 184 - - IX EUREKA TO CLOVERDALE 216 - - INTO YOSEMITE BY MOTOR 245 - - A RUN TO THE ROOSEVELT DAM AND TO THE PETRIFIED FOREST 277 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - COLOR PLATES - - PAGE - BISHOP’S CAP, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY Frontispiece - - THE OAKS AT SUNSET 1 - - A CORNER OF LAKE TAHOE 23 - - ACROSS LAKE TAHOE 34 - - CRATER LAKE 81 - - SHIP ROCK, CRATER LAKE 90 - - SUNSET ON THE COLUMBIA 132 - - FROM INSPIRATION POINT, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY 140 - - SHEPPERD’S DELL BRIDGE, COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY 148 - - THE WILLAMETTE NEAR EUGENE, OREGON 174 - - ON THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY IN OREGON 176 - - THROUGH THE DEL NORTE REDWOODS 194 - - SAND DUNES ON THE NORTH COAST 216 - - THE MENDOCINO COAST 234 - - EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE 245 - - SOLITUDE--THE ARIZONA NATIONAL FORESTS 277 - - - DUOGRAVURES - - ON THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY 12 - - ON THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY 16 - - CAVE ROCK, LAKE TAHOE 48 - - THE ROAD TO CRATER LAKE 84 - - WIZARD ISLAND FROM GARFIELD PEAK 96 - - CRATER LAKE--WIZARD ISLAND IN DISTANCE 102 - - LLAO ROCK, CRATER LAKE 108 - - SAND CREEK CANYON PINNACLES 110 - - THE THREE SISTERS, DESCHUTES CANYON 112 - - THE DESCHUTES NEAR NORTH JUNCTION 116 - - OVERLOOKING DESCHUTES CANYON. MT. JEFFERSON 120 - - MT. HOOD FROM TYGH VALLEY 122 - - OR BON DESCHUTES RIVER CANYON 126 - - THE DESCHUTES RIVER CANYON 130 - - ONEONTA TUNNEL, COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY 134 - - COLUMBIA HIGHWAY AT MITCHELL POINT 136 - - AROUND TOOTH MOUNTAIN, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY 138 - - SHEPPARD’S BRIDGE FROM BENEATH--COLUMBIA HIGHWAY 142 - - SHEPPERD’S BRIDGE, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY 146 - - COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE FROM CHANTICLEER INN 152 - - COLUMBIA HIGHWAY NEAR EAGLE CREEK 156 - - PORTLAND AND MT. HOOD 160 - - ALONG THE COLUMBIA HIGHWAY 162 - - PRUNE ORCHARDS NEAR DUNDEE, OREGON, WILLAMETTE VALLEY 166 - - - MAPS - - MAP SHOWING AUTHOR’S ROUTE 314 - - - - -[Illustration: THE OAKS AT SUNSET - -From painting by Gordon Coutts] - - - - -Oregon--The Picturesque - - - - -I - -AN UNFAMILIAR WONDERLAND - - -Twenty thousand miles of motoring had made us familiar with most of the -highways and byways of California lying south of San Francisco. Some -of these roads we covered but once in our wanderings and others many -times--only a few outlying sections and odd corners have so far escaped -us and these we hope to add to our conquests in due course of time. I -do not think it possible for any motor enthusiast ever to grow weary -of the wonderland of Southern California with its miles and miles of -splendid road, its endless variety of scenery, and its enlivening dash -of historic romance. But we had done all this, and when the wanderlust -came upon us again we cast about, temporarily, of course--for we felt -that Sunset Land would eventually claim us again--for new fields of -adventure with our companion of the wind-shod wheels. - -And so it happened with us and we found ourselves scanning with -no small degree of interest and anticipation maps of the vast -mountain-studded country stretching from San Francisco to the Columbia -River. We had met infrequent motorists who had penetrated parts of this -comparatively unfamiliar region and their tales were enough to arouse -our curiosity and to intensify our desire to explore these virgin -fastnesses of shining lakes, vast forests, and rugged hills, but the -contemplation of such an undertaking caused us some uneasiness and -misgiving, we are free to confess. - -Here one will not find a system of smooth, well-engineered boulevards, -but is confronted by a series of widely dissevered mountain trails -which climb long, laborious grades or creep along precipitous slopes, -deep with dust in late summer and stony and rough at all times. Indeed, -many of the roads we planned to traverse are closed by snowdrifts -during the greater part of the year and the preferable time for touring -is from July to September inclusive. Later, one may encounter the first -showers of the rainy season--as it happened with ourselves--and many -of these mountain grades are described as “impassable” in wet weather. -One of our informants told us of his harrowing experience in passing a -night in his car on a slippery grade of the so-called Pacific Highway -in Oregon until daylight and a cessation of the shower made it possible -to proceed. He completed his drive to Portland but shipped his car -back to San Francisco by steamer--no one but a fool, he said, would -wish to drive both ways over such a road. - -And yet, when we called on the well-informed Automobile Association -in San Francisco, we were assured that the Pacific Highway was the -standard route to Portland and when we proposed to proceed north from -Lake Tahoe on the eastern side of the Sierras through Central Oregon to -The Dalles and to return through Eugene, Grants Pass, Crescent City, -and Eureka, we were regarded as being afflicted with a mild species of -dementia. We were assured that while it might be possible to make the -round with a good car, it was certainly not worth while; we would find -rough, stony roads and endless steep grades, and the trip would try any -machine and driver to the limit--all of which we found to be verily -true save that we can never agree that it wasn’t worth while--a mere -matter of opinion, after all. - -A few extracts from our road-book covering some of the route seemed to -prove that the auto people knew what they were talking about. We found -such cheerful information as “Roads poor; many sharp curves and heavy -grades up to thirty per cent” and again, “Roads mountainous, heavy -grades, sharp curves.” Of the hills about Eureka we were cautioned, -“Roads poor, heavy grades up to thirty per cent; sharp curves; use -care,” and I might quote similar data concerning our prospective route -ad infinitum--but we found that really the worst parts of the road were -not charted at all, for the book did not cover our proposed tour in -Oregon. - -We had, however, set our hearts too fondly on the trip to be easily -deterred and we determined to proceed, making careful inquiry of local -conditions from town to town; at the worst we would always have the -option of retracing our route. We felt sure that our car, a Pierce -forty-eight, was equal to any road that any motor-driven vehicle could -master--and nobly did it live up to our anticipations; in four thousand -miles of strenuous work, chiefly among the mountains, it did not give -us a moment’s trouble. - -For the greater part of our proposed route we were unable to secure -detailed descriptive maps such as cover so many of the main roads -on the coast and we had considerable misgivings about being able to -find our way, though we may anticipate a little by saying that this -misgiving proved quite unfounded. We had no need of such carefully -detailed maps and those we were able to secure met every requirement, -for we found the roads well signed, even in the loneliest and most -remote sections. We were seldom at a loss for our route; we did not -go astray a single time and were never delayed to any extent for -lack of road information. In the wildest and most thinly inhabited -regions there is usually but one road and we found the local garages -an unfailing source of reliable information as to the best route to -the next town. Indeed, many of them were perfectly familiar with -road conditions within a radius of a hundred miles, since in these -isolated villages--some of them to be reached only by automobile--the -garage men are accustomed to drive customers long distances in all -directions. Even the smallest places have one or more garages fairly -well equipped to take care of the travelers’ needs. We found it -unnecessary to carry an extra supply of gasoline with us, though there -were times when we became uneasy lest we should find ourselves short -of that very necessary fluid. A gravity-fed car may fail on some of -the steep grades, even with a goodly quantity of gasoline in the tank, -and this should be borne in mind by the tourist. Cars are not frequent -on many of these roads and a shortage of gasoline might prove a very -inconvenient matter, to say the least. - -At one of the remotest points on our trip we were hailed by a -fellow-motorist in distress--twenty-five miles from the nearest supply -station and with a tank so nearly empty that he could not climb the -grades. He had waited long for a passing car and one or two that had -come along could not help him out, being fearful of their own supply. -Then he hired a horse of a ranchman and visited the half-dozen houses -in the vicinity without success. We were able to spare a gallon or two -and he went on his way rejoicing. We always wondered, though, if he did -not meet with more grief before he mastered the nine-mile, twenty-five -per cent grade before him. Of course, it wasn’t twenty-five per cent -all the way, but a twenty-five per cent grade for only fifty yards may -be just as much of an obstacle, if your gasoline is low, as one many -times as long. - -We carried five gallons of water in two canvas-covered canteens, but -had little occasion to use it, as our motor seldom heated and we had -cool weather on some of the heaviest grades. An extra supply of water -may be a prime necessity, however, in very warm weather or in case of -motors inclined to heat under heavy work. There are grades where it -is a steady, low-gear grind for most cars for miles at a stretch and -frequently no water to be had. In such cases the canteen or canvas -water bag may prove a God-send, indeed. - -With a heavy car one should start out with a new set of tires all -around and a couple of spares, also new. Tires for medium and small -cars can be found at most of the country garages, but few of them stock -the larger sizes. On such a tour one can not afford to take unnecessary -chances with tires--it would be exceedingly inconvenient to experience -a “blow-out” on a narrow, thirty per cent grade. Some of the runs will -keep one busy enough without fooling away time on tires--if it can be -helped. So new tires and the best will be economy in the long run. One -must be prepared to see them suffer severely from the sharp stones -that strew the roads in many places--but we found it possible to make -the three-thousand-mile round without a puncture, though our casings -were sadly cut and scarred at the end and some of them had apparently -reached the limit of their usefulness. - -In the recesses of some of these giant hills a serious breakdown is a -calamity, indeed. It is impossible to tow the car to a repair shop and -it must be abandoned until necessary parts are obtained and repairs -completed by the roadside where the accident occurred. We saw quite a -number of these abandoned machines and wondered what luck the owners -had in getting assistance. In some cases it would have been a serious -matter to undertake to walk to the nearest house. In one instance -we had the pleasure of giving an unfortunate a lift just as he was -starting on a seventeen-mile trudge with a broken axle rod over his -shoulder. Another very serious feature of many of these breakdowns -was the time it must have required to get the new parts--all of which -reflections served to make us doubly thankful for the complete immunity -which our sturdy car enjoyed. Undoubtedly, the safest car for such a -tour is the heavy, powerful, and practically unbreakable car of the -type we used, or the light, agile Ford, for which a full line of parts -can be found in even the smaller towns of the remote districts. We did -not meet many cars on the greater part of our trip, but of these, fully -nine-tenths were Fords. In many cases they carried a complete camping -outfit, making the occupants independent of hotels and daily schedules. - -As to the hotels encountered in our month’s jaunt through the wilds, we -will deal with them in detail as we proceed with our story--but we may -generalize by saying that the average was wonderfully good. In towns of -a thousand or less we often found comfortable and well-appointed inns -where we could get rooms with private bath, and in the medium-sized -places the hotels were often truly metropolitan in size and -furnishings. In the smaller places the rates for rooms were low and in -the larger towns moderate in comparison with city charges. Nearly all -the hotels, however, were operated on the so-called European plan--you -pay separately for room and meals--and the “high cost of living” was -usually strongly in evidence in the restaurants. Although the touring -season was nearly past when we began our trip, many resorts being -closed at Tahoe and elsewhere, we found the hotels surprisingly well -patronized and in a few cases we secured accommodations with difficulty. - -Not being familiar with the hotels, it was not always practical to wire -for reservation--a practice worth while where one has the necessary -information. Sometimes we could get a tip from the hotel people as to -the best stopping-place in the next town, but this did not always prove -reliable, as the inn-keepers sometimes let personal reasons influence -them to recommend a second-rate hotel. Neither can the average hotel -directory be depended upon; many of the towns in the section we covered -are not even listed and improvement marches so rapidly in this country -that any information a few months old may be out of date. We found fine -hotels under construction in two or three towns and they are likely -to spring up almost overnight anywhere in this country. So, if one is -uncertain, perhaps as good a plan as any is to wait until the day’s -destination is reached and then make inquiries. This is usually safe if -you do not arrive too late in the day; we planned our runs, as a rule, -to bring us in well before dark and in several cases we saw later -arrivals turned away from our hotel. We reached one good-sized town, -where there is only one first-class hotel, about four o’clock in the -afternoon and the landlord told us he turned away no fewer than thirty -would-be guests after our arrival. - -We might remark here that we almost invariably carried our noonday -luncheon with us and ate it amidst the best surroundings we could -discover at the time. Often no place was at hand anywhere near the -luncheon hour where a meal could be secured, or if there happened to -be it generally proved a poor one, while a few nicely made sandwiches, -with fruit, nearly always to be found in this country, and hot coffee -from our thermos bottles, cost less than hotel meals and was far more -satisfactory; besides, this plan consumed less time and gave us the -advantage of enjoying the great out-of-doors, often with a magnificent -scene before us. - -As I have intimated, we met a good many fellow-motorists who carried -the out-of-door idea to a still greater extent, for they had with them -complete camping outfits, including the tents which sheltered them at -nightfall. In some parts of the country very delightful camping sites -could be found with trees and clear spring water near at hand; but -there were long stretches of road where none of these conveniences -existed and nothing save barren, stony soil or sagebrush-studded sand -greeted the wayfarer’s eyes. Occasionally we passed campers who were -making the best of such surroundings, but they did not present the -cheerful appearance of those who had lighted upon some grassy glade -under a group of fragrant balsam pines. A goodly number of the campers -were hunters, for we were in the midst of the season in California and -Oregon--we ourselves saw several deer by the roadside and occasionally -started a long-tailed pheasant or jack-rabbit from cover. Still more -numerous were the beautiful California quail which frequently arose in -large flocks as our car brushed through some dense thicket that skirted -the roadside. Considering the long distance we traveled through virgin -wildernesses, however, we saw little of wild life. - -If the hotels along our route averaged quite moderate in charges, -the garages did their best to even things up; gasoline is, indeed, a -precious fluid in this country, prices ranging from thirty to fifty -cents per gallon. We paid the latter figure only once, but thirty-five -and forty cents was quite common and lubricating oil was at least -fifty per cent above the San Francisco price. When one recalls that -in many of these towns supplies have to come by motor truck for long -distances, perhaps these high prices are justified. Garage charges for -our car ran from fifty to seventy-five cents per night. Fortunately, -we are not able to speak from experience as to the cost of repair -work, but the average garage seemed very well equipped to take care of -anything in this line. - -As we have already intimated, only an inconsiderable mileage of the -roads covered by our tour has as yet been improved. Most of the -counties that we traversed in Northern California and Oregon are vast -in extent and but thinly populated. For instance, Lassen and Modoc -Counties in California have respectively 4531 and 3823 square miles, -with a population of 4802 for the former and 6191 for the latter named. -Some of the Oregon counties would not show so great a population in -proportion to their area. It would be folly to expect such sparsely -inhabited communities, entirely without large cities, to be able to -match the great bond issues of the counties of Central and Southern -California. They have done much, everything considered, but so vast are -the distances and so great the engineering difficulties that the main -effort has been to keep the present roads in passable condition rather -than to build new ones. A veteran motorist told me that he had covered -a good part of these northern roads several years ago and that in -going over them a second time recently he could not note any great -improvement. Better bridges have been built and the surfacing improved -in places, but little has been done to widen the roads or to eliminate -the heavy grades. If fine highways with moderate gradients and curves -ever penetrate these natural fastnesses, the state will have to do the -work. - -[Illustration: ON THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY - -From photo by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -The present plans of the California Highway Commission contemplate the -improvement of the Coast Route--though, with the exception of about a -hundred miles, it runs a goodly distance from the coast--practically -to the Oregon line--and some of the grading in Humboldt and Mendocino -Counties is already done. Much work has also been done on the Pacific -Highway, which pursues its course through the central part of the state -and branches from this are projected to the county seats of each of the -eastern tier of counties. Nothing, however, is promised for the extreme -eastern counties in the way of an improved road northward from Lake -Tahoe and roughly following the Nevada, California & Oregon Railroad to -the Oregon border. Probably such a highway would not be justified, for -the population is very scant and the country barren and poor, though -it has much to interest the tourist for all that. With the completion -of the new highways, much of the present road will be practically -abandoned and while this is a consummation devoutly to be wished from -most viewpoints, the tourist of the future will miss many of the most -glorious mountain vistas that human eye has ever rested upon. For -the only way to realize the majesty of the mountains is to climb the -mountains, and though that is sometimes strenuous and even dangerous -work, it is not without its reward to one who delights in these giant -hills. - -The success of the second state bond proposition submitted at the -general election of 1916, providing fifteen million dollars to -complete the highway system, insures that the work as outlined in -Northern California will be carried forward as rapidly as possible. -This comprises two trunk lines to the northern border: the Pacific -Highway, traversing the Sacramento Valley, and the Coast Route, roughly -following the ocean to Crescent City. A large part of the former road -is already finished, but a much larger proportion of the Coast road -is still undone. Besides these, several laterals will connect the -county seats not served directly by the main lines, thus reaching the -communities east of the Sierras, where no highway is planned. Much -of the worst road covered in the tour described in this book will -be eliminated when the proposed extensions are completed. This will -probably require three years, or until 1920--and we may confidently -predict that motor touring will become vastly more popular in this now -little-known scenic wonderland. - -The highways of Oregon present a still more serious question in that -state than the one which California has to solve. With only one-fifth -the population and with two-thirds the area of her neighbor, Oregon -cannot undertake the vast road improvement plans that are being carried -out south of her border. There is as yet little well-improved road -in the state; a few pieces of macadam about Portland and down the -Willamette Valley--much of it broken and rough--and the wonderful new -Columbia River Highway comprising about all of it at this time. A -number of the more prosperous counties, however, have voted bonds or -are contemplating such a move, especially along the Pacific Highway, -so that in the course of four or five years we may expect some -appreciable results. But Oregon roads generally are desperately bad -and are likely to remain so for some time. There will likely be much -improvement in the way of grading and bridges, but surfacing after the -splendid fashion of California is far off for the vast majority of -Oregon highways. Multnomah County, in which is situated the city of -Portland, has by far the greater mileage of surfaced highways and we -found considerable road work in progress here. The first move toward -a permanent system in this county was the issuance of two and a half -millions in bonds, the proceeds of which were used to build the first -fifty miles of the Columbia River Highway, and it is to be hoped that -other counties will continue the good work until this wonderful road -parallels the mighty river its entire length in the state. - -We found the leaven of good-roads sentiment working strongly in Oregon -during our sojourn in that state, and a little less than a year later -it bore substantial fruit in a six-million bond issue which carried by -a safe majority. This is avowedly only the entering wedge--it is safe -to predict a repetition of California’s experience in adopting a second -issue by a far larger popular vote than the first received. Six million -dollars will not improve a very large percentage of Oregon’s immense -road mileage, but it will serve to give the people of this state a -demonstration of the advantages of permanent highways and the good -work is sure to gain an impetus that will result in still more liberal -provision for carrying it forward. - -[Illustration: ON THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY - -Courtesy of the Southern Pacific R. R. Co.] - -Efforts in both California and Oregon are at present being centered on -the Pacific Highway and in the latter state perhaps half the mileage -is improved in some way or other at this time. This is well enough, -since this highway traverses the principal centers of population in -both states and will no doubt serve the greatest number of people. It -does not, however, compare in scenic interest with the coast road and -it closely follows the Southern Pacific Railroad, affording one the -alternative of seeing the country from the window of a Pullman car, -which many will prefer while the highway is in its present state. The -Coast road, however, traverses virgin wildernesses that can not be -reached by railroad train and whose beauty will reward the somewhat -strenuous effort which the motorist must make to penetrate them. - -We realize now that our trip was made too rapidly to give us the best -opportunity to see and enjoy the marvels of this wonderful region. For -unavoidable reasons we could not start before the middle of September -and before we made our round we became uneasy on account of the -weather. We ran into showers on some of the worst mountain roads in -California, the weather with its proverbial perverseness in the Golden -State taking a “most unusual” turn. Snow fell in the Tahoe and Crater -Lake regions shortly after we left them and with snow these roads -are impassable for the average motor car. So one will be easier and -practically sure of avoiding adverse weather manifestations if he will -start the latter part of July--though the “unusual” may get him even -then, since on the year of our tour the Crater Lake road was not free -from snow until the first of August. One should plan short daily runs -on such a tour and there are many side trips well worth while if there -is plenty of time to do them. There are, moreover, many delightful inns -and resorts to be found in the region we covered--some of them closed -when we reached them--which might well tempt the wayfarer to tarry -awhile to rest and enjoy at his leisure the surroundings of forest, -lake or mountain stream, as the case may be. There will be many days -on the road when such a respite will be very welcome, especially to -the feminine members of the party. Excepting Portland, there is no -large city in the territory covered by our tour; indeed, in California, -north of San Francisco and Sacramento, there is no town larger than -Eureka, with perhaps fifteen thousand people, while Eugene and Salem -in Oregon and Reno in Nevada have approximately the same population. -The situation of these towns and the territory tributary to them puts -them nearer to the metropolitan class than the average eastern town of -similar size. - -Though the tour covered by this book was the most strenuous we have -ever made and the lateness of the season compelled more haste than -we liked, yet we look back upon the month spent among these rugged -hill ranges and wide plains and valleys with unmixed satisfaction. -We saw many things that justly may be rated among the wonders of the -world. We saw enough to convince us that when this region is penetrated -by well-constructed highways, it will divide honors with Southern -California as a tourist resort and motorist’s paradise. It is little -known at present; all the flood of books poured forth about California -have dealt mainly with San Francisco and the country lying south of -that city; and Oregon, aside from the Columbia River, has a very scant -literature. I can not pretend in the limits of this work to have done -the subject anything like full justice. It is a country of magnificent -distances, of endless variety and immense and undeveloped resources, -and volumes would be necessary should one enter into detail. But with -the assistance of our sturdy car we saw much, indeed; we achieved in -one month that which in old days would have required months of tedious -travel. - -We saw Tahoe, the gem of the world’s lakes, in its setting of -snow-covered, pine-clad mountains. We saw the strange volcanic plains -and hills of Lassen and Modoc Counties with their wide, shallow lakes. -We saw Eagle Lake, flashing in the sunset like a sheet of molten silver -among the pine forests that crowd up to its very shores. We saw the -vast mountain cauldron with its lapis-lazuli sheet of water--the bluest -bit of water on this mundane sphere--Crater Lake, with its mighty -ramparts of unscaled cliffs and the unmatched vista of mountain forests -and lake from the newly built government road. We saw the vast forests -of Central Oregon, where in a whole day’s run there is little evidence -of human habitation. We saw the great mountain range that skirts -the plain covered by this forest, with here and there a stupendous -peak, white with eternal snow, piercing the azure heavens. We saw the -white, cold pyramid of Mount Hood with the dark belt of pines at its -base, stand in awful majesty against a wide band of crimson sky. For -a hundred miles we followed the vale of the queen river of the west, -mountain-guarded Columbia, and coursed over the famous new highway -with its unrivalled panoramas of stream and wooded hills. We pursued -the western Willamette through its fertile, well-tilled valley and -admired the prosperous, up-to-date towns along the way. We traversed -the rough, sinuous trails over the summits of the rugged Cascades into -the virgin redwoods of Del Norte and Humboldt Counties. For more than a -hundred miles the narrow road twists through these giant trees, coming -at times to commanding headlands from which there are endless vistas -of shining sea. We visited Eureka, the wonder city of the North, long -shut in behind ranges of almost impenetrable hills and dependent on -the sea alone--though now it has a railroad and lives in hopes of the -coming of the new state highway. We saw Shasta of the eternal snows -and Lassen’s smoke-shrouded peak. We followed the rugged coastline -of Mendocino County with its stern headlands overlooking leagues of -glorious ocean. We coursed through the vast vineyards of the Napa and -Santa Rosa Valleys with the terraced hill ranges on either hand showing -everywhere the careful tillage one sees in Italy or along the Rhine. We -crossed the pine-clad hills that shut in beautiful Clear Lake Valley -with its giant oaks and crystal sheet of water--which still lingers -in our memories as the loveliest spot in all California. We traversed -the great plain of the Sacramento, whose pastoral beauty and quiet -prosperity rivals that of the Mississippi Valley. - -Nor was the element of historic interest entirely lacking. Old Fort -Ross and the names that still cling to a few places about the Russian -River reminded us that at one time the Czar nearly added Northern -California to his vast domains. We found footprints of the padres at -San Rafael and Sonoma and no doubt they would have carried the chain on -to the Columbia River had not the Mexicans interfered. We came upon -reminders of the terrible privations suffered by the pioneers--for -did we not look down on placid Donner Lake, which takes its name from -one of the saddest of the endless tragedies that befell the emigrant -trains? There are many relics, too, of the romantic days of ’49, and -we came upon places where gold is still being mined, though by methods -vastly different from those of the panhandlers of Bret Harte. We found -many memories of Lewis and Clarke and of Marcus Whitman, who did so -much to put Oregon under the Stars and Stripes, and more than once we -crossed the trail of Fremont, the tireless Pathfinder. - -But why anticipate farther, since I shall endeavor to describe in -detail as I proceed with the story of our tour? Even were I to write -nothing more, I hope I have proved my contention that it is well worth -while to explore this new wonderland--but I trust that I shall find -language as I progress to make even more apparent the savage grandeur -of these hills, the weird loveliness of the lakes, the majesty of the -virgin forests, and the glories of rugged coast and restless ocean. - - - - -[Illustration: A CORNER OF LAKE TAHOE - -From painting by Thos. Moran] - - - - -II - -TO THE LAND OF SKY-BLUE WATER - - -There are two routes from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe which carry -nine-tenths of the motor travel to that interesting region. Both -traverse a picturesque mountain country with a spice of historic -and romantic interest and most motor visitors, naturally enough, go -by one route and return by the other. That we did not do so was the -result of the miscarriage of our plans, due to a break-down of the car -we had leased of a Los Angeles dealer for our first trip. This made -it necessary to go part of the way by train and when repairs to the -car were made, we returned by the route over which we had come. The -following year, in our own car, we again visited Tahoe, going from San -Francisco by the way of Sacramento and Placerville and continuing our -journey northward from the lake. - -In each instance we passed the night at Sacramento, which is the best -starting point for the day’s run to Tahoe, being about one hundred and -twenty miles distant by either route. We were sure of every comfort and -convenience here--there are a dozen hotels ranging from good-enough -to first-class--and our repeated visits had given us more and more of -a liking for Sacramento. It is a clean, beautiful city, practically -a seaport, so deep and broad is its mighty tide-water river, which -carries a yearly commerce, incoming and outgoing, of an aggregate -value of more than fifty million dollars. The surrounding country -is very fertile, with greatly varied agricultural and fruit-growing -resources which form the basis of the city’s prosperity and assure -its future. Its streets and private and public buildings have a truly -metropolitan appearance which in the east would indicate a city of much -more than fifty or sixty thousand population. The Capitol building, a -white marble structure of purely classic lines, stands in a beautiful -semi-tropic park of about forty acres. This is beautified with endless -varieties of shrubs and trees, among them palms of many species, for -the climate is such that orange groves, olives and almonds flourish -quite as vigorously as in Southern California. The oranges ripen -here from six weeks to two months earlier than in the south, giving -the growers the advantage of early markets, and the quality of the -fruit is equal to the best. Surrounding the city are endless orchards -of peach, pear, prune, apricot, cherry, and many other varieties -of fruit trees; and there are extensive vineyards of both wine and -table grapes. Dairying, stock-raising, gardening, as well as other -branches of farming are carried on--very profitably, if one may judge -by appearances. Manufacturing is also done on a considerable scale in -the city and vicinity and gold mining in the county is an industry -producing about two millions annually. All of which would seem to -indicate that Sacramento has not yet reached the zenith of its growth -and prosperity. It is favorably situated as to railroads, having a -service of three transcontinental lines since the Santa Fe has leased -right of way over the Western Pacific. The new state highway enters -the city from north and south and a direct route has been opened to -San Francisco by the completion of the great Yolo Trestle, shortening -the distance by wagon road--thirty miles less than via Stockton and -Altamont, formerly the standard route. This great engineering feat -bridges the Yolo basin, which is flooded during several months of the -year, with a solid concrete causeway twenty-one feet wide and over -three miles long, carried on re-enforced concrete piles rising twenty -feet above ground. It was completed in about eighteen months and cost -a little under four hundred thousand dollars. We ran over it on our -last trip to Sacramento and it seemed like a fairy tale indeed to -be bowling along twenty feet above the formerly impassable marsh as -safely and smoothly as upon an asphalted city boulevard. In addition -to the state highway, Sacramento County already has many miles of good -road of her own construction, but she is planning still larger things -in the immediate future. A highway bond issue of two million dollars -was authorized late in 1916 by a majority of nearly four to one, -emphatically proving the enlightenment of the citizens of the county on -the question of improved roads. The proceeds of this issue will improve -practically all the main highways and make Sacramento County one of the -favorite touring grounds of the state. - -Historically, the capital city is one of the most interesting towns -in the state, since it is the oldest settlement of white men in -the interior of California. It had a population of more than ten -thousand in 1849, though doubtless the majority of the inhabitants -were transient gold-seekers. It was the goal of the greater number of -emigrants who came overland during the “gold fever” period and was a -famous outfitting point for the prospective miners who rushed here -because of the proximity of the gold fields. Ten years earlier a colony -of Swiss emigrants, under the name of New Helvetia, was established on -the present site of the city by Col. John H. Sutter. It soon became -better known as Sutter’s Fort, on account of the solid blockhouse built -by the founder, which still stands in good repair, now containing a -museum of relics of pioneer days. Sutter employed John Marshall, whom -he sent to Coloma, some fifty miles east of Sacramento, to build a mill -on the South American river. Here Marshall picked up the famous nugget -that threw the whole world into a ferment in the late forties and -turned the tide of emigration to California. - -But perhaps we are permitting our fondness for Sacramento to detain -us too long on the subject; it did not prevent us, however, from -getting an early start from our hotel on the Auburn road for Tahoe. -Out of the city for several miles through a fertile orchard and farm -country, we pursued a level, well-improved road which led us toward -the great hill range that marks the western confines of the valley. -Entering the rounded brown foothills, we kept a steady ascent through -scattering groves of oak and pine, with here and there along the way -a well-ordered stock farm or fruit ranch. It was in the height of the -peach season and a sign at a ranch house gate tempted us to purchase. A -silver dime brought us such a quantity of big, luscious, rosy-cheeked -fruit that we scarcely knew where to bestow it about the car. It was -just off the tree and ripe to perfection, and by comparison with -the very best one could buy in a fruit market, it seemed a new and -unheard-of variety--ambrosia fit only for the gods. Its fragrance and -savoriness linger with us yet and do much to mitigate the recollection -of divers disasters and disappointments that overtook us ere we reached -our destination. And they told us that so immense was the crop of -peaches and pears in this locality that some of this unequalled fruit -was being fed to the pigs. - -Following a winding but fair road through the hills, we soon came, as -we supposed, into the main part of Auburn, for we had taken no pains to -learn anything about the town. At the foot of a sharp hill we paused in -a crooked street with a row of ramshackle buildings on either side and -it was apparent at a glance that the population of the ancient-looking -town was chiefly Chinese. A few saloons and one or two huge wooden -boarding houses were the most salient features and a small blacksmith -shop near the end of the street was labeled “Garage.” We mentally -classed “Sweet Auburn” with Chinese Camp and following the road leading -out of the place began the ascent of an exceedingly steep hill. - -We were not destined to pass old Auburn with so short an acquaintance, -for something went wrong with the gearing of the car before we were -half way up the hill and we returned perforce to the wretched little -garage we had passed, never dreaming that at the crest of the hill was -a fine, modern town with one of the best-equipped machine shops we saw -outside of the cities. While the proprietor of the garage, who combined -in his single person the function of consulting engineer and mechanical -repairman, was endeavoring to diagnose our trouble, we learned from -a bystander that there was another Auburn on the hilltop with an -excellent hotel--welcome news, for apparently chances were strong for -passing the night in the town. We found the newer section well built -and attractive, with a handsome courthouse, an imposing high school, -and a new bank building with tall, classic pillars that would hardly -be out of place on Fifth Avenue. Best of all, we found a comfortable -hotel, which did much to mitigate the disappointment of our enforced -sojourn in the town. - -Though the trouble with the car was trifling, much time was consumed -by our garage expert in locating it and still more in dissuading him -from making a three-days’ job of it by tearing the machine to pieces, -which he evinced a lively desire to do. A threat to remove the car to -the garage on the hill, however, proved efficacious and by the middle -of the afternoon he pronounced the job complete. And here we may pause -to remark that before we reached Tahoe we had more serious trouble with -this miserable car, which we shall pass over for the double reason that -a recital would vex us with harrowing memories and be of no interest -to the reader. We only registered a silent, solemn vow with good St. -Christopher, the patron saint of all travelers, that our next tour -should be made in our own car and we fulfilled our vow a year later in -the long jaunt to Portland and return covered by this book. - -As it was too late in the day to continue our journey after the car -was ready, we contented ourselves with driving about town. The hotel -people especially urged us not to miss the view from a second hill -which dominated the new town and upon which may be found the homes of -Auburn’s Four Hundred. A truly magnificent outlook greeted us from this -hillcrest--a far-reaching panorama of the canyon of the American River, -intersected by the gleaming stream more than a thousand feet beneath. -On either side of the river we beheld range upon range of wooded hills -stretching away to the blue haze of the horizon, the rugged wall of the -Sierras looming dimly in the far distance. From our point of vantage, -we could see the broad vale of the Sacramento to the westward, and, -nearer at hand, the foothills intersected by the pleasant valleys with -orchards and cultivated fields, dotted here and there with white ranch -houses. - -Beyond Auburn the road climbs steadily to Colfax, a few short pitches -ranging from fifteen to twenty per cent. The surface was good and we -were delighted by many fine vistas from the hilltops as we hastened -along. At Applegate was a deserted hotel and “tent city,” said to be -very popular resorts earlier in the summer. Colfax was the Illinois -Town of mining times and still has many buildings dating back to the -“days of gold.” The town was given its present name when the steam road -came and it is now a center of considerable activity in railroading. -Here we heard of a new California industry, for tobacco is grown in the -vicinity and cigars made from the home-grown plant may be had at the -local shops. There is also a famous vineyard and winery near the town, -operated by an Italian colony similar to those of the Napa Valley. -There is much beautiful scenery about Colfax. From the nearby summits -across long reaches of forest-clad hills, one may see on one hand the -mighty ranks of the snow-clad Sierras and on the other the dim outlines -of the Coast Range. On exceptionally clear days, they told us, the -shining cone of Shasta may be seen, though it is more than one hundred -and fifty miles away. - -Out of Colfax we continue to climb steadily and soon come upon -reminders of the days when this was one of the greatest gold-producing -sections of California. The hillsides everywhere show the scars of -old-time placer mining. Millions of the precious metal were produced -here in the few years following ’49, but operations have long since -ceased and the deserted villages are fast falling into ruin. Dutch Flat -and Gold Run, now stations on the Southern Pacific, could no doubt have -furnished Bret Harte with characters and incidents quite as varied and -picturesque as Angel’s Camp or Sonora had his wanderings brought him -hither. For the disappearance of the good old golden days, the natives -console themselves in this fashion, quoting advertising literature -issued by Placer County: “In days gone by the gold mining industry -made this section famous. To-day the golden fruit brings it wealth -and renown.” And it also holds forth the hope that scientific mining -methods may yet find “much gold in the old river beds and seams of -gold-bearing rock.” - -From Dutch Flat to Emigrant Gap, perhaps a dozen miles, the road climbs -continually, winding through pine forests that crowd closely on either -hand. Here is one of the wildest sections of the Sierras accessible -to motor cars, and the weird beauty culminates at Emigrant Gap, a -great natural gash in the Sierras which in early days gave its name -to the road by which the great majority of overland emigrants entered -California. Near this point, a little distance to the right of the -road and some two thousand feet beneath, lies Bear Valley, one of -the loveliest vales of the Sierras--in early summer an emerald green -meadow--lying between Yuba River and Bear Creek, shut in on every hand -by tree-clad slopes. From Emigrant Gap to the summit of the divide, a -distance of twenty-seven miles, the road mounts steadily through the -pines, winding around abrupt turns and climbing heavy grades--the last -pitch rising to thirty per cent, according to our road book, though -we doubt if it is really so steep. Crystal Lake and Lake Van Orten -are passed on the way, two blue mountain tarns lying far below on the -right-hand side of the road. From the summit, at an elevation of a -little over seven thousand feet, we have a wonderful view both eastward -and westward. Behind us the rugged hills through which we have wended -our way slope gently to the Sacramento Valley--so gently that in the -one hundred miles since leaving the plain we have risen only a mile -and a half. Before us is the sharper fall of the eastern slope and far -beneath, in a setting of green sward and stately pines, the placid blue -waters of Donner Lake, beautiful despite the tragic associations which -come unbidden to our minds. - -The Donner party of thirty-one people set out from Illinois in April, -1846, and after almost unbelievable hardships, which caused the death -of many of them, arrived in the vicinity of Truckee in October. Here -they were overtaken by a terrific snowstorm that made farther progress -impossible and they camped on the shores of Donner Lake until the -following February. Many other emigrants had joined the party on the -way and in spite of the numerous deaths while enroute, eighty-three -were snowed in at this camp. Forty-nine of these perished before relief -arrived and only eighteen finally survived to reach California. The -first crossing by emigrants over this route was made in 1844 and the -fate of the Donner party was due to being caught by the early winter -rather than the difficulties of the road. Snow fell during that winter -to the depth of twenty-two feet, as proven by a stump of a tree cut by -the emigrants; and a fall of from ten to twenty feet is not uncommon -even now in this vicinity. - -Crossing the mountains, one is appalled by the thought of the -difficulties encountered by the pioneer who had neither road nor -signboard, but must make his way over rugged hills and deep valleys, -across wide rivers, and through virgin forests with only a dimly blazed -trail to guide him--and even this was often wanting. If a motor trip -across the continent even now is not without its difficulties and -discomforts, what hardships must the pioneers with the ox-drawn -wagons have endured in that far-off day when neither railway nor wagon -road entered the savage wilderness and the only inhabitants were -hostile Indians and wild beasts. - -[Illustration: ACROSS LAKE TAHOE - -From painting by H. H. Bagg] - -The descent from the summit of the divide to Truckee is gradual, some -twelve hundred feet in nine miles, though there are a few short, steep -grades of from fifteen to twenty per cent, according to our authority. -It was dark when we reached Truckee, but as there was no chance of -going astray on the road to Tahoe Tavern, we determined to proceed. -The road for the entire distance of fifteen miles closely follows the -Truckee River, a swift, shallow stream fed from the limpid waters -of Lake Tahoe. It was a glorious moonlight night and the gleaming -river, the jagged hills on either hand, and the dark pine forests, all -combined to make a wild but entrancingly beautiful effect. As we later -saw the Truckee Canyon by daylight, we have every reason to be glad -that we traversed it by moonlight as well. - -Tahoe Tavern, with its myriad lights, was a welcome sight, none the -less, after an exceedingly strenuous trip, the personal details of -which I have forborne to inflict upon the reader. We were given rooms -in the new annex, a frame-and-shingle building, and were delighted to -find that our windows opened upon the moonlit lake. The mountain tops -on the opposite shore were shrouded in heavy clouds through which the -moon struggled at intervals, transmuting the clear, still surface of -the lake from a dark, dull mirror to a softly lighted sheet of water -with a path of gleaming silver running across it. Directly a thunder -storm broke over the eastern shore--very uncommon in summer, we were -told--and we had the spectacle of clouds and lake lighted weirdly by -flashes of lightning. The thunder rolling among the peaks and across -the water brought vividly to our minds Byron’s description of a -thunderstorm on Lake Geneva in the Alps. For a short time it seemed as -if “every mountain peak had found a tongue,” but the storm died away -without crossing the lake. - -We may as well admit that we failed to carry out our resolution to see -sunrise on the lake, for we did not waken until the sun was shining -broadly into our window, to which we hastened for a first impression of -Tahoe by daylight. We beheld a smooth, steel-blue sheet of water with -a sharply defined mountain range in the distance--no suggestion of the -color miracle we had heard so much about; we learned that you must see -Tahoe from many viewpoints and at many periods of the day to know a few -of the myriad phases of its beauty. - -Tahoe Tavern, a huge, brown, rambling building in a fine grove of -pines, fronts directly on a little bay and commands a glorious outlook -of lake and distant mountains. It is a delightfully retired and quiet -place, ideal for rest and recuperation, while the surrounding country -is unmatched in scenic attractions for those inclined to exploration, -whether by steamer, motor, on horseback, or afoot. We found the service -and the cuisine equal to the best resort hotels in California--and -that is saying a great deal, since California in this particular leads -the world. The Tavern’s popularity is evidenced by the fact that the -main building, capable of accommodating several hundred guests, has -been supplemented by the large annex and even then in season it is -well to engage rooms in advance of arrival. Here we found a quiet yet -exhilarating spot, the toil and tumult of the busy world shut out by -impregnable mountain barriers, where one may repose and commune with -nature in her grandest and most enchanting aspects. - -After making the acquaintance of the friendly chipmunks about the -inn--which have so far overcome their natural timidity as to take -morsels from your fingers or even to rifle your pockets in search -of peanuts--and laughing at the antics of the blue jays, almost as -fearless, we decided to board the excursion steamer, which makes a -daily round of the lake. Once out from the shore and well started on -our southward journey, we began to realize something of the wonderful -colorings that no one who has seen Tahoe can ever forget. About us -the water was of the deepest, clearest, ultra-marine blue, shading by -many gradations into emerald green near the shores. The colors were -more intense than we had ever seen before in any body of water and -cannot be entirely due to great depth, for though the bottom of Tahoe -in places is nearly two thousand feet below the surface, the hue is -deeper than that of the ocean. It is more like liquid, transparent -lapis-lazuli, if we may imagine such a thing, than anything else I can -think of. No doubt the depth of the water and the deep azure of the -skies are the chief elements in producing this glorious effect. Yet, -for all its blueness, we could see the bottom of the lake as we steamed -along--indeed, they told us that only in the deepest places is the -bottom invisible on clear, still days. - -We followed the coast at a little distance, stopping at the different -stations, chiefly camps and resorts of various degrees. Most of these -are along the west side of the lake between Tahoe and Tallac, and -scattered between them are many summer villas, chiefly of San Francisco -people. This part of the shore is the most picturesque, being well -wooded, while much of the eastern side is lined with barren and rocky -mountains. At Rubicon Point, mighty cliffs rise high above the lake -and their sheer walls extend far beneath the water that laves their -base. Here is the deepest, bluest water that we cross, and they tell -us one of the best fishing spots. Passing from the ultramarine deeps -of the Rubicon Point, we round a sharply jutting promontory and glide -into the jade-green waters of Emerald Bay, a long, oval-shaped inlet -at the southern end of the lake. Surely, it is rightly named, for here -green predominates, from the steep sides of the encircling hills to the -very center of the shallow bay. At the upper end of the bay, rising -almost sheer from the green water, is a rocky, scantily-wooded island -where for many years an eccentric Englishman made his home. Nearly -opposite on the shore is Emerald Bay Camp, perhaps the most popular of -the many permanent camps around the lake. At Tallac the steamer stops -for an hour to give opportunity for luncheon at the huge wooden hotel -built many years ago by the late “Lucky” Baldwin. It stands in a grove -of splendid pines and on a site in some ways superior to that of the -tavern. Certainly the surrounding country is more picturesque and has -more to interest the tourist. Just over the hills is the beautiful -Fallen Leaf Lake and there are several other jewel-like tarns set in -the hills a little to the west, while Cascade Lake and Emerald Bay are -within walking distance. During luncheon one of our party expressed -disappointment that the coloring of the lake hardly measured up to -expectations formed from the enthusiastic descriptions of guidebooks -and railroad literature. - -“You can never see the color beauties of a lake at their best from a -boat,” I declared. “We once had the opportunity of making the Great -Glen trip by steamer and a year later of following these splendid -Scotch lakes with our car; the effects of color and light which we saw -on the latter trip were indescribably the more glorious.” - -“Then let’s abandon the boat and hire a car for the return trip to the -Tavern,”--a proposition to which all agreed. The car, a good one, was -easily secured and we were soon away on what has been described as the -most beautiful twenty-five mile drive in the world--a true claim so far -as we know; the Columbia River Boulevard or Crater Lake road may rival -it for scenic beauty, though these are perhaps too different for fair -comparison. - -The day was perfect, crystal clear except for a few white clouds -drifting lazily across the sky or resting on the summits of the -mountains beyond the lake; a day which our driver, an agreeable and -intelligent young fellow, declared ideal for seeing Tahoe at its best. -For a few miles out of Tallac we ran through a pine forest, catching -fugitive glimpses of the blue water through the stately trunks. As we -ascended the ridge overlooking Emerald Bay, exclamations of delight -were frequent and enthusiastic as the magnificent panorama gradually -unfolded to our view. The climax was reached when our driver paused at -the summit of the ridge, where the whole of Tahoe spread out before us. -Just beneath on one hand lay Emerald Bay; on the other gleamed Cascade -Lake--a perfect gem in glorious setting of rock and tree. And the glory -of color that greeted our eyes! Exaggerated in descriptions? No mortal -language ever conveyed a tithe of its iridescent beauty and never -will. One of the ladies exclaimed, “It is like a great black opal,” -and knowing her passion for that gem, we recognized the sincerity of -her tribute. And, indeed, the comparison was not inapt. There were the -elusive, changeful greens and blues, the dark purples, and the strange, -uncertain play of light and color that characterizes that mysterious -gem. Near the shore line the greens predominated, reaching the deepest -intensity in Emerald Bay, just below. Passing through many variations -of color, the greens merged into the deep blues and farther out in -the lake purple hues seemed to prevail. Along the opposite shore ran -the rugged mountain range, the summits touched by cloud-masses which -held forth the slightest threat of a summer shower--and, indeed, it -came just before we reached the tavern. Overhead the sky was of the -deepest azure and clear save for a few tiny white clouds mirrored in -the gloriously tinted water. Altogether, the scene was a combination -of transcendent color with a setting of rugged yet beautiful country -that we have never seen equalled elsewhere and which we have no words -to fittingly describe. Even the master artist fails here, since he can -but express one mood of the lake--while it has a thousand every day. We -have seen the Scotch, Italian and English lakes; we sailed the length -of George and Champlain; we admired the mountain glories of Yellowstone -Lake; we viewed Klamath and Crater Lakes from mountain heights, but -none of them matched the wonderful color variations of Tahoe. - -But we are on our way again, descending and climbing long grades -which pass through pine forests and come out on headlands from which -we gain new and entrancing views of lake and mountains. The road was -completed only recently, but it is good in the main, though there are -steep pitches and some rough and dusty stretches. At times it takes us -out of sight of the lake, but we are compensated by wild and rugged -scenery--towering crags and massive walls of gray stone--rising above -us on every hand. The road must have presented considerable engineering -difficulties; our driver points out a place where a mighty rock of -a thousand tons or more was blasted to fragments to clear the way. -Far above us on the mountain crests we see gleaming patches of snow -which the late summer sun has not been able to dispel. We cross clear -mountain streams and wind through groves of pine and spruce. Often as -we climb or descend the long grades we come upon new vistas of the lake -and mountains and occasionally we ask for a moment’s delay to admire -some especially beautiful scene. Then we descend almost to the level -of the water, which we see flashing through stately trunks or rippling -upon clear, pebbly beaches. We pass various resorts, each surrounded -by pines and commanding a beautiful view of the lake. As we approach -the Tavern the summer shower that has been threatening begins and to -the color glories of sky and lake are added the diamond-like brilliance -of the big drops, for the sun is unobscured by the clouds. Beyond a -stretch of smooth water, dimmed to dull silver by the blue-gray vapor -hanging over it, a rainbow hovers in front of the dim outlines of the -distant hills. It was a fitting climax to the most inspiring drive in -the many thousands of miles covered by our wanderings. - -We spent the remainder of the afternoon and the evening about the -Tavern. Especially we admired the casino with its arcade fronting -directly on the lake; here amusements of every description tempt the -guest who finds time heavy on his hands, but we found more enjoyment -in the beautiful scenes from the wide arches. Near by we found a -photograph shop in charge of our friend, Valentine of Los Angeles, some -of whose splendid pictures adorn this book. He had come to Tahoe before -the roads were clear and told us of some desperate work in getting -through, spending the night in his car while stuck in a snowdrift. - -Circumstances made it impracticable that we remain longer at the Tavern -and we left the next morning for Sacramento with the mental resolution -that we would come again at our earliest opportunity. That opportunity -came a little more than a year later. We again found ourselves in -Sacramento on the beginning of the northern tour covered by this book. -We had discarded our trouble-making hired car for our own machine, -long, low, and heavy, so solidly built that not a single part gave way -under the terribly severe conditions of the tour. - -Out of Sacramento we followed the new state highway, then almost -completed to Placerville. On the way to Folsom we saw much of gold -mining under modern conditions. Monstrous floating steam dredges were -eating their way through the fields and for miles had thrown up great -ridges of stones and gravel from which the gold had been extracted -by a process of washing. Something less than two million dollars -annually is produced in Sacramento County, mainly by this process, and -the cobblestones, after being crushed by powerful machinery, serve -the very useful purpose of road-building. Beyond Folsom the highway -winds through uninteresting hills covered with short brown grass and -diversified with occasional oak trees. We kept a pretty steady upward -trend as we sped toward the blue hill ranges, but there were no grades -worth mentioning west of Placerville. Before we reached the town we -entered the splendid pine forest which continues all the way to Tahoe. - -Placerville has little to recall its old-time sobriquet of Hangtown, -the name by which it figures in Bret Harte’s stories. Here, indeed, was -the very storm center of the early gold furor--but five miles to the -north is Coloma, where Marshall picked up the nugget that turned the -eyes of the world to California in ’49. Over the very road which we -were to pursue out of the town poured the living tide of gold seekers -which spread out through all the surrounding country. To-day, however, -Placerville depends little on mining; its narrow, crooked main street -and a few ancient buildings are the only reminders of its old-time -rough-and-tumble existence. It is a prosperous town of three thousand -people and handsome homes, with well-kept lawns, are not uncommon. We -also noted a splendid new courthouse of Spanish colonial design wrought -in white marble, a fine example of the public spirit that prevails in -even the more retired California communities. The site of the town is -its greatest drawback. Wedged as it is in the bottom of a vast canyon, -there is little possibility of regularity in streets and much work -has been necessary to prepare sites for homes and public buildings. -A certain picturesqueness and delightful informality compensates for -all this and the visitor is sure to be pleased with the Placerville of -to-day aside from its romantic history. Two fairly comfortable hotels -invite the traveler to stop and make more intimate acquaintance with -the town, which a recent writer declares is noted for its charming -women--an attraction which it lacked in its romantic mining days. - -Beyond Placerville the road climbs steadily, winding through the giant -hills and finally crossing the American River, which we followed for -many miles--now far above with the green stream gleaming through the -pines and again coursing along its very banks. There are many deciduous -trees among the evergreens on these hills and the autumn coloring lent -a striking variation to the somber green of the pines. We had never -before realized that there were so many species besides conifers on the -California mountains. Maples and aspens were turning yellow and crimson -and many species of vines and creepers lent brilliant color dashes -to the scene. There was much indeed to compensate for the absence of -the flowers which bloom in profusion earlier in the season. We passed -several comfortable-looking inns and resorts whose names--Sportsman’s -Hall, for instance--indicated retreats for hunters and fishermen. - -Georgetown, some forty miles above Placerville, is the only town -worthy of the name between the latter place and Tahoe. Beyond here we -began the final ascent to the summit of the divide over a road that -winds upwards in long loops with grades as high as twenty-five per -cent. There were many fine vistas of hill and valley, rich in autumn -colorings that brightened the green of the pines and blended into the -pale lavender haze that shrouded the distant hills. From the summit, -at an altitude of seventy-four hundred feet, we had a vast panorama -of lake, forest, and mountain--but I might be accused of monotonous -repetition were I to endeavor to describe even a few of the scenes that -enchanted us. Every hilltop, every bend in the road, and every opening -through the forests that lined our way presented views which, taken -alone, might well delight the beholder for hours--only their frequent -recurrence tended to make them almost commonplace to us. - -[Illustration: CAVE ROCK, LAKE TAHOE - -From photo by Putnam & Valentine, Los Angeles, Cal.] - -The descent to the lake is somewhat steeper than the western slope, -but the road is wide with broad turns and we had no trouble in passing -a big yellow car that was rushing the grade with wide-open “cut-out” -in a crazy endeavor to get as far as possible on “high.” Coming down -to Myers, a little supply station at the foot of the grade, we learned -that the Tavern and many other resorts were already closed and decided -to pass the night at Glenbrook, about midway on the eastern shore -of the lake. For a dozen miles after leaving Myers, our road ran -alternately through forests and green meadows--the meadows about Tahoe -remain green the summer through--finally coming to the lake shore, -which we followed closely for the twenty miles to Glenbrook. Most of -the way the road runs only a few feet above the water level and we -had many glorious vistas differing from anything we had yet seen. In -the low afternoon sun the color had largely vanished and we saw only -a sheet of gleaming silver edged with clearest crystal, which made -the pebbly bottom plainly visible for some distance from the shore. -Here an emerald meadow with sleek-looking cattle--there are many cattle -in the Tahoe region--lay between us and the shining water; again it -gleamed through the trunks of stately pines. For a little while it was -lost to view as we turned into the forest which crowded closely to -the roadside, only to come back in a moment to a new view--each one -different and seemingly more entrancing than the last, culminating in -the wonderful spectacle from Cave Rock. This is a bold promontory, -pierced beneath by the caves that give its name, rising perhaps one -hundred feet above the water and affording a view of almost the entire -lake and the encircling mountains. On the western side the mountains -throw their serrated peaks against the sky, while to the far north they -showed dimly through a thin blue haze. The lake seemed like a great -sapphire shot with gold from the declining sun--altogether a different -aspect in color, light and shadow from anything we had witnessed -before. We paused awhile to admire the scene along with several -other wayfarers--pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists who were alike -attracted by the glorious spectacle. - -Two or three miles farther brought us to Glenbrook, a quiet nook at -the foot of mighty hills, pine-clad to the very summits. The hotel -is a large but unpretentious structure directly by the roadside and -fronting on the lake. In connection with the inn is a group of rustic -cottages, one of which was assigned to us. It had a new bathroom -adjoining and there was a little sheet-iron stove with fuel all laid -for a fire--which almost proved a “life-saver” in the sharp, frosty air -of the following morning. The cottage stood directly on the lake shore -and afforded a magnificent view of the sunset, which I wish I were able -to adequately describe. A sea of fire glowed before us as the sun went -down behind the mountains, which were dimmed by the twilight shadows. -Soon the shadows gave place to a thin amethyst haze which brought out -sharply against the western sky the contour of every peak and pinnacle. -The amethyst deepened to purple, followed by a crimson afterglow which, -with momentary color variations, continued for nearly an hour; then the -light gradually faded from the sky and the lake took on an almost ebony -hue--a dark, splendid mirror for the starlit heavens. - -The excellent dinner menu of the inn was a surprise; we hardly expected -it in such a remote place. They told us that the inn maintains its -own gardens and dairy, and the steamer brings supplies daily. The inn -keeps open only during the season, which usually extends from May to -October, but there is some one in charge the year round and no one who -comes seeking accommodations is ever turned away. Though completely -isolated by deep snows from all land communication, the steamer -never fails, since the lake does not freeze, even in the periods of -below-zero weather. We found the big lounging room, with its huge -chimney and crackling log fire, a very comfortable and cheery place to -pass the evening and could easily see how anyone seeking rest and quiet -might elect to sojourn many days at Glenbrook. But Glenbrook was not -always so delightfully quiet and rural. Years ago, back in the early -eighties, it was a good-sized town with a huge saw mill that converted -much of the forest about the lake into lumber. There are still hundreds -of old piles that once supported the wharves, projecting out of the -water of the little bay in front of the hotel--detracting much from the -beauty of the scene. - -We were astir in the morning, wondering what the aspect of our -changeful lake might be in the dawning light; and sure enough, the -change was there--a cold, steel blue sheet of water, rippling into -silver in places. Near the shore all was quiet, not a wave lapping the -beach as on the previous night. The mountains beyond the lake were -silhouetted with startling distinctness against a silvery sky, and on -many of the summits were flecks of snow that had outlasted the summer. - -We had thought to go on to Reno by the way of Carson City, but we could -not bring ourselves to leave the lake and so we decided to go by way of -Truckee, even though we had previously covered the road. It proved a -fortunate decision, for we saw another shifting of the wonderful Tahoe -scenery--the morning coloring was different from that of the afternoon -and evening. We had the good fortune to pick up an old inhabitant of -Tahoe City whose car had broken down on one of the heavy grades and -who told us much about the lake and the country around it. He had -lived near Tahoe for more than thirty-five years and could remember -the days of the prospectors and saw mills. Nearly all the timber about -the lake is of new growth since the lumbering days. This accounts for -the absence of large trees except in a few spots which escaped the -lumberman’s ax. Yellow pines, firs, and cedars prevail, with occasional -sugar pines and some deciduous varieties. It is, indeed, a pity that -Tahoe and the surrounding hills were not set aside as a national park -before so much of the country had passed into private hands. - -A fairly good road has been constructed for nearly three quarters of -the distance around the lake and a very indifferent wagon road from -Tahoe City to Glenbrook completes the circuit. The latter we did not -cover, being assured that it was very difficult if not impassable for -motors. Plans are under way for a new road around the northern end of -the lake, which will enable the motorist to encircle this wonderful -body of water--a trip of about eighty miles--and will afford endless -viewpoints covering scenes of unparalleled beauty. The whole of the -road about the lake ought to be improved--widened and surfaced and some -of the steeper grades and more dangerous turns eliminated. It might -then be the “boulevard” that one enthusiastic writer characterizes it, -even in its present condition, but in our own humble opinion it has a -long way to go before it deserves such a title. - -At the Tavern we reluctantly turned away from the lake--it seemed to us -as if we could never weary of its changeful beauty--and for the next -dozen miles we followed the course of the Truckee River, at no time -being more than a few rods distant from it. It is a clear, swift stream -with greenish color tones and was still of fair size, though at its -lowest ebb. Our road at times ran directly alongside within a few feet -of its banks; again a sharp pitch carried us some distance above it and -afforded fine views of valley and river. None of the grades were long, -but one or two are steep, exceeding twenty per cent. The railroad, -a flimsy, narrow-gauge affair, closely parallels the river and wagon -road, but it is kept running the year round and keeps the scanty winter -population about Tahoe in touch with the world. - -Truckee is a typical wild western village with rather more than its -share of saloons. These are well patronized, for there is a large -working population in and about the town. It is a railroad division; -a saw mill near by employs eight hundred men and a large paper pulp -factory nearly as many. All of which contribute to make it a lively -place and its Chamber of Commerce has organized a winter Ice Carnival -for the purpose of giving those Californians who live on the coast and -in the great central valleys an opportunity of seeing what real winter -is like and enjoying its sports. The carnival opens on Christmas Day -and continues until the middle of March. A huge ice palace is devoted -to skating and dancing, while tobogganing, skiing and sleighing are the -outdoor amusements. They told us that so far the festival has proven a -great success, attracting people from every part of the state. - -Out of Truckee we ran for fifteen or twenty miles through a barren -sagebrush country with only an occasional tumble-down abandoned ranch -house to break the monotony of the scene. The road was fine, but it -took a sudden turn for the worse when we entered the straggling yellow -pine forest that covers the hill range between Truckee and Reno. It was -rough and stony in spots and we climbed steadily for several miles. -We saw some pretty scenery, however, for the mighty forest rose to -the very summits of the rugged hills above us and followed the dark -canyon below downward to the river’s edge. Beyond the summit we began -the descent of Dog Canyon--whence its poetical designation we did -not learn--the longest and steepest straight grade we encountered in -several thousand miles of mountaineering. For seven miles or more it -drops down the side of the canyon without a single turn, the grades -ranging from six to twenty per cent, deep with dust and very rough -in places, a trying descent on brakes and driver. We met a few cars -scrambling wearily up with steaming radiators and growling gears, but -what more excited our sympathies were several canvas-covered wagons -drawn by reeking horses that seemed ready to drop in their tracks from -exhaustion. At the foot of the grade just beyond the Nevada line, we -came into the village of Verdi, directly on the river and evidently -the destination of many of the pine logs we had seen along our road, -for here was a large saw mill. Beyond Verdi we followed the Truckee, -bordered by emerald green alfalfa fields just being mown. The yield -was immense, indicating a rich, well-watered soil, but in the main the -ranch houses were small and poor, with squalid surroundings. Nearer -Reno, however, we noted some improvement and occasionally we passed a -neat and prosperous-looking ranch house. Coming into the town we sought -the Riverside Hotel, which is rightly named, for it stands directly on -the banks of the Truckee. We had difficulty in getting satisfactory -accommodations--court was in session and it was opening day of the -races, with a consequent influx of litigants and sports. We learned -later that Reno is always a busy town and advance hotel arrangements -should not be neglected by prospective guests. - - - - -III - -RENO TO KLAMATH FALLS - - -Reno has acquired a nation-wide fame for its “wide open” proclivities -and we fear that much of the prosperity we saw on every hand may be due -to its liberal though generally deprecated practices. The 1910 census -gave the town a population of about ten thousand and if we allow a -gain of as much as fifty per cent since then, it is still no more than -a good-sized village so far as people are concerned. However this may -be, its buildings, public and private, its streets and residences, its -shops and hotels, would do credit to the average eastern town of from -thirty to fifty thousand. One bank building we especially noted would -not be out of place on Fifth Avenue and the courthouse, postoffice, the -Y. M. C. A. building, and the theaters are all out of the small-town -class. On the ridge east of the river, surrounded by beautiful grounds, -are numerous handsome residences built by old-time mining magnates, -most of whom are now dead. - -Mining was the foundation of Reno’s prosperity and it cuts considerable -figure in the commerce of the town at present. The greater part of its -business activity, however, is due to the rich farming country that -surrounds the city, to the railroad machine shops, which employ over -two thousand men, and to several minor manufacturing establishments -which in the aggregate employ a considerable number of people. These -are resources that may be common to many other live towns, but Reno has -several sources of income quite peculiar to itself that an indulgent -state legislature, largely composed of Renoans, has made possible by -shrewd enactments. Here it is still lawful to race horses as in the -good old days with everything wide open and bookmakers galore. A solid -month each year is devoted to the speed track, during which time the -sportively inclined congregate in Reno from all parts of the West and -squander much ready cash in the town. Prize fighting is also permitted -and here it was that Robert Fitzsimmons plucked the laurel wreath from -the classic brow of Jim Corbet before an appreciative audience of fifty -thousand devotees of the manly art from every corner of the country. - -But Reno’s great specialty has been the loosening of the matrimonial -tie--for a consideration--and many well-known and wealthy people -became guests of the town for the six months’ period necessary to -secure a divorce. Yielding to outside public sentiment after awhile, -the legislature extended the period of residence to one year, hoping, -no doubt, to get credit for righteousness--and more cash from -seekers after matrimonial freedom. It killed the infant industry, -however; evidently the idle rich preferred to endure the tortures of -unhappy married life rather than spend a year in Reno, and they quit -coming. The legislature hastened to restore the six-month clause in -the statute and as a consequence the divorce mills are turning out -fair grist again. Our waitress at the hotel pointed out one or two -bejeweled females who were “doing time” in Reno to get rid of their -incompatible mates, and declared that there was a considerable colony -of both sexes in the town waiting for their papers. Some authorities -intimate that two thousand dollars is the minimum sum necessary for an -outsider to secure a decree in a Nevada court, but doubtless many of -the multi-millionaires leave several times that sum behind them, for -the citizens do their full duty in providing entertainment that will -separate their guests from their cash. - -It would hardly be expected that the prohibition wave now sweeping the -west coast would be at all likely to cross the Nevada line--in fact, at -this writing Nevada is the only state to contest with New Jersey for -the doubtful honor of being all wet, where even local option has not -succeeded in getting a footing. The saloons of Reno are numerous and -palatial and doubtless contribute not a little to the comfort of those -of the sporting fraternity who make the town their Mecca. The only -attempt at sumptuary legislation is an “anti-treat” law which insists -that everyone must drink at his own expense. As to gambling, I was told -that this pleasant pastime has been little interfered with since the -old mining days, though it is not now conducted so openly except in -connection with the races. - -As the metropolis and center of population of the state, Reno should -logically be the capital, but this honor is held by Carson, a village -of five thousand people about twenty miles to the south. Within a -radius of fifty miles is grouped perhaps half the population of the -state, which, with all its vast area of seventy-five thousand square -miles, had but seventy-five thousand people according to the last -census. No other state in the Union has such vast areas of uninhabited -desert, but the natives will strive to impress upon you that a great -future is assured--all that is necessary to make this sagebrush country -bloom like the rose is water, and water can be had from artesian wells -almost anywhere in the Nevada valleys. - -However, it is quite outside my province to write a disquisition -on the resources of Nevada, and I have been dwelling on Reno only -because it seemed of unusual interest to me and was a stopping-place -on our tour. Our hotel, the Riverside, is a huge red-brick structure -standing directly on the banks of the Truckee so that its windows -overlook the swift stream, which moves so rapidly that it does not -lose its clearness even in the town limits. We found the Riverside -fairly comfortable--it would have been still more so had we made -reservations in advance--and its rates were very moderate as compared -with the average Western hotel of its class. Reno occupies an important -position in the motor world as a stopping-place on the Lincoln Highway -and an outfitting station for much of the surrounding country. It has -excellent garages with good repair facilities and its streets were -thronged with cars of all degrees. - -The next morning we took the road to the north out of the town roughly -following the recently completed Northern California & Oregon Railroad, -which gives Northeastern California and Southern Oregon an outlet -to the Southern Pacific at Reno. The twenty miles in Nevada before -reaching the California line gave us an opportunity to see first-hand -some of the state’s resources of which they talked at Reno. The road -was unexpectedly good, smooth and free from dust, with gently rolling -grades. The view was quite unobstructed and permitted speed ad libitum, -keeping a sharp lookout, of course, for an occasional rough spot or -sandy stretch. A more desolate country than that which stretched away -on either hand would be hard to imagine. A wide valley, without even -sagebrush or cactus to relieve its barrenness, was guarded on both -sides by ranges of bleak, rugged hills which, near at hand, seemed more -like vast cinder heaps than anything else. Only the far distance was -able to transform the scene and to lend something of “enchantment to -the view,” softening the rough outlines with a violet haze and tinging -the desert sands with hues of mauve and lavender. Trees and shrubs -there were none and there were scant indications of vegetation at any -time of the year. At long intervals we passed little deserted ranch -houses which indicated that some hopeful soul had once endeavored to -develop the “resources” of the country, but had given up in despair and -“of his name and race had left no token and no trace.” At one point we -crossed Dry Lake, a vast, level saline deposit as hard and white and -nearly as smooth as polished marble--an ideal auto race course. - -Our first town was Doyle, a lonely little place of half a dozen -buildings forty-eight miles north of Reno. Beyond here we entered Long -Creek Valley, our road climbing short, sharp pitches and winding about -sandstone bluffs with stretches of heavy sand here and there. However, -the country soon showed much improvement; there were well-tilled fields -and frequent ranch houses, some of them surrounded by green lawns, -beautified with flowers. Orchards were common and we saw many apple and -pear trees loaded with luscious-looking fruit. The road through this -section was fair, though little had been done in the way of permanent -improvement. There is only one long grade and when we reached the -summit of the hills which it surmounts, we saw a circular valley before -us with an irregular hazy-blue sheet of water in the center. Somehow we -had pictured the northeastern lakes in our minds as rivals of Tahoe in -beauty and color, but never was greater delusion than in the case of -Honey Lake, which lay before us. It is a shallow, characterless expanse -of shimmering water set in the midst of a great basin surrounded on -all sides by naked hills. The shores are flat and marshy and entirely -devoid of trees. It is redeemed from complete unattractiveness by a -narrow ring of fertile and highly cultivated land from one to three -miles wide that completely surrounds it, sloping upwards from the -shore line to the hillsides. Fronting the lake at frequent intervals -are fairly prosperous-looking farmhouses in the midst of poplar and -walnut groves. Cattle raising appeared to be the chief industry, for we -saw many herds grazing in the green meadows around the lake. The name, -they told us, came from the honey-dew which gathers on the grasses -in the vicinity. The lake was alive with wild fowl--ducks, mud hens, -herons, and pelicans--but the frequent “No Hunting” signs apprised the -sportsman that he was not welcome here. The road runs entirely around -the lake, but we chose the west side through Milford, which was fair -though very dusty; in wet weather it must be practically impassable for -motor cars. In winter there is much snow here, the temperature going -sometimes as low as fifteen or twenty degrees below zero, and the lake -usually freezes quite solid. Like all the lakes of this section, it is -said to be gradually receding, due to the drain of numerous artesian -irrigating wells. - -Fifteen miles beyond Honey Lake we came into Susanville, where we -planned to stop for the night. We had no very pleasant anticipations, -to be sure, for the town was rated at one thousand people and we were -resigned to put up with primitive accommodations without complaint. -We experienced a pleasant surprise on entering the St. Francis, a -well-kept hotel where we found all modern conveniences. We narrowly -missed being shut out because we failed to make reservations and we -saw other would-be guests turned away later in the day. - -Susanville is the capital and metropolis of Lassen, a county of -vast extent but scant population. Here and in Modoc, the county to -the north, the soil is of volcanic origin and Mt. Lassen, the only -active volcano in the United States, is just beyond the hills to the -west. Serving as a center for such a wide tract of country, the town -naturally outclasses places of a thousand people in more populous -sections. It has better stores, theaters, garages, and hotels than are -usually found in places of its size. The most pretentious residence -stands at the head of the main street, a large, crotchety building -which they told us was the home of the chief saloonkeeper, who runs -a palatial bar down the street. North and west of the town the hills -are covered with a magnificent pine forest--a favorite haunt, a local -sportsman informed us, of deer and other game. He also told us that we -would find a good road through the forest to Eagle Lake, some fifteen -miles to the northwest, which he declared the equal of Tahoe for scenic -beauty. We had arrived in the town shortly after noon; there was still -time to drive to Eagle Lake and the car was ordered forthwith. - -We had proceeded but a little way when we came upon a force of men -working upon the new state road which is to connect Susanville with the -Pacific Highway at Red Bluff, a distance of about one hundred miles, -making this country far more accessible to the motorist than at the -time of our visit. Three or four miles out of the town we turned from -the highway into the forest, following an excellent mountain road which -climbs a steady but moderate grade for a distance of twelve miles. On -either hand towered gigantic yellow pines, many of which were devoid -of branches for a height of nearly one hundred feet. It was clear -that a fire had swept through them not so very long ago, destroying -the smaller trees and shrubbery and giving the forest a wonderfully -cleaned-up appearance. It had apparently done little damage to the big -trees, though some of the trunks were charred to a considerable height. -Some distance beyond the summit we saw the lake far below us, gleaming -in the low afternoon sun and reminding us of a great gem set in the -dark pines that crowd up to its shores. It was too late in the day to -get much in color effects, but we agreed that Eagle Lake, lovely as -it is, has no claim for comparison with Tahoe. The shores of the lake -abound with curious caves extending for miles underground, some filled -with perpetual ice and others through which icy winds continually roar. -Many have never been fully explored and some of the strange phenomena -have never been satisfactorily accounted for. The lake teems with -trout and bass, affording far better sport for fishermen than the more -frequented waters and its shores, still in their native wildness, offer -ideal camping sites. Returning to the town, we saw a wonderful sunset -through the pines and from occasional points of vantage caught long -vistas of wooded hills stretching away to the crimson sky. - -The northbound road out of Susanville climbs a barren hill range with -grades up to fifteen per cent and there is scarcely a downward dip -for over seven miles. Not a tree or shrub obstructs the view from -the long switchbacks and we had a magnificent panorama of the town -and Honey Lake Valley and the far-reaching wooded hills to the south -and west. The road, though unimproved, was excellent and as volcanic -rock is the base, it is probably good the year round except when snow -prevails. It was not so good beyond the hillcrest; boulders began to -crop out, making the descent to Merrillville pretty rough. At the -summit we ran into a fine forest of yellow pine, which continued -for several miles. We then crossed stony, desolate hill ranges--one -after another--alternating with basin-shaped valleys. In one of these -valleys, thirty miles from Susanville, is Horse Lake, an ugly, shallow -sheet of water three or four miles long with barren, alkali-encrusted -shores. A notice was posted by the roadside warning passersby that the -water of the lake is poisonous and it certainly looked like it. The -soil of some of the valleys looked as if it might be fertile if well -watered, but the greater part of it was strewn with ragged volcanic -rocks. There were occasional miserable little huts, apparently long -deserted, which indicated that at some time a settler had endeavored -to wring an existence from the inhospitable earth, and had given up -in despair. A few of the more persistent were still engaged in the -struggle, but there was little indication of prosperity. - -Beyond Horse Lake we climbed a second mighty hill range and from the -summit beheld the Madeline Plains, a valley far larger than the ones we -had passed. This wide level tract, comprising over one hundred square -miles, is encircled by volcanic hills which, despite their ugliness and -barrenness when viewed near at hand, faded away in the distance in a -wild riot of coloring. Lavender merged into purple and purple deepened -to dark blue, which finally shrouded the hills from our view. Farming -in this valley appeared to be conducted more successfully, though there -is as yet much unimproved land and none of the ranch houses or their -surroundings showed signs of prosperity. Madeline, on the edge of -the plain, is a dilapidated village of a few dozen people and the big -yellow wooden hotel seemed out of all proportion to any business it -could hope for. Beyond this for many miles the characteristics of the -country continued much the same, hills and valleys alternating until -we entered the Pitt River Valley, a dozen miles from Alturas. Here -the country began to show considerable improvement, which gradually -increased until we came into the town. - -Alturas, with about a thousand inhabitants, the capital of Modoc -County, is a good-looking town with a handsome courthouse of classic -design and a modern high school building. It is the only place in the -huge county that can be dignified by being called a town--for Modoc, -with its four thousand square miles of area, can muster only six -thousand people, most of whom live in the narrow valleys between the -volcanic hills or on the plain around the shores of Goose Lake. This -section is at present quite inaccessible to motorists, but the new -highway to be constructed from Redding will do much to put the county -in touch with the rest of the state. - -Out of Alturas we followed a level and very good dirt road through -a fair-looking farming section to Davis Creek at the lower end of -Goose Lake, a distance of twenty-two miles. Goose Lake is the largest -of the numerous lakes in this section--about thirty-five miles in -extreme length by ten at its greatest width. The road closely follows -its shores and beyond Davis Creek ascends a steep grade leading up -the mountainside overlooking the lake and affording a glorious view -of the fine sheet of water. We saw it from many angles and altitudes -as we mounted up, each with its peculiar lighting and coloring--all -beautiful and inspiring. We paused to contemplate the scene at a point -from which nearly the whole lake was visible. It lay beneath us in the -low afternoon sun, glistening blue and silver, the hill range running -along the opposite shore wrapped in an indigo haze. The waters of Goose -Lake have not the dark, changeful blue of Tahoe, but seem more like -the azure monotone of the sky, save where the sunlight threw its white -beams across it from the west. Its monotony of color is doubtless due -to the fact that it is quite shallow, its depth in no place exceeding -eighteen or twenty feet, while the average is probably not more -than five or six feet. Around it runs a belt of fertile farm land, -broadest on the eastern side. There are many prosperous ranch houses at -intervals and great numbers of thrifty-looking sheep and cattle grazed -in the meadows which run down to the shore. The water for irrigating is -largely drawn from the lake or artesian wells near by. This has caused -a steady shrinkage in the lake and, indeed, may cause it to ultimately -disappear, an event which the lover of the beautiful in natural scenery -must earnestly deplore. For we all agreed that Goose Lake and its -setting were very beautiful despite its unprepossessing name--and we -recalled how narrowly Tahoe escaped being stigmatized as Lake Bigler. -A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, perhaps, but it does -seem that Tahoe would lose some of its glory if it bore the unmusical -cognomen of the disloyal ante bellum governor. - -From the summit of the grade we descended gradually through a fine -pine forest to Willow Ranch and from there continued through the level -farm lands skirting the shore to the village of New Pine Creek just -across the Oregon border. Perhaps if we had been able to anticipate -the fate awaiting us at Lakeview we should have paused at the rather -unattractive wooden hotel in this diminutive burg. In blissful -ignorance, however, we dashed mile after mile over a fairly level but -dusty road, expecting every moment to come in sight of Lakeview. We -had--I hardly know why--a preconceived notion of a picturesque little -town overlooking the lake from a pine-covered bluff and a hotel in -keeping with these imaginary surroundings, equipped with everything to -bring peace and joy to the soul of the motorist after a rough, dusty -run. The road left the lake and the lake gradually receded from view, -and still no town; not until we had left the northernmost mud-puddle of -Goose Lake six or seven miles behind us did we enter the unattractive, -straggling village whose name had so excited our anticipations. We -entered the principal hotel with serious misgivings and came out of -it with the determination to pass the night in the car rather than -to occupy the beds that the unkempt attendant offered us. I forbear -farther comment because conditions change so rapidly in these western -towns; before my book can be published a new management may turn a -dirty, shabby-looking place into a clean, comfortable hotel. It has -happened in several instances to my own knowledge and it may happen in -Lakeview, Oregon. - -A friendly native who appreciated our predicament told us that his -people would take us in at their ranch house, some distance in the -country, if we couldn’t find decent accommodations in the town. -He directed us to another hotel, which was full, but the landlady -bestirred herself and secured rooms in a private home where we were -comfortably taken care of. Our host was an old resident of the -section--a local politician, ranch owner, and an enthusiastic hunter -and fisherman. He informed us that the principal resource of the -surrounding country was cattle and sheep raising, largely on government -land, for which the owner of the stock pays a small annual fee. He -declared that there was a fine chance for energetic young fellows to do -well in this line and cited an Irish boy of his acquaintance who had -cleared six thousand dollars on sheep in the two years just past. The -recent extension of the railway to Lakeview, giving direct connection -with the main line at Reno, two hundred and forty-four miles distant, -had given a great impetus to both farming and stock-raising in this -section. - -“Why Lakeview for a town from which it is impossible even to see the -lake?” we asked. - -“Because the lake originally came up to the town,” he replied, “but it -has been steadily receding until it is now six miles away.” - -There is good fishing in the lake, which is stocked with rainbow trout, -though our host declared he much preferred the sport afforded by the -streams of the vicinity and some of the stories he told of his catches -would certainly stir the blood of anyone addicted to the gentle art of -Ike Walton. Quite as good fortune awaits the hunter in the vicinity; -deer, bear, and smaller game abound within easy distance of the town. -The game laws of both California and Oregon are so very stringent, he -declared, that an outsider will do well to post himself thoroughly -before undertaking a hunting expedition in either of these states. - -Leaving Lakeview early in the morning, we thanked our hosts for their -kindness in taking the strangers in--for their exceedingly modest -charge showed that it was not done altogether for profit. - -“Only a little more than one hundred miles to Klamath Falls,” we were -told, “but a rough, heavy road much of the way and a hard day’s run for -any car”--all of which we speedily verified by personal experience. The -hardest work came in the latter half of the run; for many miles out -of Lakeview we bowled along through a sagebrush country with widely -scattered habitations and no sign of fellow-motorists. We followed -a huge irrigation aqueduct, evidently nearing completion, for some -distance and in one place, where it is carried on a high trestle across -a valley, the road passes beneath it. The land looked fertile enough -and no doubt if the water supply is adequate this irrigation project -will change the appearance of things in this section before many years. -We passed a pine-covered hill range with heavy and stony grades before -reaching Bly, the first village, nearly fifty miles from Lakeview. - -This is a trading station of a dozen or two buildings at the eastern -boundary of the huge Klamath Indian Reservation. For several miles we -had been passing the noble red men with all kinds of conveyances--on -horseback, in lumber wagons, spring wagons, carriages, and even two or -three automobiles. Most of them were well dressed in civilized store -clothes, usually with a dash of color--a red bandanna or necktie or a -sporty hat band--and their horses and equipment showed evidences of -prosperity. Many pleasantly saluted as they made way for us to pass -and, altogether, they seemed far removed from the traditional painted -savage of the old-time wild and woolly West. The storekeeper at Bly -said they were coming from an Indian fair and all were returning sober -so far as we could see. He said that many of them were well-to-do -cattlemen and farmers and that he depended on them for most of his -trade. We passed many of their farm cottages beyond Bly and the lady -of our party, who had once been connected with the Indian service, -interviewed one of the women--we were going to say “squaws” but it -almost seems inappropriate. She was accorded the most courteous -treatment by the occupants of the little cabin; her queries were -answered in good English and she declared that everything about the -place was clean and well-ordered. - -“Going to Crater Lake--what for?” she was asked. “We going to Crater -Lake, too, next week for huckleberries, much huckleberries, at Crater -Lake; Indians all go there.” - -Several miles of level though rough and dusty road after leaving Bly -brought us to another heavily forested hill range with more steep and -stony grades. We paused under a big pine to eat the lunch we had picked -up in Lakeview, congratulating ourselves on our foresight, for we were -hungry and the wayside inn is wanting on this trail. We were truly -in the wild at this point. No railroad comes within fifty miles; the -nearest settler was many miles away--and that settler a Klamath Indian. -At the foot of the long grade we came to a sluggish, green-tinted -stream--Lost River--which we followed nearly to our destination. They -call it Lost River since it vanishes from sight in the vast marshes of -Tule Lake to the south. - -The last twelve miles out of Klamath Falls were the most trying of -a hard day’s run. The road bed was hidden in a foot of flour-like -white limestone dust--deep enough to effectually hide the unmerciful -chuck-holes and to make driving a blind chance. A snail’s pace--from -the motorist’s point of view--was enforced. A dense gray dust cloud -enveloped us and the stifling heat was unrelieved by the fresh breeze -that a sharp pace always sets up. As if to make a test of the limits of -our endurance, we were compelled to work our way through a herd of two -thousand cattle that were being driven along the road. We know there -were two thousand of them, for a local paper next day made mention -of this particular herd and the number. Those who have tried to pass -a hundred cattle on a road fairly free from dust can imagine what we -endured; those who have never passed cattle on a road can know nothing -about it. When we finally worked our way out of the stifling dust -cloud, it would have been difficult to recognize the race or color of -the occupants of the car--we would surely have passed for anything but -members of the Caucasian race. As we rolled on to the broad, asphalted -street leading into Klamath Falls, dust begrimed, everything--our -faces, clothing, and baggage--was enveloped by a dirty gray film. It -covered the car from the radiator to tail light--lay an inch deep on -the running boards--and fell in heavy flakes from the wheels. - -We had been assured of first-class accommodations in the town, but were -not expecting such a splendid, metropolitan hotel as the White Pelican; -it seemed almost presumptuous for such grimy, besmirched individuals as -ourselves to seek quarters in so cleanly and well-ordered a place. We -were reassured, however, by a sign over the entrance, “Automobile togs -are fashionable at this hotel,” which seemed to indicate that others -before us had been subject to similar misgivings and needed a little -assurance of welcome on the part of the hotel people. In any event, no -insinuating remarks or even smiles greeted our plight, and a light, -airy, beautifully furnished room was assigned us with a perfectly -appointed bath which afforded us every facility for removing such -Oregon real estate as still adhered to our persons. Just how thorough -our dust bath had been was shown by the fact that some of it penetrated -our suit cases, though protected by an outer trunk and an oilcloth -covering--a thing that had not previously happened during our tour. - -After we had restored ourselves to the semblance of respectability -with a bath and change of raiment, there was still time to walk about -the town before dinner. It is built mainly along a broad, well-paved -street and both public and private buildings are rather better than -usual in towns of five thousand. The stores, shops, and theaters are -above the average, the school buildings are handsome and substantial, -and a new courthouse of imposing, classic design was nearing completion -at a cost of a quarter of a million dollars. The chief source of the -apparent prosperity of the town is the lumbering business with a pay -roll of more than one hundred thousand dollars monthly. Klamath Falls -is also the gateway to Crater Lake, to which the tide of travel is -constantly increasing, and it lays claim itself to being something -of a summer resort. The White Pelican Hotel, which, we were assured, -cost nearly four hundred thousand dollars, is built over a mineral -spring with a temperature near the boiling point and waters closely -resembling Carlsbad in mineral constituents. There are elaborate baths -and a swimming pool in connection with the hotel and its beautiful -appointments and excellent service make it a delightful home for any -who wish to take advantage of the waters. Motorists will find the White -Pelican Garage, just across the street, quite the equal of the hotel -for excellent service and up-to-date equipment. In fact, both hotel -and garage would do credit to a place ten times the size of Klamath -Falls. To be sure, Klamath Falls expects to be a place of ten times -its present size in the somewhat indefinite future--several railroad -projects are now under way which, when complete, will make accessible -much more of the thirty-one billion feet of standing timber in the -county and double the amount of productive irrigated land. All of which -seems to justify the emphatic claims of the town’s Chamber of Commerce -that “Klamath Falls is bound to grow, bound to grow on account of her -great resources, timber, irrigated lands, water power, Nature’s play -ground (America’s Switzerland) and railroad development!” - - - - -[Illustration: CRATER LAKE - -From photo by Winter Photo Co., Portland, Oregon] - - - - -IV - -THE MARVELS OF CRATER LAKE - - -We left Klamath Falls early in the morning with high anticipation. -Our destination was one of the great objectives of our tour, for were -we not to see Crater Lake, which no competent authority would omit -from a list of the seven greatest wonders of America, if not, indeed, -of the whole world? The run, every mile of the way, is beautiful and -inspiring, a fit introduction to the grand climax that greets you at -the end. A few miles out of the town the road took us to the shores of -Klamath Lake, which we followed to the northern extremity--a distance -of some twenty-five miles. While by no means a perfect highway, we -rejoiced to find it free from the bottomless dust that strangled us -when entering the town--a few sandy stretches and a stony spot here and -there were only pleasant variations compared with our experiences of -the previous clay. - -A short distance out of the town we passed two immense sawmills on -the lake shore where the huge logs cut on the surrounding hills and -floated to the mills are converted into merchantable lumber. Great -log-rafts could be seen moored along the banks or being towed by little -steam tugs. A railroad closely following the shore line gives outlet -to the finished product. Klamath Lake is now playing a similar part -in lumbering to that which Tahoe underwent thirty years ago and we -must confess that it does not add to the beauty of the scene. Yet we -realized when we ascended the long grades which brought us to splendid -vantage points commanding practically the whole lake, that Klamath was -very beautiful and picturesque--not the equal of Tahoe, it is true, but -a lake that would attract many pilgrims on its own account were it not -overshadowed by more famous rivals. - -The day was rather dull and gave little opportunity to judge what the -play of color might be under a bright, clear sky, but the lake is -shallow and probably the blue monotone that we saw on Goose Lake would -prevail under such conditions. On the opposite side the purple hills -come up to the very shore and beyond them the wooded crests stretch out -in a vast panorama to the blue haze of the horizon. Below us was an -extensive marsh covered with reeds through which a monster steam dredge -was eating its way and rapidly converting the reed-covered swamp into -wonderfully fertile grain fields, some of which were already bearing -bountiful harvests. Between the main body of the lake and Pelican Bay, -an offshoot at the northern end, we crossed Williamson River, a broad, -clear, full-flowing stream whose still surface was occasionally ruffled -by the breeze. - -Leaving the lake we sped onward over a level and fairly good road -winding through meadows studded with pine trees and passing Klamath -Agency, the capital of the Indian Reservation. Fort Klamath is a town -of three hundred people just outside the reservation. The Indian -trade and the outfitting and supplies required by tourists make it a -lively place during the season--from July to September inclusive. The -principal resource of the roundabout country, an obliging garage owner -informed us, is cattle raising, in which most of the people of the -town are interested directly or indirectly. It is a wonderful grazing -country, since the grass is green the year round except when covered by -snow, and wild hay provides winter feed in abundance. - -The road begins a steady ascent after leaving Fort Klamath, rising over -three thousand feet in the twenty miles between the town and Crater -Lake Lodge on the rim of the lake. The whole distance is through pine -forests and the road was only fair until we reached the confines of the -park. After entering the park we were delighted to find a splendid -new road that might almost be described as a boulevard had recently -been built by the government. It is wide, smooth, and beautifully -engineered and we were told is to be hard surfaced in due time. It -passes some magnificent scenery, following for several miles the canyon -of Annie Creek, whose commonplace name gives little suggestion of the -stupendous gorge through which the diminutive stream dashes. It is a -vast, precipitous chasm hundreds of feet in depth, almost rivaling the -canyon of the Yellowstone in size, though it lacks the glorious color -of the latter. For eight miles the road follows this gigantic gorge -and from many points we had glimpses of its pine-studded depths. At -one point it widens into the “Garden of the Gods” with green meadows -and sparkling waterfalls. Along the sides of the canyon are curious -formations--columns, pinnacles, and weirdly carved forms--all composed -of igneous rock from which the surrounding gravel has at some time -been washed away. Splendid pines border the road throughout the park -and most of the commoner varieties of conifers are seen--red cedar, -hemlock, spruce, white pine, yellow pine, sugar pine, Douglas, silver, -and red firs, and other species--and many varieties of deciduous trees -are also represented. There were some fine individual specimens, but -in the main the trees along the road were smaller, as though they -might be a second growth upon a burned area. Six or seven miles after -entering the park we came to the official Crater Lake station, where -Uncle Sam’s representative issued the proper permits and collected a -moderate fee. While this necessary business was being transacted, the -lady of the party was besieged by a score of hungry chipmunks that -came from crannies about the ranger’s cabin, having learned that auto -visitors are likely to have some odd scraps of lunch about their car. - -[Illustration: THE ROAD TO CRATER LAKE - -From photo by Kiser’s Studio, Portland, Oregon] - -Just after leaving the station, we crossed Annie Creek Canyon, passing -Annie Spring Camp on the opposite side, where tourists who prefer the -out-of-doors can secure a floored tent and have access to a community -dining room. Here we began a steady three-mile ascent to Crater Lake -Lodge over the splendid new road recently completed by the government. -Despite the rise of two or three hundred feet to the mile, heavy -grades and sharp turns are avoided and there is room everywhere for -easy passing. Heavy forests skirted the road; only occasionally was -it possible to catch a panorama of rugged peaks through a momentary -opening in the crowded ranks of somber pines. - -Near our destination we came into an open space which revealed Crater -Lake Lodge standing at the summit of a sharp incline. It is a long, -gray building of rustic design, the first story of native stone with -frame construction above. It was not completed at the time of our -visit, which doubtless accounted for some of the shortcomings that we -noticed during our stay. Inside there is a great rustic lounging room -with an immense fireplace capable of taking a six-foot log--a very -necessary convenience in a climate where there is frost every month in -the year. - -We were assigned a room fronting on the lake and here it was that -we had our first view of this wonderful natural phenomenon. We -had resolved not to let our first impression be one of piecemeal -glimpses--we did not even look toward the lake until we reached the -splendid vantage-point afforded from our open windows. The lodge -stands on an eminence nearly fifteen hundred feet above the surface -of the lake, commanding almost the entire lake as well as much of the -surrounding country. My first impression is recorded in our “log book” -to the effect that “no comparison seems to me so adequate as to imagine -a huge, flawless lapis lazuli set in a rugged wall of variegated cliffs -whose predominating color is pale lavender.” We did not at first -observe the slight emerald ring running around the shore--we forgot -the play of light and shadow over the still surface; our only thought -and wonder was about the blue, the deepest, strangest, loveliest -blue we had ever seen in any body of water; Tahoe, Como, Constance, -are blue--bluer than the clearest skies--but their blue is not that -of Crater Lake. Around it runs a jagged wall of precipitous cliffs, -ranging from five hundred to two thousand feet in height and out -beyond these lay an endless array of majestic mountains dominated by -the spire-like peak of Mount Thielsen. It is six miles to the opposite -shore, but so clear is the atmosphere that the wall comes out with -startling distinctness and the mountains beyond stand wonderfully clear -against the pale horizon. The clouds, which overcast the sky when we -left Klamath, had vanished and we beheld the glorious spectacle of lake -and mountains in the full splendor of the noonday sun. - -When our first shock of admiration and surprise had softened a little, -we observed details more carefully. To the right was Wizard Island, -a cinder cone rising more than nine hundred feet from the water--it -did not appear so high to us. It was covered with straggling pines -and its truncated top showed where the crater in the strange island -might be found. In front of the hotel the slope from the rim was less -precipitous than elsewhere and we noticed a trail winding down to the -water’s edge--we learned later the only practicable descent to the -lake. At the foot of this trail there is a lovely green cove; we had -overlooked it in the overmastering impression of blue that had seized -us at first. Then we noticed the faint emerald rim elsewhere along -the shore, where the cliffs were not so abrupt, and became slowly -aware that there was more of color variation than we first imagined. A -slight breeze swept the surface and a ripple of silver ran across the -dark blue expanse. In the shadow of the almost perpendicular cliffs, -the blue deepened to dark purple, while in the shallow bays and coves -around the shores it shaded into pale green. - -Our attention was diverted from the fascinating scene by a call for -dinner and we descended to the dining-room, a huge apartment with -finish and wainscoating in rough pine bark. On one side the windows -commanded a view of Eagle Cove and a large part of the lake and cliffs, -while on the other, down a vast canyon bounded by mighty hills, on -clear days one may see Klamath Valley, with its shimmering lake fifty -miles away, and under especially favorable conditions the gleaming -pyramid of Mt. Shasta, one hundred miles distant. - -The view, we agreed, was much better than the meal, of which we have -not the pleasantest recollection, but we made some allowance for -confusion resultant on the incomplete state of the hotel. Conditions -should be better when everything is in order; with proper management, -the Lodge has in it the possibilities of a most delightful resort -during the season, which is usually short--from July to October. On the -year of our visit the road was not open until August first, snow being -ten feet deep about the Lodge on July fourth. One can not remain here -after October first without taking chances of being shut in for the -winter, sudden and heavy snowfalls being probable at any time. - -After lunch we descended the trail leading from the Lodge to Eagle Cove -and took the motor-launch trip around the lake. The descent is more -than a thousand feet straight down and by the exceedingly devious trail -must be many times that distance. The downward trek was strenuous and -the return still more so; burros are to be employed later for guests -who dislike to undertake the trip on foot. In many places the trail was -covered by huge snowbanks which had lingered during the whole summer, -and these, with the mud and water, often made considerable detours -necessary. Time will come, no doubt, when the trail will be improved -and made easier, but we found it an exceedingly hard scramble for -people unused to strenuous effort. - -From the launch one sees many aspects of the lake not to be had from -any viewpoint on the rim. In the first place you become aware of -the marvelous clearness of the water, despite its almost solid blue -appearance from the shore. They told us that a white object, such as -an ordinary dinner plate, for instance, could be plainly seen at a -depth of one hundred and fifty feet. Fishermen can see the gamy rainbow -trout, the only variety found in the lake, sport about the bait in -the crystal water. One imagines from the rim that a tumbler of the -water dipped from the lake would show a cerulean tint, but it proves -as colorless and clear as the air itself. It follows that the contour -of the bottom may be seen in many places, though the great depth of -the water generally makes this impossible. The deepest sounding made -so far, 1996 feet, is declared by authorities to be the record for any -body of fresh water. - -[Illustration: SHIP ROCK, CRATER LAKE - -From painting by H. H. Bagg] - -The surface was as placid as a mill pond save for occasional ripples -from the slight breeze. Above us towered the steep cliffs and as -we drew nearer to them dashes of bright color--brilliant yellows -and reds--came out in the glowing sunlight. Far above us the rugged -outlines loomed against the pale azure skies and only from beneath -can one get an adequate idea of the stupendous height and expanse of -these mighty walls. From Eagle Cove we followed the southern shore past -Castle Crest, Garfield Peak and Vidal Crest--the latter rising 1958 -feet above the lake, the highest point on the rim and corresponding -strangely to the greatest known depth of the water. Beyond these rises -the sheer wall of Dutton Cliff and just in front of it, cut off by a -deep but narrow channel, the weird outlines of the Phantom Ship. The -name does not seem especially applicable to the solid, rocky pinnacles -that tower a hundred feet above the blue water, roughly suggesting the -outlines of an old double-masted sailing ship, but they told us that -under certain conditions of light and shadow the rock seemed to fade -from sight against the background of Dutton Cliff--a fact responsible -for its ghostly name. Though the rugged spires seem almost vertical, -they have been scaled by adventurous climbers, a feat not likely to -tempt the average tourist. - -Perhaps a mile farther brought us opposite Kerr Notch, the lowest point -on the rim, and some distance beyond this rose the stern outlines of -Sentinel Rock. Cloud Cap Bay lies almost beneath the mountain of the -same name, which was later to afford us a vantage point for a panorama -of the whole lake and surrounding country. The Wine Glass, which -next engaged our attention, is a queer slide of red sandstone shaped -like a huge goblet against the walls of Grotto Cove. Round Top is a -dome-shaped rock rising above the Palisades, a precipice extending -from Grotto Cove to Cleetwood Cove, a distance of nearly two miles. -Near the latter point, geologists declare, the last great flow of lava -occurred, evidenced by vast masses of black volcanic rock. - -Pumice Point, projecting sharply into the lake, cuts Cleetwood Cove -from Steel Bay, over which towers the legend-haunted peak of Llao Rock, -rising nearly two thousand feet above the water. Even to-day many -Indians of the vicinity regard Crater Lake with superstitious fears and -in olden times only their conjurors and medicine men dared approach -the silent shores of the strange blue water. So it is not surprising -that some of their legends linger about it still and that Llao Rock -was reputed the home of a powerful fiend who once held mysterious sway -over the region about the lake. His subjects were giant crawfish whose -practice was to seize in their cruel claws any stranger who approached -their haunts and to drag him under the bottomless waters. Llao and his -retainers did not have everything their own way, however, for Skell, a -powerful rival demon, dwelt in the fastnesses of Klamath marshes far to -the south and he waged deadly and unrelenting war against the guardian -of Crater Lake. Llao, however, after ages of struggle, marked by mighty -feats of prowess and enchantment, finally gained the advantage and tore -Skell’s heart from his body. To celebrate his victory he gave the -reeking heart to his followers, who played a savage ball game with it, -hurling it from mountain to mountain in their glee. But Skell’s swift -eagles seized their master’s heart in mid-air and carried it to his -antelopes, who, with the speed of the wind, bore it over the mountain -ridges to his old haunts in the Klamath marsh. There, wonderful to -relate, Skell’s body grew about the heart again and, stronger than -ever, he planned vengeance against his victorious enemy. Lying in wait, -he captured Llao and to prevent any miraculous reincarnation of his -rival, the cunning Skell cut him into shreds which he cast into the -mysterious cauldron of Crater Lake. The gluttonous crawfish imagined -that their master had demolished his rival and feasted joyously upon -the remains, only to learn, when a few days later the head of Llao was -cast into the lake, that they had devoured their chieftain. Perhaps -they died of grief for their unwitting offense, but be that as it may, -there are none of them to-day in the blue waters of Crater Lake. But -the head of Llao, the Indians assert, is still in evidence to prove -their legend, though white men may call it Wizard Island. Llao’s soul -dwells in the rock bearing his name and sometimes he ventures forth to -stir up a storm on the placid waters which were once his own. - -But here is Wizard Island just before us, a symmetrical cinder cone -rising seven hundred and sixty-three feet above the lake and covered -with a sparse growth of stunted pines. Geologists tell a different -story of its origin from the wild legend we have just related, but -surely it is quite as wonderful. They say that ages ago expiring -volcanic forces pushed the island up from the floor of the crater--and -it was only one of many miniature crater-mountains thus formed, though -all the others are hidden by the waters of the lake. One may scramble -up the steep slope of the island and descend into the crater--a -depression one hundred feet deep by five hundred in width. At its -base the island is perhaps two-thirds of a mile in diameter and it is -separated from the rim by a narrow channel which bears the name of the -victorious Skell of the Indian legend. On the landward side of the -island is a black, rough lava bed and in one of its hollows is a dark, -sinister-looking tarn with the weird name of Witches’ Pool. As some one -has remarked, we therefore have a crater within a crater and a lake -within a lake. Just opposite the island rise the Watchman and Glacier -Peak, both of which exceed eight thousand feet in height, and whose -sides slope at a very sharp angle down to the surface of the lake. - -Our starting point, just below the Lodge, is only a mile or two -from Wizard Island, and the entire round which we have described can -be made in from two to four hours, according to the desire of the -tourist. It is indeed a wonderful trip and if I have written of it in -only a matter-of-fact way, it is because the temptation to dwell on -the exhaustless theme of its weird beauty is likely to lead one to -monotonous repetition. No one can satisfactorily describe Crater Lake -or adequately express in words the subtle atmosphere of mystery and -romance that hovers about it; one can only hope to convey enough of -these things to his reader to induce him to make a personal pilgrimage -to this strange and inspiring phenomenon of nature. - -The ascent of the trail from the lake to the Lodge was less strenuous -than we expected and they told us there was still time to drive over -the new road to the summit of the Watchman, about four miles distant. -It is a fine, well-engineered road, but in the main keeps away from the -rim and presents vistas of endless mountains rather than of the lake. -We were not able to reach our goal, for the road was closed about three -miles from the Lodge on account of blasting. We turned about with some -difficulty and as we retraced our way to the inn we had a superb view -of the setting sun across the long array of wooded crests that stretch -southward toward Klamath Lake. At Victor Rock, a short distance from -the Lodge, we left the car and sought this splendid vantage point to -view the lake at sunset. It was disappointing, if anything about Crater -Lake could be disappointing, for the sun’s rays did not reach the -surface as he sank behind the hills in the southwest. Only a deeper, -duller blue settled over the placid water, relieved a little later by -the reflection of a full moon. The sense of mystery, however, that is -never absent when one views this strange “sea of silence” was deepened -when the blue shadows of twilight settled over it and began a ghostly -struggle with the pale moonbeams. Verily, you shudder and wonder if -there is not some real foundation for these legends of the haunting -spirits of Llao and Skell and perhaps--but the glowing windows of the -Lodge reminded us that dinner time was at hand, something of more vital -interest than speculations about ghosts and demons. - -[Illustration: WIZARD ISLAND FROM GARFIELD PEAK - -Copyright by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -A great fire of pine logs was blazing in the huge fireplace and it -was grateful, indeed, for there were strong indications of frost in -the air. “Better drain your radiator,” was the admonition to our -driver, who had garaged the car under a group of huge pines a little -distance from the Lodge--no other shelter being ready--but with his -usual carefulness he had already anticipated the suggested precaution. -After lunch the guests crowded about the fire, reading the day-old -newspapers or discussing the various roads over which they had come, -there being several other motor parties besides ourselves. A fisherman -entered, but the only result of his five-hour cruise was a fine -rainbow trout, weighing perhaps six pounds. This started talk about -piscatorial matters and we learned that originally there were no fish -of any kind in the lake. The principal life was a small crustacean -which is found in vast numbers and is probably the basis of the big -crawfish story in the legend of Llao and Skell. Mr. U. G. Steele, some -thirty years ago, first stocked the lake with young rainbow trout which -have thriven greatly, for now the fish are present in large numbers -and many have been taken weighing as much as ten pounds. The fish are -caught by fishing from vantage points on the shore or by trolling from -rowboats. They are usually quick to take the hook and for their size -are exceedingly game fighters. A day’s limit is five, which is quickly -reached early in the season. So clear is the water that the angler can -watch every move of his quarry from the moment it takes the bait until -it is finally “landed.” - -Naturally, we were curious to know of the origin, the discovery, -and the geology of Crater Lake, and soon learned that Uncle Sam has -anticipated this curiosity and has issued through the Department -of the Interior a number of illustrated booklets and maps which are -obtainable at the Lodge. A better plan, no doubt, would be to obtain -these and other literature in advance of the trip, but this we had -neglected. With this assistance, a few minutes enabled us to learn much -of the strange lake and region we were visiting. - -The name itself is suggestive of the lake’s origin. Ages ago, probably -before higher animal life had appeared on the earth, there was a period -of intense volcanic activity on the western coast of North America. A -vast range of fire mountains extended from Mount Baker in Washington -to Mount Lassen in California and all of them at one time were active -volcanos higher and more terrible than Mount Vesuvius ever was. Among -these were Mount Ranier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Hood, -Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Mount McLoughlin, Mount Shasta, and -Mount Lassen, of which only the last still shows volcanic activity. -Mightier than any of these was the gigantic peak which stood on the -site of Crater Lake and which has been called Mount Mazama in honor -of the Alpine Club of that name in Portland, whose investigations -have contributed much to our knowledge of this region. It must have -exceeded fifteen thousand feet in height, overtopping every other peak -on the North American continent, and what ages it stood, a sentinel of -fire and snow with no human eye to see its awful majesty, we can not -know, but it must have been for many thousands of years. Nor can we -know with anything like exactness when some vast and almost unthinkable -convulsion of nature tore this mighty mountain from its seat and -leveled its proud bulk far below the lesser rivals that surrounded -it. Nor can we be certain of the exact nature of the disaster that -overtook it; whether it gradually disappeared through long ages or as -the result of some sudden and awful convulsion is now only a matter of -conjecture, though scientific opinion inclines to the latter view. The -theory is that terrific internal forces burst through the slopes of the -mountain well down its gigantic sides and that the shell, weakened by -loss of the molten core, collapsed inwardly and was fused in the white -hot lavas. This theory requires the assumption that much of the debris -escaped in the shape of gases, leaving the vast pit where the lake now -lies. - -More generally accepted is the theory of a sudden and terrific -explosion which scattered the mountain top broadcast for hundreds of -miles around, a fate that overtook the volcano Krakatoa in the South -Pacific. In succeeding ages the fiery crater gradually cooled and -was finally filled with water from the heavy snows that fall in this -region. The lake has no other source of supply and no visible outlet, -but since precipitation exceeds any possible evaporation, there must -be some subterranean channel by which the water escapes; otherwise the -lake would eventually fill to the level of the lowest point of the rim. -That all volcanic action has long since ceased is proven by the fact -that at a depth of three hundred feet the temperature remains the whole -year round only seven degrees above the freezing point. - -Such, in rough outline, is the geologic story of this weird region and -mysterious lake. When one considers it as he floats on the steel-blue -water, it gives rise to strange thoughts and sensations--here, where -you drift and dream, laving your hand in the clear, cold water, once -raged an inferno of flame so fierce that solid rock fused and flowed -like burning oil. A full mile above the highest skyline of the gigantic -encircling cliffs once towered a stupendous peak which has vanished -as utterly as if it had never existed. Was it all the result of some -mysterious sequence of accidents or did some Power plan and direct it -all to obtain this - - “Fantastic beauty--such as lurks - In some wild poet when he works - Without a conscience or an aim?” - -The first white man to stumble upon this astounding spectacle was John -W. Wellman, who led an exploring party to this region in 1853. They -were searching for a certain Lost Cabin gold mine which proved as -mythical as DeLeon’s Fountain of Youth. No gold did they discover in -these giant hills, but they gave the world something better than gold -in bringing to light one of the supremest of natural wonders. Not the -slightest premonition did they have of their wonderful find. - -“We suddenly came in sight of water,” declares Wellman, “and were much -surprised, as we did not expect to see any lakes in this vicinity. Not -until my mule stopped within a few feet of the rim did I look down and -I believe if I had been riding a blind mule I would have gone over the -edge to my death.” - -The discoverers had a lively dispute over a name for the lake and -finally decided to settle by vote whether it should be called -Mysterious Lake or Deep Blue Lake. The latter name won, but in 1869 -a visiting party from Jacksonville renamed it Crater Lake, which now -seems obviously the logical title. - -It was not until 1902 that Crater Lake National Park was created by -an Act of Congress. This comprises in all two hundred and forty-nine -square miles which include many beautiful and interesting natural -phenomena besides the lake itself. Several of these one may see when -entering and leaving the park and others may be reached by special -trips from the Lodge. Many of the mountain peaks in the vicinity may -be scaled on muleback over safe and fairly easy trails. Union Peak, -about eight miles south of Crater Lake, is one of the favorite trail -trips. This is peculiar in that it is not a cinder cone like most of -its neighbors, but the solid core of an extinct volcano--a very steep, -conical mountain 7689 feet high. Scott Peak, three miles east of the -lake, is the highest point in the vicinity, 8938 feet, and overlooks -Cloud Cap, which the new government road ascends. Mount Thielsen, -9250 feet, the spire-like peak twelve miles to the north, may also be -reached by a trail, passing beautiful Diamond Lake, a favorite spot for -campers. - -[Illustration: CRATER LAKE--WIZARD ISLAND IN DISTANCE - -From photo by Kiser’s Studio, Portland, Oregon] - -The greater number of visitors come to the park by the automobile -stages, which run regularly on alternate days during the season from -Medford, on the main line of the Southern Pacific in Oregon, and from -Klamath Falls over the route covered by ourselves. The former route, -known as the Rogue River road, follows the river of that name -through a wonderfully picturesque mountain country. Out of Medford for -a good many miles the route passes through a prosperous fruit-farming -country, where the famous Rogue River apples are produced. The highway -climbs gradually out of the valley into the foothills and as it leads -up the gorge of the river, the scenery constantly takes on a wilder -aspect, culminating in the virgin wilderness where thunder the Great -Falls of the Rogue. The Indians of this section had a strange custom -with reference to these falls, for it was agreed that no brave of the -Klamath, Shasta, or Rogue River tribes should ever approach within -sound of the roaring waters. A little farther up the river is a natural -lava bridge one hundred feet in length. At Prospect, the only station -on the road, luncheon is served and then the ascent to the crest of -the Cascade is begun. The road is edged with giant evergreens, for -here is one of the greatest yellow pine forests in the world, though -other varieties of conifers are also common. Steadily, the road climbs -upward, winding along the steep slopes of the Cascades and affording -wide views in every direction over densely wooded highlands. About -twenty miles from the lake the road leaves the river and turns into -Castle Creek Canyon. Crossing the western boundary of the park, the -ascent becomes steeper and steeper until the summit is attained, from -which, like a great blue jewel in a sunken setting, the tourist gets -his first vision of Crater Lake. The road is usually very rough and -dusty, especially late in the season; plans are now under way for its -improvement, though the early accomplishment of the work can hardly be -hoped for. - -The Klamath Falls road, which was the route pursued by ourselves, -averages better and is fully as picturesque. The usual plan is to come -by the Medford road and leave by Klamath Falls, where the tourist may -take the Shasta branch of the Southern Pacific for Weed on the main -line. The stages do not run beyond Klamath Falls. - -A third route known as the Dead Indian Road leaves the Pacific Highway -at Ashland and joins the Klamath Falls route at Fort Klamath. The -altitudes traversed by this road average lower than the others, -generally less than five thousand feet. It passes within a few miles -of Mount McLoughlin, the highest peak of the entire region, and skirts -Pelican Bay at the extreme northern end of the main body of Klamath -Lake. Here E. H. Harriman, the late railroad magnate, built a summer -home which has now become a station on the road known as Harriman -Lodge. It is a singularly wild and beautiful section and Pelican Bay -is the most famous fishing “ground” in Oregon. Only a few tourists, -however, come by this route, as the condition of the road is usually -poor and the distance is greater than either of the alternate routes. -In describing the routes by which the lake may be reached, I am writing -only from the motorist’s point of view. Those who prefer to come by -train will probably find it cheaper and more expeditious to go to Fort -Klamath and take the stage to Crater Lake Lodge. - -While I was ascertaining the data which I have just been transcribing, -the guests had gradually retired to their rooms and we soon followed -suit. Despite the very crisp air--there is no heat in the guest rooms -of Crater Lake Lodge--we threw open our windows and contemplated the -weird beauty of the lake by the light of a full moon. Color had given -way to dull, mysterious monotone--the lake had become an ebon mirror -reflecting the moon and stars in its sullen deeps. And such starlight -I never saw elsewhere. The stars flamed and corruscated like diamonds -and the lake reflected them in almost undiminished luster, lending a -weird splendor to the scene. We were back at our posts at the windows -to watch sunrise on the lake, but it was distinctly disappointing. We -saw only a sheet of dull silver which gradually changed to blue as the -sun rose over the rim. Possibly at other seasons, under different -conditions, sunrise on Crater Lake may be a spectacle worth shivering -in the frosty air to witness, but we agreed that the scene is far more -inspiring when viewed by starlight. - -There was a great spitting and sputtering of motors out under the pines -as we descended the stairs, for the very crisp weather made starting -no easy task, and when we left the Lodge an hour later, one or two of -the refractory engines were still resisting every effort to set them -going. Taking on a supply of forty-five-cent gasoline and pausing for -one last look at the blue wonder-water before us, we glided down the -little vale into the pines. We followed the road by which we came -for a short distance until we reached the Sand Creek “cut off” which -enabled us to regain the main road to Bend without returning to Fort -Klamath. It also gave us the opportunity to ascend the new government -road to the summit of Cloud Cap, an experience that we prize more than -any other at Crater Lake. The road is part of the new highway which is -ultimately to complete the circuit of the lake, a distance in all of -thirty-eight miles. This road is about half finished at the present -time, extending from the summit of Cloud Cap on the east to the peak -of the Watchman on the west. It is being built with moderate grades -and wide turns, broad enough everywhere for easy passing. It does not -closely follow the lake at all points--that would be hardly possible -and certainly not desirable. One of the delightful features of the road -is the disappearance of the lake when one turns into the hills and its -reappearance in new and often surprising aspects as various vantage -points overlooking it are reached. It strikes the senses differently -and more forcefully after the change afforded by a few minutes in the -wooded hills. The distance from the Lodge to Sand Creek Canyon is about -seven miles; here the road branches off to Kerr Notch on the rim, -four or five miles farther, at which point the ascent of Cloud Cap -begins. A splendid new road--it almost deserves the much-abused term -“boulevard”--climbs to the summit in long, sweeping grades ranging from -five to twelve per cent, yet so smooth and splendidly engineered as to -require only high-gear work for a moderately powered car. - -I have already described our impressions of the marvels of Crater -Lake to the best of my ability and I can only say that the series of -vistas presented in our ascent of Cloud Cap were far beyond any we -had yet witnessed. In sheer magnificence, in inspiring beauty and in -overwhelming mystery--never absent in any view of Crater Lake--I have -seen little else that could compare with the seven-mile run. At times -we caught only glimpses of the blue water and mighty cliffs through -a group of trees; then we came out upon some bold headland where the -lake lay shimmering beneath our gaze with an endless panorama of -cliffs and peaks beyond. But the crowning spectacle greeted us from -the summit, where from an elevation of two thousand feet above the -surface our vision covered almost the entire lake and the greater -part of its rugged shore line with an almost unlimited sweep over the -surrounding country. Here a new and strange color aspect entranced -us--the main body of the water took on a deep purple hue, fading into -violet and blue with faint streakings of emerald green near the shores. -Light lavender was the prevailing color tone of the encircling cliffs -in the floods of morning sunlight, while dark blues prevailed where -the shadows fell. Out beyond stretched the densely wooded hills with -here and there a commanding peak on which snow flecks still lingered. -Looking down the slope which we had ascended, we saw Lake Klamath in -the far distance, shining silver-bright in its setting of forest and -marsh and beyond it endless hills which were gradually lost in a purple -haze. - -[Illustration: LLAO ROCK, CRATER LAKE - -Copyright by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -It was a panorama that held us for some time, despite the fact that -our run for the day was to be a long one, over roads for which no -one had spoken a good word. Reluctantly and lingeringly we gave the -word to depart. I find in my “log book” set down on the spot: “One of -the most glorious and inspiring drives in all our experience and all -that its most enthusiastic admirer has ever claimed for it”--a judgment -we are still willing to let stand. Soberly the big car retraced its -way down the long slopes and we soon bade farewell to Crater Lake, -wondering hopefully if we should not some time have the joy of seeing -its weird beauty again. A few miles through dense forests brought us -to the eastern limit of the park, where we surrendered our permit to -Uncle Sam’s representative and struck the dusty trail to Bend, our -destination for the night--about one hundred and twenty miles distant -from the confines of the park. - - - - -V - -CRATER LAKE TO THE DALLES - - -On leaving Crater Lake Lodge we were admonished not to miss the Sand -Creek Canyon Pinnacles, which we would pass just outside the park. Sand -Creek Canyon is a vast ravine several hundred feet in depth with walls -so steep that only an experienced mountain climber would dare attempt -the descent. At a point nearly opposite the eastern boundary of Crater -Lake Park, a multitude of slender sculptured spires ranging up to two -hundred feet in height rise from the sides and bottom of the tremendous -chasm. These weird gray needles of stone are cores of lava rock left -standing after the surrounding sand and silt had been carried away by -the floods which cut this mighty chasm in the sandy plain of Central -Oregon. A sign, “The Pinnacles,” apprised us of our proximity to these -curious natural phenomena; they are not visible from the road, being -hidden in the depths of the canyon. They seem strange and uncanny in -the noonday sun and we wondered how weird and awe-inspiring they must -appear when the pale moonlight filters into the deeps of the great -gulch. At the bottom of the canyon a clear stream dashes through a -fringe of good-sized pines with here and there a little green paddock. -In one of these we saw the only wild animal life--except small birds -and chipmunks--since we had left Reno. A doe eyed us timorously and -then slipped into the cover of the trees. They told us that there were -many deer in this region but they are chary of appearing along the -main-traveled roads. - -[Illustration: SAND CREEK CANYON PINNACLES - -Copyright by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -For many miles after leaving Crater Lake we pursued a natural dirt -road, innocent of any attempt at improvement save an occasional log -culvert or bridge over a dry gully or small stream. It was fair, -however, except for occasional sandy spots and at times good speed was -possible over its long, level stretches, for there is scarcely a five -per cent grade between the park and Bend. Nearly the whole distance -it runs through forests, chiefly the worthless lodge-pole or “Jack” -pine, which grow almost as thickly as they can stand. One wonders that -they have escaped the fires of whose deadly work we so frequently saw -distressing evidences among the more valuable varieties of evergreens. -We ran through these uninteresting trees for more than fifty miles -without a single village or even ranch house to break the monotony. It -was as wild and lonely a country as we had so far traversed and yet in -a little shack by the road we passed a station of the Bell Telephone -Company--a reminder of the wonderful ramifications of the wires of this -great organization. No railroad had as yet penetrated this wilderness -but one from Klamath Falls to Bend was projected, which will open up a -vast territory to farming and stock-raising. Even now there are many -cattle in this country and we frequently saw notices referring to stock -ranges posted on the trees. Sheep are also common and in one place we -passed a drove of many thousands of them. - -Crescent, about seventy miles from Fort Klamath, the only village -on the road, has a dozen scattering houses, a store or two, the -omnipresent sheet-iron garage, and a big wooden hotel. For some -distance about the town the Jack pines were being cleared and -preparations made to till the land, though little had actually been -done as yet in the way of producing crops. Beyond Crescent we followed -the course of the Deschutes River to Bend, a distance of nearly fifty -miles. The river here was only an ordinary stream and gave little hint -of the stupendous scenery that skirts it beyond Bend. On our left, -beyond the river, ran the main range of the Cascades and a little ahead -rose the snow-clad peaks of the Three Sisters and Mount Jefferson. -A few miles from Bend we came into a region once the seat of great -volcanic activity. Here we passed Black Butte, a great conical hill -of volcanic rock about which lie huge ridges of black lava with edges -as sharp as broken glass. - -[Illustration: THE THREE SISTERS, DESCHUTES CANYON - -Copyright by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -On entering Crook County, about thirty-five miles from Bend, it became -evident that improved highways were to be the order of the day in this -section, but said improvement had not progressed far enough to be of -any benefit to us. A wide, straight road had been graded through the -giant pines that cover this section, but no rain had fallen since the -work was completed and the new “highway” was a wallow of bottomless -yellow dust which concealed myriads of distressing chuck-holes. After -trying the new road for a little while, we again sought the old, -meandering trail and stuck to it as far as possible. However, for a -good many miles there was no alternative and we plunged along, leaving -a blinding dust-cloud behind us--a fine, alluvial dust that hovered -in the air many minutes after we had passed. Fortunately for us, the -road was clear ahead and if anyone was behind us he has our unstinted -commiseration. We did not go scot-free ourselves by any means, for -it was quite impossible to get away from the dust which the front -wheels stirred up and it soon covered the car and its occupants with -a yellow film. Nearer Bend the road improved somewhat and no doubt -after the grades have been thoroughly settled by the rains, they will -be smoothed and perhaps surfaced, in which case the road would be -unsurpassed, as it is quite level and straightaway. - -Much active lumbering is being done about Bend, and the fine yellow -pines through which we passed were being slaughtered at a terrific -rate. Temporary railroads were laid among the trees and logging engines -were hauling trains loaded with the mighty boles that had fallen -victim to the ax--or, more properly, the saw, which is generally used -in felling these big trees. We learned later that this industry is -chiefly responsible for the surprise which we experienced on arriving -at Bend. The 1910 census listed the town’s population at five hundred -and we were wondering if we could hope for decent accommodations in a -village of that size located in a comparative wilderness. It was an -agreeable surprise, therefore, to find a town of four or five thousand -inhabitants with many evidences of progressiveness and prosperity. -True, a good deal of the straggling old village was still in evidence, -but the fine new buildings in course of construction made it clear -that such structures would soon elbow the ragged old wooden shacks -out of existence. A beautiful bank building that would grace the main -street of a city of fifty thousand was under way, as was also a fine -mercantile building of white glazed brick with white tile trimming. - -Our hotel proved rather better than we expected from its outward -appearance, though our room was somewhat dingy and a private bath was -not to be had. The meal service, however, was excellent. We remarked -that Bend would afford a fine opening for a new and really modern hotel -and only a few days later I read in a Portland paper that such an -enterprise had actually been begun by a local company. The Deschutes -River, a clear, swift stream, runs through the town and the new inn -will have an ideal location on its banks. Bend’s prosperity is, of -course, due to lumbering--one great saw mill employing a thousand -men. So vast are the yellow pine tracts about the town that it will -be long before this resource fails. Farming and stock raising are -also being carried on to a considerable extent in the vicinity and -these industries are bound to grow in importance in such a fertile and -well-watered section. - -Another factor contributing to the activity of Bend may be found in -the numerous auto-stage lines that radiate from the town. It is the -terminus of the railroad from the north and passengers’ mail and -freight for the interior towns to the south and west are largely -transferred by automobile. Here they talk of jumps of fifty to two -hundred miles in a day much as a San Francisco commuter might speak of -a trip to Oakland or Berkeley. The auto-stage agency in our hotel was -in charge of a dapper, effervescent little fellow whose nationality -we might have guessed even if he had not advertised himself as -“Frenchy” on the card which he obsequiously offered us. We had no -need of “automobile transportation” so we did the next best thing and -patronized a boot-blacking stand which this same expatriated Frenchman -was running--we were going to say “on the side,” though it may have -been his main business, for that matter. While with the touch of an -artist he put a mirror finish on our pedal extremities, he told us with -a good deal of pride that his son was in the trenches somewhere in -France, fighting to expel the invaders. - -Bend, though much the largest town in the county, is not the county -seat. This is at Prineville, forty miles to the northeast and nearly -the same distance from the railroad. The logical thing would appear to -be to move the county capital to Bend within the next few years. Taken -altogether, Bend seems to be a town with an assured future and one -where moderate fortunes are likely to be made. - -[Illustration: THE DESCHUTES NEAR NORTH JUNCTION - -Copyright by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -Leaving Bend for the north early the next morning, we followed the -Deschutes River for several miles, crossing it three or four times. -It is an extraordinarily beautiful stream, broad, clear, swift, and -so shallow that the mossy boulders over which it dashes are clearly -visible and a keen eye can often detect brightly tinted trout darting -among them. Our road kept near the river for a great part of the day -and in places we were fairly overawed by the wild and stupendous -scenery of the vast canyon through which it courses. Some one has -called it the Grand Canyon of the Northwest, and we who have seen -the Arizona Wonderland can not feel that such a characterization is -altogether far-fetched. Perhaps the element of complete surprise may -have tended to give us a somewhat exaggerated impression, for we never -had the slightest hint of what we were to see. We went to the Grand -Canyon of Arizona expecting much and were not disappointed; we ran -unawares upon the Grand Canyon of the Deschutes and our amazement -may have warped our judgment to some extent. Still, I find reference -to this very region in a recent book by a well-posted Oregonian who -declares it “the most stupendously appealing river scenery in all the -Northwest--this same Canyon of the Deschutes,” and remember that this -same Northwest is the country where “rolls the Oregon,” commonly known -as the Columbia, in all its majesty. At one point, not so very far -from Bend, was the scenery especially overwhelming in its grandeur. I -wish I might adequately describe it, but I doubt if any printed page -could ever convey a true idea of such a spectacle. I can only hope -to direct attention of the tourist to this almost unknown wonder of -America and to assure him that he will never regret a trip between Bend -and The Dalles, which may be made by either motor or rail. In fact, -the railroad follows the bottom of the canyon and in many ways affords -better opportunities to view the scenery than does the wagon road. - -The canyon at the point of which I speak is a vast, rugged chasm -many hundreds of feet in width and perhaps a thousand in depth, with -precipitous, rocky walls almost as gorgeously colored as those of the -Grand Canyon itself. At the bottom dashes the vexed river--a writhing -thread of emerald--as though it were in mad haste to escape from such -deadly turmoil. Our road ascended to a vantage point where we could -look for miles down the valley over a panorama of weird peaks whose -crests were surmounted with a multitude of fanciful shapes, pinnacles, -domes, and strange, outlandish figures in stone which the imagination -might fitly liken to a thousand things. Near at hand the hills seemed -harsh and forbidding, but in the distance their drab colors and -rugged outlines were softened by a violet haze that transmuted their -sternness into ethereal beauty. The center of the plain skirted by -these weird hills was rent by the vast chasm of the river canyon, its -sides splashed with gorgeous colorings. Against the silvery horizon to -the westward ran the serrated summits of the Cascades, dominated by -the cold white peaks of the Three Sisters and, farther still, in lone -and awful grandeur, the vast white cone of Mount Hood. And this same -glorious mountain dominated our vision at intervals during the entire -day until we saw it stand in crowning beauty against the wide, crimson -band of the sunset. - -Our road soon left the river canyon, though we coursed through the -Deschutes Valley the greater part of the day. The road varied greatly -from fair alluvial dirt surface through great wheatfields to a wretched -stony trail that wound around precipices, forded rock-bottomed streams -and climbed over rugged hills. For a considerable distance we followed -a stream at the bottom of a canyon, fording it several times over a -trail so primitive and neglected that at times it was difficult to find -it at all, but there was no danger of going astray--no one could climb -the precipitous walls that shut us in. - -Coming out of the canyon we crossed a hill range into a beautiful -little valley dotted with several prosperous-looking ranch houses. -In front of one of these, under the shade of the immense Lombardy -poplars that surrounded it, we paused for our mid-day lunch. About -the house was a beautifully kept lawn which the owner was watering at -the time. He told us that there was plenty of water for irrigating in -the valley if the rains happened to be too scant and a big yield was -always sure from the wonderfully fertile soil. A small field--about -thirty acres--near his house had just yielded over two thousand bushels -of prime barley and other crops were in like proportion. Fruit trees -thrive, as was evidenced by several heavily laden pear trees near -the house. The greatest drawback was distance from the railroad and -poor wagon roads, making transportation very difficult. This was best -overcome by feeding the products of the farm to cattle, which could -carry their own carcases to a shipping point. - -Our road swung still farther from the Deschutes River; we crossed -one rugged hill range after another with the inevitable cultivated -valley between. The upland plains had been tilled in spots and the -irregular yellow patches where the wheat had just been harvested gave -a curious effect to the distant hilltops. Evidently much of the soil -was not tillable--probably due to volcanic ash--which accounted for -the irregularity and scattered aspect of the wheatfields. The heavy -wagons carrying the wheat to market had wrought havoc with the roads, -which were full of chuck-holes and distressingly dusty. - -[Illustration: OVERLOOKING DESCHUTES CANYON, MT. JEFFERSON - -Copyright by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -Upon one of the highest and bleakest of the hill ranges, we came into -the village of Shaniko--our first town in nearly a hundred miles--a -place of three or four hundred people. It is, however, one of the -oldest settlements of this section and until a few years ago a great -staging center for freight and passengers from The Dalles. The coming -of the Columbia Southern Railroad, of which Shaniko is the terminus, -changed all this and led to the rapid settlement of the surrounding -country, which now produces wheat in considerable quantities. In spite -of the dignity thrust upon it by being made the terminus of a railroad, -Shaniko is a forlorn-looking place, bleak and dusty, with a half-dozen -stores and the inevitable hotel--a huge, red-brick structure seemingly -out of all proportion to the probable needs of the town. The garage -was deserted and it was with some difficulty that we located the owner -to replenish our gasoline supply. He directed us to proceed by way of -Maupin, Tygh Valley, and Dufur, to The Dalles, rather than follow the -railway line. - -For twenty-five miles out of the town we ran through the huge, rounded -hills, curiously mottled with the irregular golden patches of the -wheatfields against the reddish brown soil. At Maupin we came back to -the Deschutes, here a lordly river, spanned by a long, high bridge -which afforded fine views of stream and canyon in both directions. -Here again we were directed to take the new Tygh Valley road and had -more reasons than one to be glad that we did, for we saw some splendid -canyon scenery and a wonderfully engineered road through the hills. A -few miles from Maupin we entered Tygh Valley Canyon. A long, steep, and -very rough grade led downward between the stupendous walls of shattered -igneous rock--red and dull brown, splashed with spots of golden yellow. -The sides were rugged in the extreme, and barren except for a few scrub -cedars which clung precariously to the steep slopes. At the bottom of -the canyon many varieties of trees flourished and here and there were -green paddocks. - -In one of the greenest of these nooks, at the point where the road -reaches the floor of the canyon, is the village of Tygh Valley, as -snug and sheltered as Shaniko was bleak and windswept. There was a -picturesque little church with a tall spire and the place seemed -reminiscent of New England rather than the far west. - -[Illustration: MT. HOOD FROM TYGH VALLEY - -Copyright by The Winter Co., Portland, Oregon] - -“And what is the most distinctive thing about Tygh Valley?” we later -asked a friend who frequently visits the town and he as promptly -answered, “Rattlesnakes; the canyon is one of the greatest habitats -of this interesting reptile in the whole country. The last time I was -there a local character who makes a practice of hunting the snakes -had just come in with the carcases of forty-five of them, which he -was proudly displaying on the street. He makes a good revenue from -the oil, which is in great demand, and the skins are worth from fifty -cents to a dollar each. The snake hunter once started to breed the -reptiles to increase his gains but the citizens objected. They thought -there were quite enough rattlesnakes in the canyon without raising them -artificially. Since then the hunter has confined himself to catching -the denizens of the wild and is doing Tygh Valley a good service in -reducing the number of the pests.” - -We ourselves, however, saw nothing of the valley’s aboriginal -inhabitants, though we might have looked more closely for them had we -known of their presence. - -Almost immediately after leaving the town we began our climb out of the -canyon, ascending one of the longest grades that we found in all our -wanderings. This road is a wonderful piece of engineering, swinging its -wide ribbon in long loops around and over the giant hills and affording -some awe-inspiring vistas of barren summits and wooded canyons. It is a -road of thrills for the nervously inclined, for in places at its sides -the slopes drop almost sheer for a thousand feet or more and there are -many abrupt turns around cliff-like headlands. But for all that it is -an easy road, smooth, fairly free from dust, and with no rise greater -than seven or eight per cent. May they do more road work of this kind -in Oregon! - -At the summit we paused and caught our breath at the panorama that -suddenly broke on our vision. An endless sea of blue mountains -stretched out to meet the sunset and dominating them all rose the awful -bulk of Mount Hood, sharply silhouetted against a wide stretch of -crimson sky. There was something awful and overpowering in its lonely, -inaccessible majesty--the sunset and the mystery of the blue shadows -that enveloped its feet gave it something more than the fascination -which the lone snow-covered mountain ever has for the beholder--its -relative isolation from other peaks giving it an added grandeur and -individuality. Mount Hood, for example, with an altitude of 11200 feet, -is far more impressive than Mount Whitney, the culminating peak of a -range, though its actual height is 3300 feet greater. - -And so, as we contemplated this mystery mountain looming in lonely -majesty in the fading twilight, we could not wonder that Indian myth -and legend made it the subject of many a weird tale. It dominated -the western horizon during the remainder of our run except at short -intervals and presented many fascinating changes of color and light -ere it faded away in the darkness. From a hilltop several miles out of -The Dalles we caught our first glimpse of the Columbia in its mad dash -through the narrow straits that give the name to the town. The valley -and surrounding hills were bleak and cheerless in the extreme and in -the gathering shadows of the distance the mad tumult of the waters was -hardly visible, but if the first view was distinctly disappointing, the -unfavorable impression was to be effaced by our later acquaintance with -the noble river. - -We were glad indeed to come into the well-lighted streets of The -Dalles. It had been an exceedingly hard day’s run--nearly two hundred -miles with much bad road, stony and deep with dust in places. The dust -was especially annoying during the last twenty-five miles of our run; -the wind was blowing a perfect gale and there were numerous cars on the -road. When we entered The Dalles Hotel our appearance hardly fitted -us for civilized society, but such a plight creates no comment and -attracts little attention. It is too commonplace here--the party that -preceded us and the one that followed were very like unto ourselves -in unkempt appearance. The hotel with its large comfortable rooms -and well-ordered bath was indeed a haven of rest after the day’s -experience and when we had regained the semblance of respectability we -descended to a late dinner, for which we were quite ready. We found -everything about the hotel decidedly first-class and more metropolitan -than is common in towns of five thousand, for that is all the census -books accord to The Dalles. Of course it claims to have gained -considerably since the last enumeration and its private and public -buildings, well-improved streets and general business activity seem to -bear out the contention. - -The town is built on a historic site. Old Fort Dalles was a milestone -of pioneer travel, having been established here in 1838 and about the -same time a mission was founded--not by Father Junipero, whose name -always comes to mind in connection with the word in the west, but by -the Methodist Church. The name was given by Canadian voyagers in the -Hudson Bay service--The Dalles signifying gutter or trough, referring -to the chasms between the great glacier-polished sheets of basaltic -rock which break the river into the wild cascades opposite the town. -A short distance above this broken pavement the river is thousands -of feet in width but where it forces its mad passage through these -rocks it is confined to a few yards and where the channels are most -contracted it sweeps through three rifts of rocky floor, each so -narrow that a child might cast a stone across. - -[Illustration: OR BON DESCHUTES RIVER CANYON - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -The surrounding country is a fit setting for such a wild and turbulent -scene. On either hand lie monotonous plains, now brown with sunburned -grass and studded with gray sagebrush. To the north rise the rugged -peaks of Washington and eastward is the long sweep of the river valley -guarded by rounded hills. Westward we see the broad bright river, -released from the dreadful turmoil of The Dalles, vanish into the giant -hills over which the majestic white-robed form of Mount Hood stands, -an eternal guardian. It is a scene that never failed to arrest the eye -of the observant traveler from the earliest day and even before his -time the “untutored mind” of the poor Indian was impressed with the -weirdness and beauty of the spot. To account for the strange phenomena -of The Dalles and explain how the mighty river was compressed into the -three deep narrow channels, the savage mind was busy with myth and -legend and, like most of the myths of our aboriginees, there appears to -have been a sub-stratum of truth. - -The story tells of the fierce volcanic action once common in this -section when Hood, Adams, and St. Helens were lurid fire mountains and -when a great range of hills ran across the valley where The Dalles -now are, damming the waters of the river into a great inland sea. -Naturally enough, fiends of great power and malignancy were fabled to -have congregated in such a spot and to have had much to do with the -manifestations of fire and water. Here, too, is a hint of geologic -truth, for the fiends were huge monsters with very powerful tails, -probably the dinosaurs and mud pythons of the reptilian age, of which -remains have been found in this region. - -These fiends, according to the legend, congregated here when the -volcanic furies were subsiding and chief among them was a master fiend -or devil who had been first in malignancy and hatred. Whether he was -sick and would be a monk, as in the old proverb, we do not know, but -the story is that he proposed to the lesser fiends to give up their -wicked revels and assume the role of beneficent spirits and friends -of man. The increasing peacefulness of the elements, he declared, -foreshadowed better things. Why should they not give up wars and -cannibalism, to which they were so terribly addicted, and seek the -quieter pastimes of peace? - -A strange story and a strange sentiment to put in the mouth of a devil, -but the consequence was stranger still. Instead of receiving the -beneficent proposal with favor, the fiends turned on their leader in a -furious rage; pacifism was no more popular in that mythical time than -it is now. “He would beguile us into a crafty peace,” they shrieked as -one, “that he may kill and eat us at leisure. Death to the traitor!” - -Alarmed at such a sudden and unanimous uproar, which was followed by -an onslaught of all the legions of fiends, this pre-historic Prince of -Darkness lost no time in taking to his heels, pursued by the howling -pack that thirsted for his blood. Swiftly he sped toward the great -ridge of land that held back the inland sea, seeking doubtless to hide -in the rugged hills to the north. But he was pressed too closely by -his enemies, to whom he seemed sure to fall victim unless saved by -some desperate expedient. Summoning all his vast powers as he crossed -the spot where the river now rages among The Dalles, he smote with -his huge tail upon the smooth flat rocks. A great chasm opened, down -which poured a dreadful torrent from the waters of the inland sea, -tearing boulders to fragment. This frightful performance stopped the -greater part of the fiends, but some of the more venturesome were not -to be deterred. With a bound they crossed the chasm and were again -on the heels of the fleeing devil. In desperation he smote once more -upon the rocks and another and still vaster chasm was opened up and a -still greater torrent poured down it. Still the villains pursued him, -for some of them were agile enough to vault across the second rent, -and the Indian Satan was again in danger. With one last and desperate -effort he dealt the rocks a third smashing blow with his caudal -appendage and a third chasm, twice the width of either of the others, -split the rocks behind him and with the speed of lightning the wild -waters rushed in to fill it. - -Only a few of the hardiest of the pursuing fiends dared attempt this -awful maelstrom and they fell far short and were ground to powder by -the furious stream. The fiends who leaped the first and second torrents -now essayed to return, but lacking the zeal of pursuit they, too, fell -short and were swept to destruction. Evidently determined to make a -clean sweep, the myth-makers even doomed the hesitating demons who -refused the first leap, for the bank on which they stood gave way, -precipitating them into the mad stream. - -And so the whole race of these troublesome fiends perished. The devil -himself had escaped, however, and paused, panting and overcome, on the -opposite bank to take inventory of himself. He was not unscathed by any -means. His tail, the powerful weapon that had wrought his salvation, -was hopelessly crippled by his last gigantic effort. It was of little -consequence, since his enemies were all dead; he was now free to pursue -the peaceful policy which he had advocated. So, leaping back over -the torrents, he went to his home--wherever that may have been--to -found a new race of demons, all of whom, like himself, had flaccid -tails. - -[Illustration: THE DESCHUTES RIVER CANYON - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -Such are the bare outlines of the legend of The Dalles, which shows -no small power of imagination on part of the savage originators. The -fuller details of the story may be found in “Canoe and Saddle,” by the -lamented young New England writer, Theodore Winthrop, who visited this -region about 1857 and no doubt learned the story from the natives at -first hand. Winthrop lost his life in one of the earlier battles of -the Civil War and thus one of the most promising lights of American -letters in that day was forever extinguished. His story of this western -wilderness at the time of his visit is one of the most vivid that has -ever been written and deserves a permanent place in the historical -annals of the Great Northwest. - - - - -VI - -WHERE ROLLS THE OREGON - - -Had we known the real character of the road between The Dalles and Hood -River we should never have started on that journey while a light rain -was falling and lowering clouds seemed portentious of much heavier -showers. We had intimations that the road could scarcely be ranked as -a boulevard, but we assumed that the so-called Columbia River Highway -ought to be passable, even in showery weather, and resolved not to be -deterred by the prospect of rain. Luckily for us, the drizzle cleared -and the clouds rifted before we were well out of the town and though we -found some soft spots along the road, we were spared the experience of -trying to negotiate these frightful grades in the rain. We confess that -while we were pretty well inured to mountain roads, this twenty-two -mile stretch of the Columbia Highway occasioned a goodly number of -nervous thrills before we rolled into the trim little village of -Hood River. The grades are long and steep and in places the road is -exceedingly narrow, with a sharp declivity alongside and there are a -number of dangerous turns. - -[Illustration: SUNSET ON THE COLUMBIA - -Copyright Winter Photo Co., Portland, Oregon] - -We had proceeded but a short distance when a decidedly emphatic -signboard admonished us, “Danger! go into low gear,” and low gear -was indeed very necessary for the long, wicked-looking twenty-five -per cent grade before us. Midway in the ascent we were halted by a -commotion ahead of us which we learned had been caused by a head-on -collision--the driver descending the hill having lost control of his -car, due to failure of the brakes. A lively altercation was in progress -into which we declined to be drawn, having no desire for complication -in the damage suit loudly threatened by the aggrieved party. After some -difficulty the road was cleared and we kept on our grind to the summit -of the mighty ridge, only to find another confronting us beyond the -long descent. - -During the run to Hood River we caught only fugitive glimpses of the -Columbia, the road keeping mainly to the hills. Most spectacular and -glorious were the vistas from the steep, seven-mile grade descending -into Hood River Valley. We had a wonderful panorama of the greater part -of that prosperous vale with its endless orchards and well-ordered -ranch houses lying between the wooded hill ranges dominated by the -snowy bulk of Mount Hood. - -As we descended to the foothills the road entered the apple orchards -and we had the opportunity of viewing the heavily laden trees close -at hand. A record crop was nearly ready for gathering and it seemed as -if it were hardly possible for another apple to find a place on some -of the trees. Every branch and twig was bent with clusters of the dark -red globes and the boughs had to be supported by numerous props. The -air was redolent with the fragrance of the fruit and we realized the -vast extent of the apple industry in the Hood River country. The whole -valley below was covered with just such orchards and they climbed over -most of the rounded foothills. The crop seldom fails and many thousands -of cars of fruit are distributed every year over the entire country. -The orchards in the main were carefully cultivated and looked very -thrifty. - -As we continued down the long grade we came once more in sight -of the Columbia with a wide vista down the valley and over the -rugged hills that guard it on either hand. Hood River is a clean, -substantial-looking town of about three thousand people. Besides being -famous for apples, it has the added distinction of being the home -address of the Hon. Billy Sunday when he is recuperating from his -strenuous campaigns against the devil--and Billy’s devil is quite as -crude and primitive as the demon of the Indians who cracked his tail -at The Dalles. Billy has invested a small portion of the proceeds of -soul-saving in an apple ranch a few miles from Hood River, one of -the finest in the valley, a garage man told us. He also gave us the -cheerful information that there were no such mountain grades to be -encountered as those we had just come over. There were twenty miles -of rough and, as it proved, rather muddy road to be covered before we -should come to the splendid new boulevard famous the country over as -the Columbia River Highway. - -[Illustration: ONEONTA TUNNEL, COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY - -From photo by The Winter Co., Portland, Oregon] - -This piece of road, though rather indifferent, passes some delightful -scenery, both of river and shore, and when improved will be a fit link -in the scenic glories of the famous highway. In places the road creeps -through tangles of fern, hazel, and maples, festooned with vines and -brilliant with autumnal red and yellow. At one point we passed beneath -a wonderful bank towering hundreds of feet above us and covered with -a rank, almost tropical tangle of ferns, shrubs, and vines, through -which many clear streamlets trickled down. The rocks and earth were -moss-covered and it was altogether one of the most delightful and -refreshing bits of greenery we ever came across. Again we entered -groups of stately trees crowding closely to the roadside and caught -many entrancing glimpses of the broad, green river through the stately -trunks. - -At no place does this part of the road rise to any great height, but -still there were several vantage points affording fine views down the -river. Especially was this true of Mitchell Point, where improvement -is under way. Here a tunnel has been cut for several hundred feet -through the rocky bulwark of Storm Crest Mountain, which gives its -name to the work, and next the river are five great arched windows, -giving an effect very like that of the Axenstrasse on Lake Lucerne. The -Axenstrasse has only three such windows, nor do I think any view from -them is as lovely as that from Mitchell’s Point. Here we had wonderful -vistas of river, hill and forest framed in the great openings, the -river emerald-green and the forests dashed with brilliant colors, -for autumn reds and yellows on the Columbia are quite as bright and -glorious as those of New England. So sheer are the sides of the great -rock which Storm Crest Tunnel pierces that it was necessary to suspend -the engineers from ropes anchored at the summit in order to blast -footings to make the survey. The tunnel, yard for yard, is the most -expensive piece of construction so far completed on the entire road. -Near the place we noted an attractive inn with a glassed-in veranda -overlooking the river, perhaps two hundred feet above it. - -[Illustration: COLUMBIA HIGHWAY AT MITCHELL POINT - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -The completed portion of the highway extends fifty-five miles west of -Portland and as construction was still under way, we had to wallow -through a quarter of a mile of sharp crushed stone before coming to -the finished surface--a performance which left deadly marks on tires. -But once on the wide, smooth stretches of this unequalled boulevard, -we drew a deep breath of relief and proceeded in high anticipation -which in no particular outstripped the reality. For the Columbia River -Highway is one of the world’s supreme feats of engineering, commanding -a series of views of one of the greatest and most beautiful rivers in -the world, and affording unsurpassed panoramas of forest, hill, and -mountain. - -So great were the difficulties to be surmounted that up to the opening -of this new highway, on July 6, 1915, no passable road along the -river existed between Portland and Hood River. The great mountain -buttresses, which came almost to the water’s edge, and the intervening -ravines effectually blocked the way. It was determined that a boulevard -following the river was not impracticable, but careful estimates placed -the cost at more than $50,000 per mile. Realizing that such a highway -would be a great drawing card for the city as well as the entire -Northwest, a few leading spirits of Portland began an agitation for -its construction. The cost was provided for by a bond issue of two and -one-half million dollars and when local politicians showed anxiety to -get control of the project, the people thwarted them by taking matters -into their own hands. Mr. John B. Yeon, a retired millionaire lumberman -with wide experience in handling large bodies of labor, offered to take -charge of the construction without remuneration. Other rich Portlanders -were alike generous with their gifts of time and money to such an -extent that the highway is almost as great a tribute to civic spirit -and patriotism as to engineering skill. - -The chief engineer, Mr. S. C. Lancaster, had been chosen some time -before and, by the munificence of a wealthy citizen, was given the -benefit of a trip to Europe to inspect the famous highways there. -His selection was a most fortunate one, since in addition to his -extraordinary ability as an engineer, he had a true appreciation of -natural beauty and the happy faculty of so adapting his plans to the -landscape as to preserve and make the most of its scenic features and -to turn every superb viewpoint to the best possible advantage. - -[Illustration: AROUND TOOTH MOUNTAIN, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -For the Columbia Highway was to be more than a mere wagon road along -the river. It was to reveal and emphasize the marvelous beauty of -the mighty gorge and to be a source of uplift and inspiration to -the fortunate wayfarer who directs his course over it. As a mere -utility, possibly it would not be justified; the great navigable -river and the railways skirting both its shores might meet all the -necessities of transportation and travel. They could not, however, -reveal the scenic beauties of the river valley to the best advantage, a -mission which the highway serves to perfection. This aim Mr. Lancaster -kept in view above everything else, and how well he succeeded only he -who truly admires the grand and beautiful and who travels, many times, -the length of the highway can fully appreciate. - -In addition to exploiting the superb scenery along its course, Mr. -Lancaster determined that the new highway must conform to the best -traditions of road building. Its construction must be of the solidest -and most permanent character; it must have no grade greater than five -per cent, no curve less than the arc of a one-hundred-foot circle; it -must be guarded by substantial and artistic balustrades and, finally, -its surface must equal the finest city pavement in smoothness and -durability. That all these requirements were fully met we can testify, -if a touring experience covering hundreds of thousands of miles in -Europe and this country will qualify us to judge. - -The actual construction work was begun in 1913 and at the time of our -visit the completed road had reached the western limit of Multnomah -County, forty-seven miles from the Portland postoffice. Hood River -County had also done considerable work--the famous Storm Crest Tunnel -is in this county. Apparently nothing had been done in Wasco County, -where we encountered the steep, long grades out of The Dalles. We were -told that the plan is to carry this highway the whole length of the -Columbia River on the Oregon side, a distance of about three hundred -miles, but if the work is to be done by the counties, it will probably -be long in the building. There is at present no road closely following -the river east of The Dalles beyond Celilo, twenty miles distant, where -the government has expended four millions of dollars in building locks -around the falls of the Columbia. This and many other scenic wonders -beyond The Dalles make it most desirable from the tourist’s point of -view that the projected highway may be carried to completion as soon as -possible. It may seem that I am dealing too minutely with the inception -and history of this wonderful road, but I feel that such details -are not out of place in a book dealing with Oregon. The splendid -achievement of this community in carrying forward this great enterprise -is one that should be widely heralded as an example and inspiration to -others. - -[Illustration: FROM INSPIRATION POINT, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY - -Painting by H. H. Bagg after copyright photo by Kiser, Portland] - -After reaching the finished part of the road, we were scarcely for a -moment out of sight of the great river and the hills, rocks, and -forests that make the wild beauty of its shores. Just across the river -is the barren bulk of Wind Mountain, with the shattered stumps of giant -trees known as the submerged forest at its base. A little farther we -came to Cascade Locks, built by the government around the rapids at -this point. Several steamers daily pass these locks, which have a lift -of eight feet. Beyond them writhes the turbulent green river, which -subsides to placid stretches some distance ahead of us. - -Then marvels come thick and fast. We pass on to a wonderful viaduct -swinging around the sheer sides of Tooth Mountain, upon which the -road is supported by airy-looking concrete pillars. Above us tower -perpendicular cliffs crowned by mighty pines, and below us a precipice -quite as sheer falls almost to the river level. Beyond this Eagle Creek -is spanned with a graceful arch of gray stone and near by is the cliff -which Indian tradition tells us was the southern abutment of the Bridge -of the Gods. Table Mountain, a rugged, flat-topped cone rising on the -opposite shore, marks the northern end of the bridge which geologists -say may not have been wholly a myth, for there are signs that a great -dyke once held back the waters of the river at this point. - -The quaint Indian legend is worth retelling, since every one who -points out the wonders of the Columbia to a stranger is sure to refer -to it. In early days an Indian father with his two sons came to this -region and the youths had a quarrel over the division of the land. To -settle the dispute the father shot one arrow to the east and another -to the west, bidding the sons make their homes where the arrows fell. -The Great Spirit then erected the vast wall of the Cascades between -the two to prevent farther trouble. From one son sprang the tribe of -the Klickitats and from the other the Multnomahs. The Great Spirit had -built a mighty bridge over the Columbia and given it in charge of a -witch named Loowit, and this same lady was entrusted with the care of -the only fire then to be found in the whole world. When Loowit came to -realize how much fire would benefit the two tribes, she besought the -Great Spirit to permit her to offer it as a gift to the poor Indians. -This he did and the condition of the tribes was wonderfully improved; -they built better lodges, made better clothes and, with the aid of -fire, fashioned implements of metal and utensils of pottery. To reward -Loowit for her benefactions, the Great Spirit offered her any gift she -might choose and with true feminine instinct she asked to be young and -beautiful. Her beauty wrought havoc with the hearts of the chieftains -of the region, but none of them found favor in her eyes until one -day Klickitat came from the south and his rival, Wigeart, from the -north and both paid court to the queen of the great bridge. So evenly -matched were these doughty warriors that Loowit could not decide -between them and a bitter war ensued between their respective tribes. -The whole land was ravaged and fire was used to destroy the comforts -which it had conferred on the Indians. So the Great Spirit repented and -resolved to undo his work. He broke down the mighty bridge, damming -the river into a vast lake, and slew Loowit and her rival lovers. He -determined to give them fitting commemoration, however, and reared as -monuments the great white peaks we see to-day, though our names are -different from what the Indians called them. Loowit sleeps under Mount -St. Helens and Wigeart and Klickitat under Hood and Adams. Surely these -red-skinned heroes were given sepulture fit for the gods themselves. - -[Illustration: SHEPPERD’S BRIDGE FROM BENEATH--COLUMBIA HIGHWAY - -From photo by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -A weird story, but true, no doubt, for can we not see the great cliffs -which formed the approaches of the mighty bridge and the white summits -yonder which mark the resting places of the unfortunate lovers? -Still, there is another story to the effect that when Hood and Adams -were yet fire mountains they quarreled and the vast rock, hurled by -the former at his adversary, fell short and wrecked the bridge. -Marvelous stories! but not so wonderful as the realities that greet our -eyes in the same region--the steam road below us with its luxurious -transcontinental train and the Columbia River Highway with the machines -that glide so smoothly and swiftly over its splendid surface. - -At Bonneville--reminiscent of Washington Irving--are the fish -hatcheries where salmon and trout are propagated to repopulate the -river and mountain streams. A good-sized park has been set aside in -connection with the work and this, with the hatcheries, is open to all. - -Beyond Bonneville the road drops almost to the river level, a -beautiful, nearly straight stretch guarded by a concrete balustrade of -artistic design. We have a grand vista down the river from this point -with a splendid view of Castle Rock on the Washington side, a vast, -conical rock nearly a thousand feet high, with sides so sheer that -even the hardy pines can scarcely find footing. Its summit was long -considered insurmountable, but it was recently scaled by a venturesome -climber. It can be seen for many miles in either direction. - -Not the least enchanting of the highway’s glories are the waterfalls -which flutter from sheer cliffs for hundreds of feet, swaying like -silver ribbons and filling the air with their weird music. The first -of these was Horsetail Falls, a rather unpoetic name for the silver -cascade which dashes for two hundred feet down the side of a sloping -cliff. It is less than three miles farther to Multnomah Falls, the gem -of all the Columbia cataracts, but in that short distance there is much -to enchant and overawe the beholder. - -At Oneonta Creek the road builders encountered a vast cliff two hundred -and five feet high, rising sheer a few feet from the water’s edge. -The railway had taken all available space and Mr. Lancaster, nothing -daunted, drove a tunnel through the solid rock. So great was the -danger that the necessary blasting would tumble tons of loose rock on -the railroad that the weak places in the cliff were reenforced with -concrete before beginning the work. A strikingly picturesque touch -is given to Oneonta Cliff by a lone fir which crowns its summit in -solitary majesty--there is no other vegetation except shrubbery. - -Near this point is some of the wildest and most grotesque scenery along -the whole road. On the Washington side is Cape Horn and Cigar Rock--a -tall slender pinnacle whose shape suggests the name--which loom like -mighty monuments erected by some titan fire god when the demons of our -legends ruled the land. These stern cliffs, mottled with the rainbow -colorings of autumn and splashed with the soft green of velvet moss -and waving ferns, reach their culminating beauty at the spot where -Multnomah Falls pours its crystal flood over a ledge nearly a thousand -feet above the highway--a sheer fall of eight hundred and forty -feet--into a rocky basin and a second plunge of seventy feet to the -green pool by the roadside. - -At a point well above the second fall is a graceful concrete -bridge--the gift of a Portland millionaire--reached by a flight of -steps and affording a wonderful close-at-hand view of the fall as well -as a wide panorama of the valley. We paused here for a better view -of the scene and a drink of the clear, ice-cold water. As we were -about to proceed an officer in khaki approached us. We had no guilt -on our conscience--fifteen miles had been our limit on the Columbia -Highway--and we awaited his coming with equanimity. - -“Could you give a fat man a lift to Portland?” he asked, and -then apologized, saying he had mistaken us for some one of his -acquaintances. We urged him, however, to come right along--a motor cop -ought to be a splendidly posted guide--and we proved quite right in -this surmise. A little conversation revealed the interesting fact that -some years ago he came to Portland from the county where the writer -spent his boyhood. - -[Illustration: SHEPPERD’S BRIDGE, COLUMBIA HIGHWAY - -From photo by Fred H. Kiser, Portland, Oregon] - -“I sold my share in a good Iowa farm,” he said, “and invested the -proceeds--some twenty thousand dollars--in a dozen acres near Portland -in a section that they told me was sure to boom--but it hasn’t as yet. -And so I go on waiting and hoping and paying taxes--holding down a -job as motor cop in the meanwhile. O yes, they are mighty strict in -enforcing the speed limit; there are six officers on the highway with -peremptory orders to arrest any driver exceeding twenty-five miles per -hour. No, we don’t make many arrests; local people know the rules and -generally observe them and we usually give strangers fair warning. You -will see how necessary this is when I tell you that there were six -thousand cars on this fifty-mile road last Sunday, and for all our care -there was one serious accident.” Then he told us the history of the -highway and many interesting facts concerning it which I have tried -to recount in the preceding pages. He was even posted on the Indian -legends--just the kind of a courier we needed. - -There are four or five waterfalls in the half dozen miles after passing -Multnomah, beautiful, limpid columns of leaping water--Wahkeena Falls, -Mist Falls, Bridal Veil Fall, Tookey Falls and Latourelle Falls--each -of which might attract much attention and admiration were it situated -in some spot less replete with scenic wonders, but they seem almost -commonplace amidst such surroundings. Here, also, is Benson Park, -a tract of land including Larch Mountain, donated by Mr. Benson of -Portland. A trail has been built to the summit of the mountain, 4095 -feet above the sea, and the river at this point is only a few feet -above sea level. Here may be gained one of the most extensive views -along the whole course of the highway. One’s vision covers vast tracts -of mountains reaching to Ranier, over one hundred miles to the north, -as well as endless panoramas up and down the river. The summit may be -reached by a mule-back ride of several miles--which we deferred until -some more favorable occasion. - -“You will want to stop here,” said our friend when we came to a -beautiful bridge swinging across a crystal stream dashing at the bottom -of a deep ravine, green with fern and moss. “This is Shepperd’s Dell -and you must get the view from beneath the bridge.” - -[Illustration: SHEPPERD’S DELL BRIDGE, COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY - -Copyright Winter Photo Co., Portland, Oregon] - -We descended the stone steps leading down into the ravine and found -ourselves surrounded by a scene of perfect sylvan loveliness. A -picturesque waterfall came dashing from the ponderous crags above us -into a green, moss-bordered pool from which a clear stream ran among -the mottled boulders beneath the bridge. Ferns, shrubs, and trees -covered the cliffs to the summit and the effect of sun and shadow upon -these and the waterfall was indescribably beautiful. Turning toward the -bridge, a different but none the less enchanting scene met our view. -Framed in the wide arch of the graceful structure was a delightful -panorama of river and mountain to which the viewpoint lent a peculiar -charm. - -“Shepperd’s Dell is named after the donor of this site,” said our -guide, “Mr. George Shepperd, a poor teamster of Portland, who gave -it in memory of his wife. His disinterested generosity when he had -a chance to demand payment from the county for the right of way -illustrates the spirit of willing help toward this great enterprise -that prevailed among our people, from the millionaire to the -day-laborer.” - -With reluctance we left this delightful spot to proceed on our journey. -A mile farther we came to the magnificent bridge spanning Latourelle -Creek, a triple-arched structure two hundred and forty feet long and -one hundred feet above the stream. We remarked on the unique design of -this bridge and our guide told us that no two on the entire highway -follow exactly the same lines, thus giving a pleasing variation. -Opposite this bridge is Latourelle Falls, another of the beautiful -Columbia cataracts, pouring from a cliff two hundred and twenty-four -feet in height. - -“We are now approaching what is considered the masterpiece of Columbia -Highway engineering,” said the officer. “The great promontory before us -is Crown Point, over seven hundred feet in height. Before Mr. Lancaster -tackled the problem all plans contemplated getting around this cliff -rather than over it. In accordance with his consistent aim to secure -the most spectacular scenery from the new road, Mr. Lancaster declared -he would scale the cliff, though he was assured that this proposition -had all been threshed over many times and found quite impossible. But -the impossible was done; by patient calculation and careful surveying -and the adoption of some rather revolutionary engineering tactics, the -highway was swung over the great rock without infraction of the limit -of grade or curve. You will see what I mean as you ascend the grade.” - -We began the ascent shortly after leaving Latourelle Bridge and without -shifting a gear or accelerating our speed we steadily climbed upward, -swinging around a maze of curves. As we approached the summit our guide -bade us look backward. “See the figure eight,” he cried, and, sure -enough, the outlines of the road below us appeared as a double loop -which from our viewpoint strikingly resembled a gigantic figure eight. - -At the summit the road describes a perfect circle, but to maintain the -radius of one hundred feet it was necessary to support a part of the -road-bed on concrete piers built from the lower shelves of the rock. In -the center of the circle “Vista House” is to be erected as a memorial -to the pioneers of Oregon and dedicated to the use and convenience of -travelers on the highway. - -But, after all, the wonder of Crown Point is the view from its summit, -which is conceded to be the most beautiful and impressive along the -whole course of the highway. Our vision had unobstructed range for -thirty-five miles in either direction. Mile-wide, the green waters -of the Columbia lay beneath us, stretching away on each hand like a -vast silver ribbon until it vanished in the blue haze of the distance. -On either side rose the mighty hills and rugged castellated cliffs, -dark with the verdure of the pines and splashed here and there with -the crimson and gold of woodbine and maple. Out beyond the cliffs -and hills ran the titan ranks of the Cascades, guarded by shining, -snow-clad sentinels. Looking down the river the scene is not so rugged -and awe-inspiring but none the less pleasing in its pastoral beauty. A -blue haze hangs over the city of Portland, twenty-five miles to the -westward, and shrouds the low hills of Washington on the opposite shore. - -“You are fortunate in the day,” said our guide. “This subdued sunlight -gives much better effects of light and color than a perfectly clear sky -and you are lucky to escape the fogs--not at all uncommon here.” - -We had ourselves remarked earlier in the day on the peculiarly striking -effects of light and color caused by the varicolored clouds which -covered much of the heavens; we had noted from several viewpoints the -vast white cone of Mount Hood against a broad band of silvery sky with -masses of steel blue vapor hovering above its summit. The wonderful -color effect was also remarked upon by an artist who was endeavoring to -depict them on his canvas. Grays, steel blues and luminous whites with -patches of pale azure shading to crystal near the horizon formed the -dominating color notes of the sky--a day not too brilliant and one that -showed the magnificent scene at its best. - -[Illustration: COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE FROM CHANTICLEER INN - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -The wild and rugged scenery of the river reaches its climax at Crown -Point and beyond this, except in the neighborhood of the unhappily -named Rooster Rock, the highway is devoid of spectacular features. Near -Rooster Rock is an attractive rural inn, The Chanticleer, typical of -many inns and resorts along the highway. Another, Forest Hall, is a -duplicate of one of the hospitable old-time Southern mansions and here, -for the modest sum of two dollars, you will be served by aristocratic -colored people with a genuine Southern chicken dinner and it has the -reputation, our friend declared, of being worth the price. Many of -these inns are first-class in every particular and enjoy good patronage -owing to the great popularity of the highway with local people as well -as to the large number of tourists. - -A few miles beyond Crown Point the highway leaves the river and -descends in sweeping curves to the broad, prosperous plain which -adjoins Portland on the north and west and which evidently produces a -good part of the food and milk supply of the city. At the Auto Club -headquarters on Sandy River, some eighteen miles from the Portland -postoffice, the road swings to the north, following Sandy River for -a couple of miles. This route is properly counted as the approach to -the Columbia Highway, but we found it closed for improvement at the -time. We therefore proceeded via the “Base Line” road, which carried -us due west to the heart of the city, where we found the guidance of -our friend, the officer, a decided assistance. He declared that the -hotel we had selected was one of the best in the city, but admitted -that a newer one was probably better. This was the Benson, built -by the millionaire whose name is so prominently connected with the -Columbia Highway and who has had much to do with private and public -enterprise in Portland. Considering our hotel experiences since leaving -San Francisco, we felt that we were entitled to the best and so pulled -up in front of the Benson, a fifteen-story skyscraper of the New York -type. Here our friend bade us adieu with thanks for the “lift” we -had given him; and we assured him that he had more than reciprocated -by the information he had imparted to us. We also came to the mental -conclusion that possibly, after all, a “motor cop” may be a human being! - -We asked for good quarters at the Benson but were a little taken -aback when we were ushered into a spacious chamber with a wealth of -solid mahogany and every modern convenience, including a large tile -and enamel bath. We had not asked the rate and settled down with the -rather disquieting conclusion that we would be bankrupt when we paid -the bill. I may anticipate, however, by saying that the surprise was -the other way, for the charge was very moderate--no more than we had -often paid for inferior quarters at hotels certainly no better. In any -event, it was solid comfort and a most welcome relief to the regime we -had been following. We should have been glad to rest a week under such -conditions, but the near approach of the rainy season caused us to -greatly curtail our sojourn in Portland. - -We remained long enough, however, to see a good deal of the fine city -and its surroundings. It is a wonderful city, with its three hundred -thousand people and magnificent business and public buildings and it -is hard, indeed, to realize that only a trifle over seventy years ago -two rival sea captains tossed a coin to decide whether the village they -were about to found should be called Boston or Portland, in honor of -their respective home ports. The Portland skipper won and the Maine -town’s name superseded the musical Indian designation of the spot, -“Multnomah” (down the great water). Whether the captains realized -anything of the possible future of the town they thus flippantly named, -is doubtful, but it is easy enough now to see that a city so situated -was bound to grow in almost magical fashion. Though a hundred miles -from the sea, it is still a seaport, for the tide-water river is a full -mile wide here and deep enough for the largest ocean-going vessels. The -river drains a territory of two hundred and fifty thousand square miles -and is now navigable by good-sized boats for over four hundred miles -in the interior. All the transcontinental railroads except the Santa -Fe converge at Portland, giving it the best rail service of any city -on the coast. The principal shipments are of lumber and wheat; in the -former Portland stands unrivalled in the whole world and in the latter -under normal conditions rivals--sometimes even surpasses--New York. - -The older sections and business portion of the city lie on the level -plain at the junction of the Columbia and Willamette, extending on both -sides of the latter river. Overlooking this on the north and west are a -series of heights, ranging up to twelve hundred feet, which are mainly -occupied by the newer residence districts and by several public parks. -From Portland Heights, one of the finest of these parks, we had a most -inspiring view of the city and much of its environs at sunset on the -day of our arrival. The viewpoint was reached by comparatively easy -gradients, the road winding through the beautiful park, famous for its -varieties of trees. Just below us lay the city, so near at hand that -streets and buildings were plainly recognizable, and just beyond the -great river and endless hills and mountains. - -[Illustration: COLUMBIA HIGHWAY NEAR EAGLE CREEK - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -Climbing a little higher we came to Council Crest, twelve hundred -feet above the river, famed as Portland’s “show hilltop.” Here one -has much the same view of the city and river as from the Heights and -it was perhaps the best point to catch the full majesty of Portland’s -“Mountain of Destiny,” silver-crested Hood, standing stern and -beautiful against the rosy background of a matchless sunset. It is -fifty miles away as the crow flies, but it seems much nearer, so near -that in the momentary enthusiasm that fills the beholder, he feels he -might reach it on foot in an hour or two. Violet-tinted shadows half -hide the lowlands between and serve to obscure everything that might -distract attention from the solitary mountain which George Palmer -Putnam, an enthusiastic Portlander declares in his charming book, “The -Oregon Country,” “somehow breathes the very spirit of the state it -stands for; its charm is the essence of the beauty of its surroundings, -its stateliness the keynote of the sturdy west. It is a white, chaste -monument, radiantly setting for its peoples round about a mark of high -attainment.” - -On Council Crest, Willamette Heights, King’s Heights, and other -elevations, are many of the fine homes of the city, though it hardly -seemed to us as if in this regard Portland is the equal of other -western cities of her class. In the older residence sections our -guide pointed out many matchlessly ugly wooden houses which he said -were residences of the early millionaires, many of whom are now dead. -He also pointed out in Irvington Addition the homes of many whom he -declared were the wealthiest business men of the city, but these -places appeared quite modest. In response to our remarks to this -effect, our pilot seemed somewhat annoyed and declared that Portland -“multis” believed rather in spending their money in business blocks -than in residences. Perhaps he is right, for Portland certainly has -many astonishingly fine business structures that would do credit to any -city in the world. We were especially delighted with a newly completed -bank building done in white marble along purely classic lines, quite -as fine as anything of the kind we ever saw. Other skyscrapers, the -theatres, several hotels, and many public buildings, were architectural -masterpieces built with evident disregard for cost. Nearly all of -these, we were told, had been erected in the last seven or eight years, -and there is no slackening in the march of solid improvement. - -Multnomah County has voted a bond issue to improve its main highways, -aside from the Columbia River Road, and this work was in progress -in many places about the city. There are not many drives aside from -the Columbia Highway of great interest to the tourist whose time is -limited. We followed well-paved streets to the ferry leading to old -Vancouver in Washington, just across the Columbia. We saw workmen -giving the finishing touches to the great steel wagon-bridge which now -spans the Columbia at this point, forming a most important link in the -Pacific Highway. The last spans, which were assembled on the shore, -were floated to position on the piers the next day and the stupendous -feat of engineering was nearly complete. - -There is nothing of particular interest in Vancouver, which was founded -nearly a hundred years ago by fur traders of the Hudson Bay Company. It -is at present practically a Portland suburb, though the fact that it is -in another state will preclude annexation by the larger city. The new -bridge will greatly facilitate inter-communication and will probably -have an immediate effect in increasing the population and prosperity of -Vancouver. - -We are accustomed to think of the Columbia Highway as comprising the -spectacular stretch of road between Portland and Hood River, but as I -have elsewhere intimated, the larger plan of Oregonians contemplates -an improved road running along the river from Astoria on the coast to -Pendleton, three hundred and thirty miles eastward. The portion from -Portland to Astoria has been graded, but at the time of our visit was -in poor condition and we considered it hardly advisable to attempt -it in face of threatening rains. This road, while commanding much -wonderful scenery of river and mountain, does not approach the wild -and enchanting beauty of The Dalles road and no attempts will be made -to beautify the road bed as has been done to the east of Portland. It -will, however, when paved be an easy and delightful run to Astoria, -Oregon’s oldest settlement. Near the site of this town, Lewis and Clark -camped in 1806 while exploring the Columbia River, and five years -later the present town was founded by John Jacob Astor, during the -famous expedition of which Washington Irving became historian. In 1812 -Astoria was captured by the British, who held it until 1818--a critical -period in Oregon history, when the chances of the Stars and Stripes and -the Union Jack appeared about equal. Astoria’s chief industry to-day -is salmon fishing and canning, which occupies a season of about one -hundred days during the summer and early fall. - -From Astoria a circular tour may be pursued along the ocean shore by -the way of Gearhart, Tillamook, and Dolph, back to Portland or to -Salem if the Pacific Highway is the route to be pursued to the south. -This, they told us, is a very rough, trying trip at present, but the -proposed highway improvement along much of the route will rapidly alter -conditions. The run of fifty miles to Government Camp on the western -side of Mount Hood is not difficult and plans are being perfected to -carry the road around the southwestern slope of the mountain to Hood -River, making the return trip by the Columbia Highway, a total distance -of about one hundred and fifty miles. - -[Illustration: PORTLAND AND MT. HOOD - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -We left Portland with no little reluctance. We were conscious that we -had not seen the City of Roses at its best, coming as we did at the end -of summer, when roses, even in Portland, are not very common--though -we saw them and were told that they bloom every month in the year. We -are already planning a return visit which we hope to make at a more -favorable time and under more favorable conditions. - - - - -VII - -THE VALE OF THE WILLAMETTE - - -The old Oregon Territory, comprising the present states of Oregon and -Washington, has the unique distinction of being the only part of the -United States that was actually acquired by exploration and settlement, -and this was not accomplished without lively competition from the -British. The New England States were wrested from the unwilling -hands of Great Britain and we paid the first Napoleon his price for -Louisiana. Spain sold us Florida very reasonably when she saw we were -going to take it in spite of her. California, Texas, New Mexico, and -Arizona were taken at the mouth of the cannon from Old Mexico--pity we -didn’t complete the annexation of the rest of that troublesome country -at the same time. We paid Russia seven millions for Alaska and thought -it a gold brick for a time--Seward’s Folly, they called it--and a -little pressure was exercised on Spain to relinquish the Philippines -and Porto Rico into our keeping. Oregon alone became ours by right of -“discovery,” and this no doubt seemed a curious kind of right in the -eyes of the red men who possessed this goodly land. - -[Illustration: ALONG THE COLUMBIA HIGHWAY - -From photo by The Weister Co., Portland, Oregon] - -We need nothing more to tell us where the Oregon pioneers hailed from -than the nomenclature of towns and rivers of the eastern part of the -state. The Columbia itself was once--and more fitly--the Oregon, which -rolled through “the continuous woods and heard no sound save its own -dashings” until a Boston sea captain decided to honor the mighty stream -with the name of his ship. The New Englander crops out still more -significantly in Portland, Salem, Albany, the Willamette, and other -names familiar in this region which the “down east” Yankee bestowed in -loving memory of the towns and rivers of his native land. - -We left Portland by the Pacific Highway, which runs through the heart -of this western New England for one hundred and sixty miles, following -the valley of the Willamette River. This valley is from twenty to sixty -miles wide and is beyond question the garden spot of Oregon, if not of -the entire Pacific Coast. The late J. J. Hill, the “Empire Builder,” -in one of his last public appearances, at a banquet in Portland, -declared, “I consider the Willamette Valley the most favored spot on -earth for its size.” Gov. James Withycombe, who for many years was -connected with the Oregon State Agricultural College, is responsible -for the statement that “The Willamette Valley has a greater variety -of agricultural products than any other section of the whole United -States.” Possibly both of these authorities may have been somewhat -prejudiced--Hill’s railroads and steamships were directly interested -in the products of the valley, and a governor is not likely to minify -the merits of any part of his state. Still, they are authorities on -the matter and the people of the Willamette Valley, at least, are no -doubt quite willing to let these pronunciamentos stand unchallenged. -Nor are we inclined to dispute such authorities from any knowledge that -we ourselves may have for, though we traversed the valley at the most -unfavorable period of the year, we were none the less impressed with -the evidences of its wonderful beauty, fertility, and great variety -of products. The climate, we were told, is very temperate; in winter -the freezing point is seldom touched and while summer days are usually -pretty hot, the relief of cool nights never fails. As to its fertility -and the capability of the valley to sustain a far larger population, -an enthusiastic local authority is responsible for the following -comparison: - -“Populous Belgium, which before the German invasion contained about -seven million inhabitants, has an area of only 11,373 square miles, -or less than the aggregate area of the eight counties occupying the -valley of the Willamette, which have a total of 12,526 square miles. -The present population of these counties is about two hundred thousand. -There is no reason why they should not contain as large a number of -people as Belgium, for the climate of both sections is similar and -the soil of the valley, though of different composition, is fully as -productive as that of Belgium.” - -A roseate forecast, to be sure, but one to which a careful observer -might reasonably take exception; for while the whole of Belgium is a -level and very fertile plain, more than half the area of the eight -counties of the Willamette is occupied by rugged mountains which can -never be cultivated except in very limited sections. We can agree, -however, more unreservedly with another enthusiast who speaks in terms -of scenic beauty and pastoral prosperity rather than square miles and -population: - -“A broad valley, rich, prosperous, and beautiful to look upon is the -Willamette, and a valley of many moods. Neither in scenic charms nor -agricultural resourcefulness is its heritage restricted to a single -field. There are timberland and trout stream, hill and dale, valley -and mountain; rural beauty of calm Suffolk is neighbor to the ragged -picturesqueness of Scotland; there are skylines comparable with -Norway’s, and lowlands peaceful as Sweden’s pastoral vistas; the giant -timber, or their relic stumps, at some pasture edge, spell wilderness, -while a happy, alder-lined brook flowing through a boulder-dotted field -is reminiscent of the uplands of Connecticut. Altogether, it is a -rarely variegated viewland, is this vale of the Willamette. - -“You have seen valleys which were vast wheatfields, or where orchards -were everywhere; in California and abroad you have viewed valleys -dedicated to vineyards, and from mountain vantage points you have -feasted your eyes upon the greenery of timberland expanses; all the -world over you can spy out valleys dotted with an unvaried checkerboard -of gardens, or green with pasture lands. But where have you seen a -valley where all of this is mingled, where nature refuses to be a -specialist and man appears a Jack-of-all-outdoor trades? If by chance -you have journeyed from Medford to Portland, with some excursioning -from the beaten paths through Oregon’s valley of content, you have -viewed such a one. - -[Illustration: PRUNE ORCHARDS NEAR DUNDEE, OREGON, WILLAMETTE VALLEY - -From photo by The Winter Co., Portland, Oregon] - -“For nature has staged a lavish repertoire along the Willamette. There -are fields of grain and fields of potatoes; hop yards and vineyards -stand side by side; emerald pastures border brown cornfields; forests -of primeval timber shadow market garden patches; natty orchards -of apples, peaches, and plums are neighbors to waving expanses of -beet tops. In short, as you whirl through the valley, conjure up some -antithesis of vegetation and you must wait but a scanty mile or two -before viewing it from the observation car. - -“As first I journeyed through this pleasant land of the Willamette, a -little book, written just half a century ago, fell into my hands, and -these words concerning the valley, read then, offered a description -whose peer I have not yet encountered: - -“‘The sweet Arcadian valley of the Willamette, charming with meadow, -park and grove! In no older world where men have, in all their happiest -moods, recreated themselves for generations in taming earth to orderly -beauty, have they achieved a fairer garden than Nature’s simple labor -of love has made there, giving to rough pioneers the blessings and the -possible education of refined and finished landscape, in the presence -of landscape strong, savage, and majestic.’” - -Such is George Palmer Putnam’s estimate of the “Valley of Content,” as -he styles it in poetic phrase, and we can testify that his description -is true as well as poetic. - -But it may be that our enthusiasm for the Willamette Valley is unduly -delaying the story of the actual progress of our journeyings which I -take it has the “right of way” in this volume. - -Out of Portland we encountered considerable highway construction work, -which reminded us that Multnomah County is improving other arteries of -travel besides the Columbia Highway. Such improvement was certainly -needed, for the dozen miles between Portland and Oregon City was badly -broken macadam, enforcing a speed limit that put fear of “cops” quite -out of the question. The road is fairly level, however, following the -river quite closely and crossing it just before it comes into Oregon -City. Here we struck the first of many of the ancient covered wooden -bridges in this section, doubtless another New England inheritance for -which the early inhabitants were responsible. Each of these rickety old -structures bore a warning against crossing “faster than a walk,” with -threat of a liberal fine for violations, though the infernal clatter -of loose boards that seemed to threaten collapse ought to be a most -effective deterrent against speeding. - -The road leaves Oregon City by a sharp, winding ascent which brought us -to a fine, rolling upland with a dim mountain range to our left. The -surface, however, was much better, permitting us to do the legal limit -of Oregon--twenty-five miles per hour--with entire comfort. The gently -rounded hills on either hand were occupied by thrifty-looking ranches, -and fruit-laden prune and apple orchards were the most prevalent crop. -The former were being gathered and we met many wagons and trucks loaded -with the purple fruit, which was being taken to the drying houses. -These were odd-looking frame structures with tall, square, latticed -towers projecting above the roofs and the odor of the drying fruit was -noticeable in this vicinity. - -Salem, the state capital, fifty miles from Portland, is the first town -of consequence. It is situated directly on the Willamette, which is -navigable to this point by good-sized steamboats and two lines ply -regularly between Salem and Portland. The population is only sixteen -thousand, but still enough to give it second rank among Oregon cities. -The general appearance of the town, its shops and stores, which we -especially observed while making a few purchases, would give the -impression of a much larger place. Salem, like The Dalles, was founded -by Methodist missionaries as early as 1840. This was only seventeen -years later than the founding of the last Spanish mission in California -and we could not help thinking how this beautiful Arcadian valley would -have appealed to the Franciscan padres. There were plenty of natives to -engage the activities of the missionaries and they are more numerous -here to-day than in the vicinity of the old California missions. An -industrial training school for Indians is located near the city. The -town was incorporated in 1853 and made the state capital in 1860. Its -career has been as peaceful and quiet as its name would signify. Indian -fighting and mining lawlessness never disturbed its serenity as in the -case of so many California towns. To-day it still gives the impression -of quiet prosperity and peacefulness with its twenty-five churches and -two denominational schools--the Methodist Willamette University, with -about five hundred students, and the Catholic Sisters’ Academy, with -one hundred and fifty girls in attendance. The state capitol and other -public buildings are not very impressive and apparently not so costly -as state capitols and public buildings average the country over. There -are fifty miles of wide, level, well-paved, tree-bordered streets which -in our mind go farther than almost anything else as an index of civic -pride and progressiveness. - -Beyond Salem the valley widens and becomes monotonously level. On -either hand is a dim blue mountain range, above which, eastward, -glimmers an occasional snowy peak. The principal crop in this section -is wheat, large quantities of which were being hauled to the market. -The heavily laden wagons worked havoc with the old stone road, which -was very rough in places. We found considerable stretches of loosely -scattered crushed rock awaiting the steam roller; this made desperately -hard going and wrought havoc with tires. Sometimes we could avoid it by -running to one side of the road, but chuck-holes and dust many inches -deep made this alternative an unpleasant one. The country was a dead -brown hue everywhere except for the enlivening green of occasional -fields of alfalfa or well-watered lawns about some of the handsome -farmhouses. The soil showed every evidence of fertility and we were -assured that crop failures are quite unknown in this favored valley. - -Albany, twenty-seven miles from Salem, is a good-looking, -well-built town of five thousand people. There is an astonishingly -large seven-story hotel which seemed to indicate a busy place. -Notwithstanding the opportunities to dine at several apparently -excellent hotels along this route, we did not regret that we had picked -up a lunch at a Portland delicatessen store. It was more enjoyable than -any hotel meal when eaten in the open under a group of towering trees -by the roadside--and, incidentally it cost less. The Willamette at -Albany affords excellent water power, and this has attracted several -manufacturing establishments to the town. - -Leaving Albany, the road swings several miles eastward from the river, -returning to it at Harrisburg, thirty miles farther south. Here we -found a ferryboat propelled by a gasoline launch alongside serving in -lieu of a bridge. The service is kept up free of charge by the county -and the ferryman told us that the average is two hundred and fifty -trips per day. As the river is not very wide here and there appeared -to be no great obstacle in the way of bridging it, the ferry seemed a -penny-wise makeshift--and this on the much-vaunted Pacific Highway. -Certainly one need have no difficulty in keeping on this same Pacific -Highway for a more be-signed road we never traveled. At some of the -crossings there would be a half dozen different signboards put up by -enterprising local business men, auto dealers, and the omnipresent -Goodrich Tire Company. And I might incidentally remark that I can -conceive of no better advertising to the motorist than these same road -signs; I have blessed the Goodrich people more than once when we paused -in doubt at the parting of the ways, only to be set aright by their -friendly signboards. We came to the conclusion, as the result of much -observation, that the best material for the sign is a well-painted -pine board about an inch thick. This is little affected by weather, -can be easily repainted, and affords little temptation to the wretched -outlaw who insists on using the signboard as a rifle target. A rifle -bullet will often knock a hole as big as one’s hand in the enamel of a -metal sign, while its ravages can hardly be seen on a wooden sign, and -a putty plug effects an instant repair when painting. In any event, -while few metal signs escaped the vandal’s bullets, we hardly ever saw -a wooden board “shot up.” Of course, it is easy enough to say that the -vandals who damage road signs should be punished severely enough to -break up the practice, but this is a long route to travel in a country -where contempt for law is so general. In all of our European travels, -some twenty-five thousand miles, we never saw a wilfully damaged -signboard. - -Twenty miles beyond Harrisburg we found ourselves in the streets -of Eugene, a town nearly the size of Salem and quite its equal in -metropolitan appearance. It is a live-looking, well-improved town, -and, I was going to say, gives the impression of a much larger city, -but I fear I am overworking this expression in connection with these -western towns. It is none the less true, however; the streets, the -stores, the buildings, public and private, would do credit to a city -twice as large as Eugene. Here is the state university of Oregon, with -nearly a thousand students who no doubt contribute much to the evident -activity of the town. The university buildings, beautifully situated -on a grassy slope along the Willamette, are mainly of classic design. -Like the public buildings at Salem, they impressed us as being rather -inferior to what one would expect of a state-supported institution. -Eugene is very pleasantly located at the edge of the foothills along -the wide, level valley and within full view of the rugged coast range -of the Cascades. The streets are wide and well-improved, many of them -shaded by Oregon maples, gorgeous with autumn colorings when we saw -them. - -A shopkeeper directed us to the Osborn Hotel as the best in the town -and it proved very satisfactory, indeed. It is a large red-brick -structure fronting a public park and located conveniently to the -business center of the town. We were given a comfortable room at a -moderate rate, but the restaurant prices were quite up to metropolitan -standard, though this was mitigated somewhat by the first-class -service. The city water was exceedingly unpleasant, having been “doped” -with chemicals to counteract impurities. We were assured, however, that -it was quite harmless and suffered no ill after-effects from drinking -it. - -[Illustration: THE WILLAMETTE NEAR EUGENE, OREGON - -From photo by Winter Photo Co., Portland, Oregon] - -Our run for the day had been a comparatively short one--one hundred -and forty miles over roads better than average. We arrived in -Eugene early in the afternoon and remarked that we might easily reach -Roseburg, eighty miles distant, before dark. We went, of course, on the -assumption that the Pacific Highway south of Eugene was quite as good -as to the north of the city--an assumption which we found to be sadly -at variance with facts. A garage man warned us not to expect a “joy -ride” to Grants Pass, for though the actual distance is only a little -greater than we covered on the preceding day, the run was much harder. -All of which we heard with light-hearted unconcern, for it never -entered our heads that on the much-heralded Pacific Highway we should -find some of the roughest and most dangerous road since leaving San -Francisco. - -Out of Eugene we encountered hills, but the going was fair to Cottage -Grove, a quiet village which marks the southern extremity of the Vale -of the Willamette. We soon entered Pais Creek Canyon and the road -degenerated into a rough, winding trail, muddy from a heavy rain which -had preceded us only a day or two. The road was often strewn with -boulders and cut up into ruts that gave the car an unmerciful wrenching -as we crawled cautiously along. In places an effort had been made to -get rid of the stones and mud by covering considerable stretches of -road with planks, but these were loosely laid and did not mend matters -a great deal. The road was often dangerously narrow and there were many -sharp turns around blind corners. There was just mud enough to make us -uneasy on the grades and to demonstrate the utter impossibility of the -road for a heavy car in wet weather. - -There was little respite from these conditions in the sixty miles from -Cottage Grove to Drain. In places, improvement work was in progress -which will do something to smooth out the highway for the motorist of -the future. The only redeeming feature was the glorious scenery. We ran -along green banks covered with giant ferns whose long fronds swept the -car as we passed and we glided beneath closely standing pines under -which the ground was carpeted with rank mosses. The prevailing green -was varied by the coral-red clusters of honeysuckle berries and the -early autumn reds and yellows of the deciduous trees. - -[Illustration: ON THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY IN OREGON - -From painting by H. H. Bagg] - -A long climb through scattered pine trees and a winding descent brought -us to the lonely little village of Drain, wedged in the bottom of the -canyon. Here a garage man gave us the cheerful information that the -road before us was no better than that over which we had come and -thus, being prepared for the worst, we were agreeably surprised to -find that our friend had exaggerated somewhat. The road was bad, to -be sure, but no match in genuine badness for that north of Drain. We -ran through open oak and fir groves on the Calapooia Mountains, very -closely following the course of the Southern Pacific Railroad and -passing several lonely little stations. We found some road improvement -in progress and a few new stretches with properly engineered grades and -curves, which gave evidence of the determination of Oregon people to -make at least a part of this Pacific Highway worthy of the name. - -As we approached Roseburg we found the country well settled, with -many thrifty-looking apple orchards on the rolling hills. Roseburg -is a good-looking town of five thousand people and we passed two -very inviting hotels. A magnificent high school building was under -construction and all appearances in the town pointed to prosperity and -progressiveness. We took on gasoline at a garage that made the somewhat -sweeping claim, “Largest and best-equipped garage between Portland and -San Francisco,” but we had no opportunity of testing its facilities. - -We would gladly have paused for the night in Roseburg; eighty miles -of such road as we had covered was quite enough for one day, in our -opinion, but we could not forget that the rainy season was due any time -and prudence behooved us to push onward. There were still seventy-six -miles between us and Grants Pass and, as it proved, every one of them -climbs or descends some giant hill range, for the whole run is through -the heart of the Cascade Mountains. There are many steep, winding -grades, miles long, much narrow roadway creeping beneath overhanging -precipices, with precipices dropping away below, too narrow for passing -except at long intervals and often stony and rough in the extreme. -The compensating feature is the wonderfully beautiful and picturesque -scenery that prevails along the entire run. Wooded hills stretched away -to the lavender-tinted horizon or towered far above us as we dropped -into the depths of cool, green canyons alongside madly dashing mountain -streams--emerald green, crystal clear, or white with foam. - -Out of Roseburg we followed the Umpqua River, entering the prosaically -named Cow Creek Canyon at Canyonville--but if the name is prosaic there -is nothing commonplace about the wild and rugged scenery throughout -its entire length. The road frequently descended to the side of the -stream, where there were glorious camping sites galore, some of them -occupied by motor parties. Green sward, pure cold water, fine trees, -and plenty of firewood make this a camper’s paradise and in season the -trout fishing is unsurpassed. There are also plenty of deer and bear -in these rugged hills and many of the campers were evidently on hunting -expeditions, for the season had just begun. Again the road ascended a -stiff grade and rose to splendid vantage points above the vexed river. -We passed several little villages nestling in the canyon and presenting -the same general characteristics. About these were spots of cultivated -land and often prune and apple orchards. - -Beyond Wolf Creek, a few miles from Grants Pass, we entered the Rogue -River Valley, which vies with Hood River in producing the big red apple -for which Oregon has become famous and wonderful stories were told us -of the yield of these orchards. Many other varieties of fruit are grown -here and vineyards flourish. The climate is much the same as that of -the Willamette Valley, and general characteristics are much the same -except that the Rogue River country is more rolling. - -At sunset we came into the wide main streets of Grants Pass--glad -indeed that our strenuous run had reached its goal--and cast about -anxiously for a hotel. A native directed us to the Josephine, but a -bathroom was not to be had there, nor were we particularly prepossessed -with the general appearance of the place. The Oxford, farther down the -main street, proved a quiet and fairly comfortable haven in charge -of a landlady who was kindly attentive. There was no restaurant in -connection with this hotel--one of several instances which we found -where hotels had given up serving meals, which they declared the least -profitable part of the business, despite the high prices which prevail -on menus in the west. - -We found more of the atmosphere of the “boom” towns in Grants Pass than -we noted in any other town since leaving Bend. The citizens seemed to -think that the city was on the verge of a great increase in population -and prosperity. The reasons for the optimism are attractively set forth -in some of the literature circulated by the commercial club, from which -I quote a few paragraphs, with slight modifications: - -“Upon the north bank of the beautiful Rogue River in Southern Oregon -is located the up-to-date, prosperous city of Grants Pass, with a -population exceeding six thousand purely American citizens, enjoying -the charms of picturesque scenery the equal of which is not to be -found elsewhere; the clear, spring-like mountain stream, with its -myriads of trout and salmon, coursing along the southern limits of the -city boundary, affords means of recreation which only few of the vast -American populace are permitted to enjoy. - -“Grants Pass is surrounded by rich agricultural and horticultural -lands; the low forest-clad hillsides are being rapidly cleared and -planted to Tokay grape vineyards and peach, pear, and apple orchards; -upon both banks of the Rogue River, for a distance of twenty miles, are -large commercial apple orchards, some in full bearing, consisting of -the Spitzenberg and Yellow Newton Pippin apples, for which the section -is world-famous, and others newly planted or from one to five years -old; large tracts of luscious watermelons, nutmegs, and cantaloupes -are to be seen interspersed with strawberries, blackberries, and other -varieties of small fruit; here a field of corn, nodding its tassels -ten and twelve feet high; there a field of hops, smiling fortune to -its lucky owner; and again, rolling meadows of alfalfa and bunches of -dairy cattle, sleek and trim; the azure blue sky above reaching to -the horizon, the lines of which are broken by the majestic peaks of -the Coast Range Mountains. Truly has this been called ‘The Italy of -America.’ - -“In the hills close to Grants Pass the sportsman finds grouse, quail, -pheasants, and grey squirrels to his hearts content, whilst along the -river and creeks the angler forgets all care when casting his fly to -the invitation of the rainbow, salmon, and speckled trout, which abound -along the numerous riffles and in the deep pools; farther out in the -timber-clad mountains the huntsman may find deer, bobcat, bear, and -mountain lion. A poor hunter is he who does not have venison for dinner -the first day. - -“The standing timber of Josephine County is conservatively estimated -at nine billion feet of fir, sugar pine, spruce, cedar, and yellow -pine. A score or more sawmills are operated in the immediate vicinity -of Grants Pass; the product of these mills is manufactured into fruit -boxes and building material at the two large factories in the city, -which employ several hundred men. Mining for gold and copper is carried -on extensively in all parts of the county to a distance of forty miles; -the Grants Pass district supplying at the present time over one-half of -the gold and copper output of the state. Marble, lime, platinum, fire -clay, and asbestos are among the many lesser mineral products. - -“The homeseeker looking for an ideal location and an opportunity to -become independent in a really charming city and valley should not fail -to investigate the merits of Grants Pass and vicinity.” - -The completion of a million-dollar sugar factory in the past year -had still farther added to the optimism of Grants Pass people. This, -we were assured, would mean the distribution of perhaps five hundred -thousand dollars annually in the community and reclamation of some six -thousand acres of land with an assured income of at least fifty dollars -per acre. Irrigation is necessary to grow sugar beets in this section -and, fortunately, the water supply is practically unlimited. Naturally, -Grants Pass is exceedingly anxious to have an outlet to the sea, which -is less than one hundred miles distant across the Cascades--and a -bond issue to begin work on a railroad to Crescent City in California -has recently been voted. All of which goes to show that Grants Pass -is honest in its belief of a great future and that no effort will be -omitted by its hustling citizens to realize said future at the earliest -possible moment. - - - - -VIII - -GRANTS PASS TO EUREKA - - -We may admit that it was with considerable misgiving that we left -Grants Pass in the early morning for Crescent City on the sea. We had -been discouraged in the attempt by the best posted road authorities in -San Francisco, who declared that the trip was too difficult to be worth -while, and the pleasant young lady who was all there was in sight when -we called at the Portland Automobile Club was even more emphatic in her -efforts to dissuade us. - -“Don’t try it,” she said. “The road by the way of Crescent City and -Eureka is a rough mountain trail, with grades as high as thirty-eight -per cent and the rains are likely to catch you at any time from now -on,”--all of which, we may remark parenthetically, proved true enough. - -Over against this was the assurance of a veteran motorist whom we met -at Crater Lake Lodge and who had just come from San Francisco over -this route, that there was nothing to give the driver of a Pierce -Forty-eight a moment’s uneasiness; though the road was very heavy and -rough, a staunch, powerful car would have no difficulty. We were also -reassured by the garage owner at Grants Pass, who declared that the -natives thought little of the run to Crescent City and that a motor -stage made the trip nearly every day in the year, though sometimes in -bad weather, he admitted, the nearly obsolete but always reliable horse -had to give them a lift. - -We learned enough, however, to feel sure that considerably heavier -work in mountaineering than we had as yet done awaited us, and this -naturally caused us some uneasiness. At times when such feelings seized -us concerning roads traveled by some one almost daily, we tried to -realize the sensations of the pioneers, who confronted these awful -solitudes without road or chart and at best with only treacherous -savages to guide them over well-nigh impassable trails through mountain -and forest. Such reflections made our misgivings about roads and routes -seem little short of cowardly, and perhaps at times rather coerced our -better judgment. - -We covered forty miles out of Grants Pass with little hint of the road -terrors we expected to encounter before the close of the day. The -road, fair to excellent, ran at first through cultivated fields and -apple-laden orchards; then it entered rounded hills, where the forests, -fragrant with balsam pine, were interspersed with lovely green -valleys dotted with numerous well-improved ranches. There were signs -of considerable activity in lumbering and we passed two large sawmills -along the way. - -At Waldo, a tiny village forty miles from Grants Pass, we recalled that -the famous Oregon caves were only twelve miles eastward and regretted -that our schedule did not permit a day’s delay to visit them. From here -a picturesque trail leads to these so-called Marble Halls of Oregon, -deep in the heart of the rugged mountains. These strange caves were -discovered some fifty years ago by a hunter who pursued a wounded -bear into a cavern in the mountain. The caves have not yet been fully -explored, but there is known to be a series of lofty vaulted chambers -rivaling those of the Mammoth Cave and hundreds of smaller apartments, -with walls, ceilings, and pillars in old ivory and lighter colorings, -all as delicately sculptured as though designed and executed by master -artists. The roar of subterranean rivers is heard, seemingly overhead, -and again beneath one’s feet, echoing from mysterious caverns as yet -unentered even by the adventurous guides. - -Beyond Waldo our real mountaineering began, and an incident occurred -that caused us no small perturbation nor, looking back, can we feel -that our uneasiness was unwarranted. Here a stranger walking along the -road hailed us and as we paused in response to his signal, asked us to -give him a lift to the next town. As he looked fairly reputable and -carried no baggage, our first thought was that he might be a ranchman -of the vicinity, and as there were four unoccupied seats in the big -car, it seemed churlish to refuse, despite whatever distrust we might -have of a stranger in such a lonely wilderness. So we bade him climb in -beside the driver and began the ascent of the stupendous grade leading -over the first great range of the Cascades. For nearly ten miles we -followed the rough, stony road which flung its narrow loops around -canyon and headland, often with a deep valley alongside. The steep -slopes above and below us were clad with mighty pines and through these -we caught occasional glimpses of an ever widening prospect. It was only -when we reached the summit of the range that the full magnificence of -the scene broke upon our astonished vision. A vast panorama of rugged -peaks--“a sea of wood in wild, unmeasured miles,” to quote the poet of -the Sierras--stretched way inimitably in the thin, clear atmosphere -until it was lost in a violet-blue haze. - -Our enjoyment of the wonderful scene was not unmixed, however, for by -this time it had become clear to us that our self-invited passenger -was a lunatic. He had talked much wild and silly chatter about a -wonderful invention of his and a great fortune awaiting him in San -Francisco, and given evidence by other unmistakable signs that he -was more or less demented. It did not seem practicable to attempt to -get rid of him at the time and we began the descent with increasing -uneasiness as he continued to harass the driver with his wild talk. -And if ever a driver needed to keep his head clear it was during this -same descent; the road, a mere shelf in the rock, crawls along the -precipitous mountainside while a vast abyss yawns below with a mad, -boulder-vexed stream at the bottom. It was made far more trying to the -nerves by the absence of trees or shrubbery to screen the precipice--a -bare foot or two lay between our wheels and a sheer drop of say half a -mile. - -Our guest noted our perturbation and, turning to the lady, who had -shrunk into the smallest possible space in the end of the capacious -seat and was studiously refusing to even look at the road, he said, - -“Gets on your nerves, doesn’t it? Looks mighty scaly, for a fact!” - -It was not made the easier by the knowledge that a lunatic sat beside -the driver, harmless, maybe, but we had no way of knowing that he was. -In any event, when he wasn’t looking I slipped the Colt automatic, -which had been our almost forgotten companion since we started, beneath -our car robe, with the resolve that if he should attempt to lay hands -on our driver on these appalling roads, there would be something doing. -Fortunately, except for his incessant chatter, he was quite inoffensive -and we looked forward anxiously to the next station on the road, where -we determined to drop him, willy nilly. - -It was a long, slow crawl to Patrick’s Creek, to which an occasional -signboard directed us, for our cautious driver averaged only seven -or eight miles per hour, and, however anxious we were to get rid of -our passenger, it was quite enough. The scenery was inspiring and -picturesque but the road was more or less nerve-racking every mile of -the way. Passing-places were only occasional, but, fortunately, we met -no one after leaving Waldo. - -Patrick’s Creek Hotel proved a small ranch house close by the road -where meals are served and auto supplies sold to tourists. As usual, -we had our lunch, but were glad to supplement it with one of the -landlady’s home-made pies, which proved excellent indeed. For once we -regretted having brought our lunch, since they told us that it was -their practice to fry one of the numerous young chickens running about -the place, “while you wait.” Here we had the peculiar sensation that -comes from paying fifty cents per gallon for gasoline--our top notch, I -believe, except in Longwy, France, some years before. - -“I get it by parcel post in sealed five-gallon cans,” said the -innkeeper, who is also forest ranger in this district, “which is the -only way the stage people will accept it for shipment.” - -“Do you get much patronage here besides meals?” we asked. - -“In the hunting season we do,” he replied, “It’s a famous hunting -ground. We could go up on yonder mountainside and start a dozen deer in -an hour.” - -“You ought to have plenty of venison at your hotel,” we ventured. - -“Not a bit of it,” he replied in disgust. “The game law forbids serving -it for pay and you are not even allowed to have any portion of a deer’s -carcase on hand longer than ten days; you can’t sell it or ship it out -of the county--there isn’t much sport in killing the poor brutes under -such conditions. Still, hunters come here and kill the limit of three -bucks, but most of the venison goes to waste.” - -When we resumed our journey our passenger, with considerable rambling -talk, expressed his willingness to continue with us to San Francisco -and even intimated that we might get a slice of the great fortune he -had in prospect there; he evidently did not object to the car or the -company and was quite willing to become a permanent member of our -party. We succeeded in making him understand that we were not running -a stage and that we felt we had done our share in the thirty-five-mile -lift we had given him. We offered him a little financial assistance, -if needed, but it was indignantly declined. He would soon have wealth -beyond the dreams of avarice. And so we bade him a glad farewell, with -the mental resolve that we would pick up no more unknown pedestrians. -We were afterwards hailed by one or two knights of the road who, no -doubt, thought us stingy snobs as we sailed past them in sublime -indifference--but we had had our lesson. We saw added reason for such a -course when we read later in a San Francisco paper that an autoist had -been held up and robbed in the mountains by two foot pads whom he had -generously given a ride. - -Leaving the inn, we followed the yellow road which we could see far -ahead, zigzagging up the rough mountainside before us. It led to -another seemingly endless climb over steep, stony grades along the edge -of precipitous slopes. A short distance from the hotel we saw a doe -eyeing us curiously from the chaparral a few yards from the roadside. -She seemed to realize that a lady deer is safe in California, even in -the hunting season, for she showed little signs of fear. Had she been -legitimate game we might probably have killed her with the Colt. - -The climb over a stony road--enough to try every rivet in any -car--continued for several miles. On coming to the summit, we did -not immediately descend, but continued for many miles, with slight -ups and downs, along the crest of the Cascades--or is it the Coast -Sierras?--the ranger said the point is still in dispute as to where one -ceases and the other begins. It was a narrow, precarious trail that we -followed, with only thin shrubbery to screen the forbidding slopes at -its side--but what a magnificent and inspiring vista it opened to our -delighted vision! Beneath us lay a vast, wooded canyon, thousands of -feet in depth, and beyond it stretched an infinite array of pine-clad -summits, seemingly without end, for the day was clear as crystal and -only a thin haze hid the distance. They are building a new highway that -will supersede this mountain trail and future tourists will gladly miss -the thrills of the precarious road, but they will also miss much of the -grandeur and beauty; to see the mountains one must climb the mountains -to their very crests. We shall always be glad that we saw the wild and -inspiring vistas from many of these old-time roads which will pass -into disuse when the improved highway comes. - -Again we angled slowly down into a vast valley and climbed two more -ranges before the cool, fresh ocean air struck our faces. To tell of -the beauty and charm of the scenes that presented themselves to our -eyes would be continual repetition; they were much like those we had -encountered ever since entering the mighty hill ranges. - -We were conscious of a sudden and overpowering change when we came -within a dozen miles of the destination of our day’s run. Here we -entered the Del Norte redwoods and many were the exclamations of wonder -excited by the majesty and loveliness of these virgin forests. Glorious -individual trees, ten to twenty feet in diameter, towering two to three -hundred feet above us, crowded up to the roadside, standing so thickly -that it was impossible to see ahead for any considerable distance. -But most wonderful was the rank--almost tropical--appearance of the -undergrowth. The ground was green with velvet moss, and huge ferns -with fronds several feet in length, intermingled with the metallic -green of the huckleberry bushes. Many other shrubs and plants unknown -to us joined to make up this marvelous tangle of greenery, the like -of which we had never before seen. Occasionally we came upon a fallen -tree cast down by storms of perhaps a century ago, but the dead giant -had become the abode of riotous life, for every foot of his great -trunk was covered with a rank growth of fern and shrub. We even saw -good-sized trees springing out of these long-dead redwoods. We had seen -the redwoods of Tuolumne, Santa Cruz, and Mariposa, larger trees but -utterly lacking the beauty of the riotous greenery of the groves of Del -Norte. - -A clear, green river spanned by a high iron bridge served to enhance -the charm of the scene. We paused to drink of the ice-cold waters of a -little roadside waterfall and to felicitate ourselves that we had not -been dissuaded from the Crescent City road. It is a rough, steep, and -dangerous road, we may admit, but this glorious forest repays one a -thousand times. The accumulation of leaves and pine needles deposited -through the centuries had made the soil beneath the trees a deep, -soft mould, and to make the road passable it had been “corduroyed” -for several miles with redwood slabs, which slowed the car down to a -snail’s pace. This was no hardship, however--surely one who does not -expect to pass over the road again would never wish to hasten through -such delightful scenery. - -[Illustration: THROUGH THE DEL NORTE REDWOODS - -From painting by Martella Lane] - -It was still four miles to Crescent City when we came out of the great -forest and for this distance we ran through rather poorly improved farm -lands. The ocean, which flashed into view as we approached the town, -was indeed a welcome sight after our long exile in the hills. For many -miles as we approached the town the trees at frequent intervals had -borne signs calling attention to the merits of the Bay View Annex, -with the constant reiteration of “hot and cold water” as the chief -attraction. So we sought the Bay View, a rambling, wooden building -looking out on the harbor and were forthwith assigned to rooms in the -“Annex” at the rear. While our quarters were far from elaborate, they -were clean and comfortable, though the much-vaunted hot and cold water -proved principally cold. - -We had leisure to look about the town before supper and while there was -little in the plain, straggling, wooden village to excite our interest, -we learned that Crescent City has big ambitions and high hopes for the -future. - -“We have one of the best harbors on the whole western coast, about -equally distant from San Francisco and Portland,” said a shopkeeper -from whom we made a few purchases. “It is deep enough for ocean-going -vessels, so that little dredging will be necessary, and only needs -protection of a sea wall to offer safe shelter for a whole fleet of -ships. Congress has been interested in the project and only last year a -committee of several of the leading members came here to investigate. -All agreed that the government could well afford to spend five million -dollars to improve the harbor and that the resources of the country -about here warrant an appropriation. If this is done and the railroad -carried through from Grants Pass, Crescent City will become a city, -indeed. There are two hundred billion feet of standing timber within -a radius of two hundred miles from Crescent City, most of which would -be converted into lumber and find an outlet through Crescent City -Harbor. The rich Rogue River Valley, now at the mercy of the Southern -Pacific Railroad, will gladly seek a cheaper outlet for its products -and though it may not be apparent to a stranger, the agricultural -products of Del Norte County are very considerable. Our butter, for -instance, is considered the finest in the country and the Palace Hotel -at San Francisco will not serve any other. Its excellence is due to the -splendid grazing lands watered by an annual rainfall of sixty-eight -inches. This also gives you the secret of the wonderful greenness of -the great redwood forest which you so admired when coming to our city. -Salmon and other fishing and packing are already very extensive and can -be increased indefinitely. There are immense deposits of copper and -iron ore between here and Grants Pass--particularly in the neighborhood -of Waldo. Marble and other building stone are to be found within easy -shipping distance. We have the finest summer climate on the Pacific -Coast and splendid beaches, so that Crescent City is bound to become -more and more of a summer resort--in fact, a great many people come -here now in the summer time. Do you think our hopes for Crescent City’s -future are ill-founded? Isn’t it reasonable to believe that when this -harbor is improved and a railroad completed to both Grants Pass and -Eureka that we may fairly expect a city of fifty thousand people or -more?” - -We did not take issue with our enthusiastic informant, though, indeed, -it was hard to imagine a teeming city on the site of the lonely little -village; but perhaps the same thing might have been said of Portland or -Seattle fifty years ago. A start has really been made toward improving -the harbor, for an initial appropriation of three hundred and ninety -thousand dollars has been made by the War Department, to which Del -Norte County has added the proceeds of a one-hundred-thousand-dollar -bond issue. The chief industry of the town at present is lumbering, one -company employing five hundred men, but the output is limited by the -indifferent shipping facilities. - -Crescent City has another ambition which is well worthy of -realization--to have a large section of the magnificent forests near -the town set aside as a national park. It would, indeed, be a calamity -to our whole people to have all of this great grove wiped out by ax -and fire, as has occurred near Eureka. The redwood groves already -reserved do not and can not match the Del Norte forests in beauty and -suitability as a natural playground. Here one can camp under the giants -trees and live near to nature indeed, nor will he be troubled by such -pests as flies, mosquitoes, scorpions, rattlesnakes, and the like, for -they are almost unknown in this section. From our own observation we -can heartily second the declaration of a local writer to the effect -that-- - -“The importance of this proposed Redwood Park to Humboldt and Del -Norte Counties, the State of California, and to the whole of North -America, even to the whole world, can scarcely be estimated. Within -comparatively a few generations the giant redwood forests of California -will be a thing of the past; the woodsman’s ax and the ravenous -sawmills will have swept them away, even as the great pine and hardwood -forests of Michigan and Wisconsin have been wiped out of existence. - -“A billion or more feet of these giant forests preserved and protected -for all time from destruction will form a priceless heritage for future -generations--one of the greatest attractions California will then have, -for it will bring pilgrims from all over the world. It will not be -many generations before all the virgin forests on the North American -Continent, save those protected in national and other forest reserves -will be wiped out of existence.” - -It would be hard to express the chagrin which we felt on looking -from the window of the Bay View Annex on the morning following our -arrival to find a heavy fog, almost bordering on a drizzle, enveloping -everything and even shrouding the near-by ocean from view. We were told -that such fogs often lasted a week or more, so it did not seem worth -while to wait another day at the Bay View in hope of clear weather. We -set out with the forlorn hope that the fog might clear away as the sun -rose higher. - -For the first four or five miles out of the town we skimmed along over -the most perfect boulevard of our tour--a wide, perfectly level, hard, -smooth, dust-free surface, yet a road which cost nothing per mile and -never had an hour’s work expended upon it by any man. It was the hard, -firm, ocean beach which we traversed, so close to the sullen gray water -that it lapped our wheels as we glided onward. And lo, we beheld, -skipping joyously along on this same beach our unwelcome passenger of -the previous day. He had evidently begged or bought transportation from -Patrick’s Creek to Crescent City and was now away on a hundred-mile -hike to Eureka, unless he could work his nerve on some passing car -as he did on us. Nothing daunted by his rebuff at our parting, he -cheerfully signified his desire to continue with us for the day, but we -bade him hail and farewell without slackening the car’s sharp pace. - -Our fine beach road ended all too soon in a wild plunge through the -soft deep sand to the mainland, where we almost immediately began the -ascent of a stiff, long grade, winding with many sharp turns through -the closely standing pines. About midway a large car was parked with -a broken axle, leaving barely room to squeeze past. Time and again as -we ascended the mighty slope we came out upon bold headlands which on -clear days afford endless views of the ocean a thousand feet or more -below. We could hear the angry swish of the sea among the broken rocks -at the base of the cliff, but the gray mist hid it from our eager -eyes. It was, indeed, a disappointment, but we found some compensation -as we climbed still higher on the fern-banked road. Near the summit -we again entered the mighty redwoods which towered hundreds of feet -above us. We were rising above the fog and the weirdly glorious effect -of the sun’s rays as they shot through the thin vapor among the hoary -trees was as fascinating as it is indescribable. The forest monarchs -seemed literally ablaze with pale fire. The dull gray fog merged into -a silvery vapor which floated among the titanic trunks and branches -and long shafts of light radiated from their tops like a mighty halo. -As we continued to ascend the air gradually cleared and a sky of the -intensest blue shone above the trees--but it was only due to the -altitude, for, coming out on a headland, we beheld the envious fog -still shrouding the ocean far below. The sullen booming of the surf and -the screams of sea birds came weirdly mingled from the unseen deeps, -giving a strange sensation of mystery. - -Back into the mighty forest we turned and for many miles followed the -winding road, closely bordered by the giant trees. The corduroy on -this road was in much better repair, some of it being new and made of -closely laid square slabs. Here, again the riotous greenery beneath the -trees delighted and amazed us. Fern fronds six feet long were common -and moss, shrubbery, and vines flourished in wild profusion everywhere. -We emerged on an open headland covered with bronzed fern and scattered -shrubs, and strained our eyes for a glimpse of the silver sea through -the lightening mass of vapor and we were rewarded with a faint shimmer -here and there. Then came more miles of redwoods crowding the road so -closely that we found difficulty in passing another car which met us -here. The forest was strangely silent; we saw nothing of bird or animal -life and only the boom of the ocean when we happened to come near the -coast broke upon the uncanny stillness. - -Again we came abruptly into the open and a long, sinuous descent -brought us to Requa, a forlorn-looking little hamlet on the broad inlet -of the Klamath River. They told us that half the people of the village -were Indians and those whom we saw wore white man’s clothes and had -the appearance of modest prosperity. Salmon fishing and two canneries -employ the population during the fishing season. The wide, still river -is crossed by ferry, a rude barge propelled by a gasoline launch, -lashed alongside and capable of carrying three or four cars. - -During our crossing our interest was centered on the ferryman’s -daughter, a little miss of seven or eight summers, who swung on the -chain at the bow of the boat. Utterly unconscious of her picturesque -beauty or that she was being observed, she made one of the most -delightful studies we had seen in many a day and made us long for the -skill to execute a rapid sketch. Her dark olive, oval face was regular -and pleasing in features and her cheeks were tinged with red roses from -the fresh sea air. Her heavy black hair was woven in a long braid and -coiled about her head. She wore a plain slip of a dress and her deft -little fingers were working on a head-dress of red and green cambric, -which at times she fitted over her raven tresses with the air of a -Fifth Avenue belle judging the merits of the latest Parisian creation -in millinery. Then she removed it and eyed it critically; evidently it -did not meet her artistic ideals, for she ripped it to pieces and began -rearranging the brightly colored scraps. - -We were so much interested in her beauty and unconscious antics that -we forgot all about the broad, green river we were crossing and -therefore paused when we had scrambled up the opposite bank to gaze -up the valley. We saw a noble stream, gleaming through the thin vapor -that hovered above it and sweeping far up the canyon until it vanished -in the densely wooded hills. The picturesque valley is included in -the proposed Redwood National Park, which the citizens of Northern -California hope to see established before the wholesale slaughter of -these forests is begun. - -We ran for a good many miles through a flat, swampy country dotted with -reedy lagoons, re-entering the redwoods near the Humboldt County line. -We encountered a long, steady ascent with grades up to twenty per cent, -which ultimately brought us to the ocean, which we had left for a time. -The road, with occasional bends to the inland, followed the shore for -the remainder of our day’s run and presented a continual panorama of -delightful scenery. The sun was still tempered by the soft white mists -and the ocean shone like burnished silver in the subdued light. The -shore is exceedingly rugged and in many places out in the ocean were -mighty detached rocks upon which the incoming waves broke into white, -foaming masses. - -The redwoods continued for many miles--mighty, symmetrical trees whose -dimensions were hard to realize, but many were twenty feet in diameter -and upwards of two hundred and fifty feet in height. It was only by -comparison with some small object that their colossal size could be -realized; we had grown so used to the gigantic that it palled upon -our senses. Often they grew in groups, two, three, or more stems from -a single base whose dimensions were simply staggering. We could not -contemplate the majesty and beauty of these forest giants without a -tinge of sadness--we know that the railroad is daily creeping nearer -and that unless prompt measures are taken to protect them the time is -not far away when only burned and blackened stumps will show where they -stood, as we saw nearer Eureka. We parted company with them as one who -leaves a very old and wise friend whom he feels that he may never see -again, breathing meanwhile the prayer: - - “O, forest Titans, may it be - Long, long, ere man with steel and fire - Comes hither on his errand dire - To end your centuried reverie.” - -There were gayer colors on our road than the dull browns and dark -greens of the redwoods, for along the creeks the maples flamed in -autumnal scarlet or glowed with yellow gold in the dark forest aisles. -We passed through occasional open spaces, where we found belated wild -flowers in full bloom--the purple foxglove, daisies, asters, and, more -rarely, wild roses or azaleas smiled on us from the roadside. Not all -the trees were redwoods, for we passed through closely standing groves -where spruce, hemlock, and other varieties predominated. - -The road came close to the shore just before we reached Orick, a small -village whose inn is a famous resort for hunters and fishermen, and -from a considerable eminence we looked down on Freshwater Lagoon, a -fine body of water a mile long, literally alive with wild fowl. It is -famous for its fishing, as are Big Lagoon and Stone Lagoon, a few miles -farther on. Here the sportsman may take cut-throat and steel-head trout -to the law’s limit, often in an hour or two, and all kinds of water -fowl are plentiful in season. In this vicinity also, they told us, is -the best quail shooting on the Pacific Coast--quite enough to distress -a devotee of rod and gun whom circumstances forced to hurry onward. -There are splendid camping sites galore along this road, sites which -appealed even to ourselves, who were never strongly predisposed to camp -life. - -Trinidad, the next hamlet, dates from Spanish days, when it had the -prefix of Puerto--for it is located on a small but deep harbor, where -the early seafarers occasionally took shelter. Remains of the old -landing-place may still be seen, but no ships disturb the quietude of -Trinidad to-day. There is a rustic resort inn here which caters to -summer visitors and sportsmen. - -So far the road has been natural dirt, ranging from fair to good, and -the grades, though often considerable, have not been at all troublesome -to the big car. At Trinidad we caught up with the stage which left -Crescent City some time ahead of us, and were interested to find that -the cars which make this trip nearly every day in the year were of the -same manufacture as our own. - -Beyond Trinidad the road had mostly been surfaced and some of it was -really excellent. The country, however, for some miles was dismal, -indeed. Here was every evidence of a great forest fire of comparatively -recent occurrence. Great blackened trunks were still standing, -interspersed with stumps which showed that the country had been at -least partially lumbered before the fire. The effect was melancholy and -depressing, indeed, and brought to mind passages of Dante’s Inferno. -A few poor little houses, many of them deserted, were scattered at -intervals among the blackened stumps, and there were occasional -cultivated patches of ground. No doubt the soil is excellent, but it -will be many years before the giant stumps can be cleared away and -the great holes left when they are burned or dynamited, filled up. -We noted on our maps that we were to cross Mad River and imagined a -dashing cataract in keeping with the name. We found the most prosaic of -tide-water streams, level and almost stagnant, and the name, we were -told, only referred to a quarrel between some early settlers in the -section. - -As we approached Arcata, fourteen miles by road from Eureka, though -only half that distance directly across the bay, the country took on -a much more prosperous look. The farm houses were neat with carefully -kept lawns, and the well-cultivated fields ran down to the seashore. -Arcata is a clean, bright-looking town, due to free application -of paint to the wooden buildings, for wooden buildings are almost -universal. A new eighty-thousand-dollar hotel was pointed to with due -pride and one might do quite as well to stop here as in Eureka. - -Beyond Arcata fine, level, dairy land prevails, fit for grazing the -greater part of the year, and Humboldt County butter is quite as famous -as that of Del Norte. Much of this land was originally forested with -redwoods, and its splendid state of reclamation at present indicates -that the forlorn, fire-blackened section we passed some miles back may -have a future before it, after all. Huge redwood stumps remained along -the road, each of them bearing a little garden of greenery flourishing -upon the decay. The heavy rainfall of winter and the continual fogs of -summer keep vegetation thrifty and green almost the entire year. - -The road from Arcata skirts the shores of Humboldt Bay, which is -nearly land-locked by a slender spit of sand. It is a good-sized body -of water, some fourteen miles long and deep enough for ocean-going -vessels, but an exceedingly treacherous coast in the vicinity militates -against it as a harbor. A few days before our arrival a large steamer -had gone to pieces on the rocks near by and a few months later a -submarine and the cruiser Milwaukee, which undertook to rescue it, were -both destroyed in this neighborhood. - -Our first impression on coming into the business part of Eureka was -of surprise to see a city of its size and importance almost wholly -constructed of wood. The business blocks were nearly all of redwood, -sometimes painted and carved to resemble stone, and the hotels, -including the Vance, where we stopped, were of the same material. Of -course, this is not so strange when one considers that redwood is by -far the cheapest and most accessible building stuff in this region, but -it is hard to associate permanence and substantial construction with -huge wooden blocks in the business section of the city. - -We reached our hotel about four o’clock, having been just eight hours -in covering the ninety-four miles from Crescent City, including the -half-hour we stopped for lunch--practically the same time occupied by -the stages in making the trip. This may seem pretty slow, but it is all -one should expect on this road if he adheres to sane and conservative -driving. - -The Vance, despite the rather unfavorable impression made by its wooden -exterior, proved well-appointed and comfortable inside. A large, cozily -furnished, steam-heated room proved a pleasant haven after a chilly -ride--for the wind had blown strongly all day from the sea, and when -out of the shelter of the forest, it brought our whole supply of wraps -and robes into use. The Vance was the only commercial hotel which we -found operating on the “American plan” since leaving San Francisco, and -its service throughout was very satisfactory, though its rates could -not be classed as cheap. We should say, however, that a thoroughly -modern hotel of approved construction would find a fine opening in -Eureka. - -We found time before dinner to look about the city, which was gaily -decorated in bunting and evergreens for an Elks’ Convention to begin -the next day. In fact, we had been warned that our lease on our room at -the hotel could continue only for the night and our plan of taking a -full day’s lay-off at Eureka was thus frustrated. As usual in isolated -California towns of any size, the shops and mercantile establishments -generally seemed entirely to outclass the population figures, which in -case of Eureka are not claimed to exceed fifteen thousand. Like our -hotel, the interior of the business buildings was usually much more -attractive than the exterior, and it was apparent that the merchants -of the town were prepared to take care of all reasonable needs of -the inhabitants as well as of transitory visitors. The necessity -of this is easily apparent when we recall that San Francisco, the -nearest city larger than Eureka, is two hundred and eighty-five miles -distant--twelve hours’ ride over the recently completed railway. For -Eureka at last has a railway, after having for many years enjoyed--or -rather endured--the undesirable distinction of being the largest town -in the United States without railroad service. The Northwest Pacific -“Scenic Route” reached the town in 1915 and has the distinction, it is -said, of being by far the costliest railroad of its length in America, -an average of one hundred and thirty thousand dollars per mile having -been expended in its construction. For nearly half its length it -threads its way through the gigantic canyon of the Eel River, following -the stream so closely that it is seldom out of sight. The scenery along -this road, a local authority insists, is hardly to be surpassed in the -whole country. - -“As the train passes over the Eel River Divide, the Pacific, thirty -miles distant, is seen, shimmering in the sunlight across a stretch of -mighty wooded hills. As the descent along the upper Eel River Valley -begins, the views become more and more entrancing. No mountain scenery -in the foothills of the Swiss Alps is more beautiful than that which -greets the traveler’s eyes along the Eel River.” - -Perhaps such a digression on the scenery from a railroad train is out -of place in a motor-travel book, but it may be permitted, possibly, in -view of the fact that a far greater number of people go to Eureka by -train than motor. And those who come by motor, if they pursue the Bell -Springs route, will see the same Eel River scenery from even grander -viewpoints, since in places the wagon road rises thousands of feet -above the railway. - -Greater numbers of motor cars will come to Eureka when the new state -highway is completed, since the two old roads from the south are as -difficult and dangerous as any in California and are considered quite -impassable, even for horse-drawn vehicles, when the rains set in. -Hence, before the completion of the railroad Eureka was quite cut off -from communication with the rest of the world except by the sea and -often violent storms rendered even that route precarious. Under such -conditions it is marvelous that such an energetic, thriving city could -have sprung up. One of the present roads closely follows the coast -through Fort Bragg and Garberville, a poorly-kept and little used -trail, and the other, farther inland, roughly follows the railroad, -crossing the famous Bell Springs grade, which the state highway -commission describes as “long the terror of motorists.” The new highway -avoids this and will afford a year-round access to the city over safe -and easy grades. It will also continue to Crescent City, placing the -Humboldt and Del Norte redwoods within easy reach of motorists, all of -whom should exert their influence to secure the proposed national park -in this section. - -Eureka was founded in 1850 by American settlers. The Spaniards appear -to have overlooked this harbor and so far as known no ship entered -it prior to 1806, when Captain Winship, a fur trader, who learned of -the existence of the bay from the Indians, anchored his ship in its -sheltered waters. The career of the town has been a quiet one, not even -the customary Indian wars disturbing its serenity. There are memories, -however, of two distinguished Americans, for Lieut. Ulysses S. Grant -was at one time stationed at old Fort Humboldt, slight remains of which -may still be seen. It was also in Eureka where the youthful Bret Harte -began his career as a journalist--officiating as compositor, printer’s -devil, and assistant editor of the “Northern California,” then -published in the town. Here he had a rather thrilling experience which -might have cost the world one of its rarest literary geniuses--and -actually cost him his job on the paper. - -During the absence of the editor, he was left in charge of the -paper--like Mark Twain under similar circumstances--and, like Mark, he -at once proceeded to break over conventions. Outrages of the Whites -against the Indians of the surrounding country were then common and -were usually winked at by the editor, who thought more of the support -of the citizens than the rights of the red man. A particularly cowardly -massacre was perpetrated while Harte was in charge of the paper. Just -how cowardly may be judged from a letter of one of the offenders, who -declared, “We have been searching the mountains, destroying villages, -killing all males we could find, and capturing the women and children. -We have killed about thirty altogether and now have twenty-eight -captives in camp.” No one hated injustice and cruelty more than Bret -Harte and in an editorial he scathingly condemned the murderers. This -roused the anger of the community and a mob gathered with the avowed -purpose of wrecking the newspaper plant and hanging the youthful -scribe. Harte showed himself game to the last degree and held the mob -at bay with two cocked pistols during probably the longest evening of -his life. The timely arrival of a few cavalrymen from the fort probably -saved his life, but his love of justice brought him a quick dismissal -on the return of the owner of the paper. Perhaps this experience, after -all, was a God-send to Harte’s budding genius. Had things gone too -smoothly in his first essay at journalism he might have missed the rich -experience that came of his nomadic career among the pioneer mining -camps and settled down into the quiet ways of a backwoods editor. - - - - -IX - -EUREKA TO CLOVERDALE - - -A very dull morning with streets and walks wet from a light, drizzling -rain greeted our dismayed vision as we hastily glanced from the hotel -windows on rising. The hotel people had duly warned us that they hadn’t -a corner left for us for the coming night and we counted it very likely -that every hotel and lodging house in Eureka was just as “full up,” as -the English say. Furthermore, there was no assurance if it once began -to rain that it would let up for a week, for week-long rains are to be -expected in Humboldt County in season. And from all we could learn, a -long-continued rain meant no thoroughfare for heavy cars through the -mountains to the south. - -[Illustration: SAND DUNES ON THE NORTH COAST - -From painting by N. Hagerup] - -We had a little official information concerning the road over which -we must pass, for a bulletin of the California Highway Commission -declared, “Eureka can be reached during the summer months only under -the most strenuous conditions by means of the road from San Francisco -over the summit of the Bell Springs Mountain, elevation 4100 feet -above the sea level. After the first rains the road is impassable -for motors and even horse-drawn vehicles, traffic on the route being -limited to saddle and pack animals. At Dyerville an ascent of 3937 feet -begins up and down grades as high as thirty per cent to the summit, a -distance of forty-six miles. The descent, up and down grades exceeding -twenty per cent, occupies a distance of twelve miles and ends at the -foot of ‘Rattlesnake Grade,’ 2686 feet below. The high altitudes on -the route afford magnificent views of the surrounding country in all -directions, though the average tourist would no doubt gladly forego -the scenic advantages of the Bell Springs Mountain to travel a less -strenuous route. The terror of the Bell Springs Mountain, however, in -the near future will exist only in memory; the pioneer road of Northern -California will be superseded by the Coast Line of the new highway -system.” - -But all this cheerful prospect for the future could not shorten the -Bell Springs road one foot or reduce its frightful grades a single inch -so far as we were concerned. It lay before us with all its terror and -mystery and it was an even gamble whether the heavy clouds would break -away or the drizzle settle down into a steady rain. We tried to realize -what a thirty per cent grade was really like; we had passed twenty and -possibly twenty-five per cent slopes on our trip. “But a thirty per -cent grade,” said the dismayed lady member of the expedition, “that’s -one third of straight up. Will any car do that?” She was assured -that most cars could accomplish this feat if working well and under -favorable conditions, but in a rain--the possible consequences were not -pleasant to contemplate. - -We descended to breakfast in a mood of gloomy indecision. It seemed -imperative for us to leave Eureka in any event. We had instructed our -driver to be ready at eight o’clock and he was on hand with his usual -promptness. - -“Will she do a thirty per cent grade?” I asked jokingly, knowing his -unwavering faith in the Pierce. - -“She’ll do anything she can get traction on,” he said, “but in the -mud--” So his thought was the same as our own, but what was the use -pursuing an unpleasant subject? - -“We’ve four wheel chains, in any event,” I said and the big car glided -forth as calmly as if an unbroken boulevard stretched to the metropolis. - -As I look back at it now, I must admit that we committed an act of -egregious folly in setting out on this trip in face of what looked like -an all-day rain. If it had been an all-day rain we might have been -marooned many days in these mighty hills, if, indeed, we had not met -with deadly disaster of some sort. Even as it was, we had occasion for -real anxiety more than once, as will appear in due course of my story. -We felt that if the outlook grew more threatening we could stop at -Fortuna, another small wooden town twenty miles distant, where fair -accommodations may be had. - -The twenty miles proved over the best of roads through a level, -well-improved country, and when we drove down the main street of the -village we were rejoiced to see that the sky had lightened somewhat -and the rain almost ceased. A garage man still farther reassured us. -“Going to clear off,” he declared in response to our query on weather -probabilities as our gasoline tank was being filled to the limit. “O, -yes, it would be an ugly job if it should rain, but it ain’t going -to rain,” which cheerful assurance we accepted and following his -directions proceeded on a road which, besides its real danger in wet -weather, proved to afford no decent accommodations for over fifty miles. - -Just beyond Fortuna we passed a large, deep pool in the Eel River -which is said to afford unequalled sport for fishermen, King Solomon, -steel-head, and mountain trout being taken in large numbers even by -inexperienced anglers. A number of summer cottages have been built -here and the place shows increasing popularity as a summer resort. - -We found the new state highway usable between Alton, four miles farther -on, and Dyerville, thus enabling us to avoid the hills via Rio Dell and -Pepperwood, which have some heavy grades ranging up to twenty-five per -cent. The new road was pretty rough and soft in places, as no surfacing -had yet been done. A fine new bridge across the Eel was building near -Alton, but it was not yet open and a very tortuous detour through -deep sand was necessary. Beyond the river we continued for many miles -through closely standing redwoods--great columnar trees which would -have excited our wonder and admiration to a greater degree had we not -seen the more imposing forests of the north. - -At Dyerville, a wretched-looking little hamlet of half a dozen -buildings, we bade farewell to the new highway. It had been completed -some distance beyond this point, but a gap of thirty miles remained -to be bridged before it could supersede the Bell Springs road. The -new highway follows the south fork of the Eel River and gradually -rises until it joins the present road at Cummings, elevation 1414 -feet, sixty-nine miles from Dyerville. This will entirely avoid the -Bell Springs Mountain and eliminate a climb and descent of nearly -three thousand feet. Construction was in progress at the time of our -visit and the new bond issue insures the completion of the work, which -may be accomplished before my book sees the light. Tourists of the -future, with rarest exceptions, will speed over the new boulevard and -the Bell Springs road will fall into disuse. We shall always be glad, -however--now that it is safely over--that circumstances forced us to -climb the rugged mountain, since from its slopes and summit we beheld -some of the wildest and most beautiful panoramas to be seen in all -California. - -Heavy work began immediately after we crossed the river at Dyerville. -A long grade zigzagged up the slope of the mountain, closely following -the Eel for several miles and affording many magnificent panoramas of -the river and rugged ranges of wooded hills that guard it on either -hand. Splendid pines crowded closely up to the narrow road and did much -to lessen the nervous effects of the long, sharp slope at our side. -At the turns of the road, however, there were frequent open spaces -which allowed views of ever-increasing grandeur as we ascended; the -river, far below, lay in still, green pools or dashed in foaming rapids -among the lichen-covered boulders. Beyond were endless hill ranges, -cloud-swept here and there, for, though the rain had ceased, the sky -was still threatening. - -A long descent brought us to the railroad; then the road swung away -from the river and followed the crest of the ridge between the Eel and -South Fork for the remainder of the day. Another long, heavy grade -confronted us with two sharp “hairpin” turns which some facetious -wayfarer has dubbed “The Devil’s Elbow,” and we recalled that we had -passed a hill in the Scotch Highlands where a like honor had been paid -to His Satanic Majesty. We thought the latter bad enough at the time, -but it was tame when compared with the twists and grades of this far -western trail. The long wheel base of our car made it necessary to back -up at several of the turns, an operation which excited lively anxiety -on part of our lady passenger. It was disquieting, indeed, to see the -rear wheel of the car approach within a foot or two of the high bank at -the side of the turn with a twenty per cent slope looming ahead, but -the car responded so beautifully to the skill of the driver that she -gradually became reassured. - -The forest gradually dwindled and beyond Fruitland--there was little -except the name on the map to indicate the existence of such a -place--we came into a barren, desolate-looking region with little -vegetation except scrub trees and shrubs, through which the road kept -a general ascent, though there were occasional downward dips. At the -foot of one of these we ran on to a most disconsolate party in a Ford -which had been stalled for some hours for lack of gasoline. Only one -car had passed and the occupants had declined assistance on the ground -that they feared a shortage of the very necessary fluid themselves. - -“Then I hired a horse,” said the driver, “of the man on the hill yonder -and one of our ladies visited the three other houses in this little -valley, but couldn’t scare up a pint of gas at any of them. I’ll pay -you any price you ask for a gallon or two.” - -We freely confessed that price wasn’t the consideration--we feared -a shortage ourselves on some of the hills before us. Our car was -gravity-fed and it might fail on a steep grade with several gallons in -the tank. Still, the obligations of the Golden Rule weighed heavily -upon us in such a case and we granted our friend in distress the two -gallons he so earnestly prayed for. We declined the dollar he tried -to force upon us on the ground that we were not helping him out for -worldly gain--we only hoped we wouldn’t run short ourselves. - -He assured us that it was only ten miles over a level road to Harris, -where he had carelessly neglected to replenish his supply, but I fear -that his predicament warped his judgment of distance. It proved a full -twenty miles with many steep pitches which caused us no little anxiety -and which continually increased, for Harris seemed constantly to recede -as we cautiously proceeded over a road that varied from fair to very -bad. There were many stony stretches where the car scrambled over -good-sized boulders still wet from the mists that at intervals swept -across the mountains. It was a wild and lonely road, with no sign of -human habitation for many miles; only the long views across the rugged -hills redeemed it from dreary monotony. - -At one point four fine does contemplated us curiously and with little -sign of fear, at a distance of perhaps sixty yards; they, too, seemed -to realize that woman’s rights in California are even extended to -deer--there is a heavy fine for killing a doe. We were told that these -hills are alive with deer, but the exceedingly rugged nature of the -country makes hunting very difficult. The road constantly grew more -tortuous and arduous and we made many remarks about the tendency of -Harris to recede as we advanced--we even began to wonder if we might -not have passed it unaware. It was, therefore, with no small relief -that we beheld Harris finally heave in sight, but our reviving spirits -dropped when we saw a sign posted on the hotel, which is all there is -of Harris, “Positively closed for the season,” and could detect no sign -of life about the place. Was our expected gasoline supply to fail here -with the Bell Springs Mountain now directly before us? A reconnoissance -of the place, however, discovered the man in charge, who gleefully -filled our tank with forty-cent gas and our apprehensions vanished into -thin air. - -While we were engaged in this transaction, a Ford car paused and -began to disgorge its contents under a group of trees near by--said -contents consisting of six people and two dogs, and an endless array -of camping and other impedimenta was strapped to the machine at every -available projection, almost concealing it from view. An old-fashioned, -tin-covered trunk was fastened at the rear and several grips were piled -about the engine hood. The wonder of it was that the flimsy-looking car -could stand up under it all, even though two of the passengers were -rather small children and the dogs not very large. The party proceeded -at once to build a fire; a warm dinner and hot coffee were evidently -on the program--which reminded us that we had neglected to provide -ourselves with our usual lunch on leaving Eureka. The man who supplied -gasoline assured us that we would find an excellent hotel still open -at Bell Springs, twelve miles farther on; we ought to reach it in an -hour, he thought. - -“O, yes, some pretty stiff going, to be sure, but nothing to worry that -wagon of yours, I guess,” he said. - -It proved a steep, stony, winding, wicked dozen miles with one thirty -per cent pitch, according to our road maps, all of which drawbacks -were mightily accentuated in our minds when the rain commenced again -shortly after we left Harris. Tire chains were brought into requisition -and after a steady grind of an hour and a quarter, enlivened by no -end of nervous thrills, we paused with steaming radiator in front of -the attractive-looking Bell Springs Inn. It was about two o’clock -and twenty-three miles from Laytonville, where we proposed, rather -dubiously, to stop for the night. - -“Here’s our only chance for luncheon,” I announced--a matter which a -very early and very light breakfast at Eureka no doubt served to keep -in my mind. - -“I don’t want any lunch,” came from the rear seat. “I want to get out -of these terrible hills just as quickly as we possibly can. Whatever -induced you to choose this awful road? You always seem to find the -worst possible.” To all of which no adequate answer came to my mind. - -With a lingering look at the hotel, I gave the word to proceed, not -without considerable misgiving, for it was still raining and the -information which we had of the road was far from reassuring. True, -it was down hill most of the way, but my experience was that it is -easier to climb a muddy grade than to descend one. The descent began -shortly after leaving the hotel and for some miles we proceeded with -extreme caution down narrow switchbacks with sharp turns, some of which -required backing. The scenery was magnificent, rugged slopes covered -with gigantic pines which often came up to the roadside--but I confess -that we did not pay enough attention to the scenery to warrant much -descriptive writing. The road grew muddier with the incessant rain and -as we came to the steep pitches of Rattlesnake Grade, the car showed an -unmistakable tendency to skid, despite the chains on the rear wheels. -Few things are so likely to make one’s heart sink as the feeling that a -heavy car is not entirely under control on a steep grade, barely wider -than the wheels, with a sharp turn on the verge of a precipice every -few rods. We stopped and applied chains to the front wheels as well, -but even then a tendency to slide on the grades was still noticeable -and extreme caution was necessary. And yet the showers had only -“greased” the road; I do not believe any car could negotiate these -grades in a heavy rain. - -Fortune, however, favored us for once, since the rain ceased just as -we were wondering if we might not have to spend a supperless night -on the road--which we certainly should have been compelled to do had -conditions grown much worse. There was a rustic hotel at Cummings, at -the foot of Rattlesnake Grade, but in order to carry out our plans for -the following day, we felt it advisable to push on to Laytonville, -though we realized that night would overtake us before we arrived. -We had consumed nearly three hours in covering the twelve miles from -Bell Springs, but we hoped to make better time over the thirteen miles -still remaining--which we did, as the road was quite dry, though -excruciatingly stony and rough. There was one heavy grade, but in the -main we followed a canyon with a gradual descent. The road was so -narrow that we found great difficulty in passing a belated car which we -met, and so rough that a snail’s pace was enforced much of the way. - -The canyon was heavily wooded; vines and shrubbery, rich with autumn -colorings, grew in rank profusion. Despite the lateness of the season, -there were occasional blooms. We saw dogwood and wild rosebushes -bearing both blossoms and bright red berries. Huckleberries were -common, as were also the pale red clusters of the honeysuckle, and -manzanitas. The air was fragrant with the odor of balsam pine and we -felt that it would be a delightful run had we not been tired, cold, -and hungry. But very tired, cold, and hungry we were and the last few -miles done in the dark before we reached Laytonville were long ones, -indeed. It was a time when a truly comfortable inn would be as welcome -as ever in our wanderings, but we did not hope for such a blessing in -Laytonville, an isolated little village of about a hundred people. - -The hotel proved a large, wooden building, much larger than the size -of the place would lead one to expect, but comforts and conveniences, -besides bed and board, were not to be found in its brown, clapboarded -walls. No private bath was to be had and no heat in the rooms, though -the night was frosty cold. There was a big wood-stove in the public -room which was surrounded three or four deep by a crowd made up, I -should judge, of village loafers, though there were a few commercial -men among them. It was certainly not very inviting for a lady guest -and the moving-picture show with which we usually beguiled away dull -evenings, was non-existent in Laytonville. Evidently the best program -for us was to eat our supper and go to bed. The evening meal, served at -a common table in country style, proved far better than we expected. -In fact, the pastry was so excellent that our lady manager must needs -have the recipe, which the flattered cook was delighted to supply. - -After supper I stumbled along the unlighted street to a little general -store, hoping to find a hot-water bottle to mitigate the rigors of the -climate a little, but the queer old backwoodsman storekeeper declared, - -“I’ve heern of them things, but I never had no call for one.” - -The store was the queerest jumble I ever saw, groceries, clothing, -dry goods, hardware, patent medicines--just a little of each--and -endless odds and ends that looked as if they had been twenty-five years -accumulating, were piled in hopeless confusion--there seemed a chance -of finding anything but what you wanted. - -“Yaas,” the old fellow admitted, “thar’s another store in the town, -just down the street--just down the street.” - -The other store was closed, but the next day we found it a large, -well-stocked mercantile concern which evidently did a big volume of -business. - -Returning to the hotel, I lounged half an hour about the lobby, -listening to the conversation, which I soon found was almost wholly -made up of humorous anecdotes of the old storekeeper whom I had just -visited and who appeared to be a character of considerable local -notoriety--an honest, simple-minded old fellow fitter for almost -anything than managing a business. - -If it was hard to get into the chilly bed at the Laytonville, it -was still harder to get up by twilight in the frosty air of the -room and wash in ice-cold water--for there was no call bell and we -neglected to leave orders for hot water. We rushed through with the -process, however, thinking we would hurry down and thaw out by the big -wood-stove, but we found it stone cold and the room deserted--and it is -safe to say that thousands of cords of wood were rotting within a mile -of the inn. The lady indignantly marched into the kitchen, somewhat to -the consternation of the powers that presided there--but it was not -long until a big fire was roaring in the lobby stove. - -A sign above the counter admonished the wayfarer thirsting for -information to “Ask Dad--he knows,” referring to the portly landlord, -whom we found very jovial and accommodating. He apologized for lack of -fire in the morning with some remark about the unreasonable “stumpage” -charge of the people who owned the forest about the place and he also -deprecated the unwillingness of the owner of the building to do a -number of things that would conduce to the comfort of the guests. - -When we asked “Dad” about the road to Westport and from thence along -the coast, we found he did “know,” all right, for he assured us that it -was far better than the main highway to the south. And so we resolved -to get back to the sea, for the morning had cleared beautifully and -gave promise of a day full of light and color. It is twenty miles to -Westport and the road runs through a fine forest all the way, though -the redwoods, which are quite common, are only saplings five or six -feet in diameter. There is only one grade of consequence--the long -descent to the coast, which affords many glorious views of the ocean -through occasional openings in the trees. - -Westport is a small, bleak-looking lumber town, evidently in a state -of decline; there was nothing to detain us there and we were quickly -away on the road to the south, which keeps in sight of the ocean for -more than one hundred miles, though we were told that it was not then -practicable for motors for more than half that distance. The excellence -of the road for perhaps thirty miles was an agreeable surprise, a -smooth, well graded natural dirt surface very much like a well-dragged -Iowa road at its very best--fine in dry weather, but to be avoided when -it rains. - -We skimmed merrily along, enjoying the salt tang of the breeze and -the beauty of Old Ocean in one of his happiest moods. We ran along -rather barren-looking headlands, which at times carried us to wonderful -vantage-points from which we beheld indescribably glorious views of the -sea, resplendent under the pale blue sky of a perfect day. The breeze -had swept away the lingering ghosts of yesterday’s fog, revealing a -shimmering expanse of water, jade-green near the shore and running -through all the shades of green and blue into a deep violet in the far -distance. Looking toward the sun it shimmered and coruscated like a -sea of molten silver, while along the whole irregular shoreline around -the detached rocks and beneath the bold, rugged headlands it rippled -in long white breakers or dashed into wind-swept spray. The air was -redolent with the fresh, pungent smell of the sea--how we enjoy it when -on land and detest it when on shipboard!--and everything conspired -to make us glad that we had made the necessary detour to catch this -glorious stretch of Mendocino coast. - -Fort Bragg, of some three thousand people, seventeen miles from -Westport, is the largest and best-appearing town, with handsome public -buildings and good-looking shops--clearly the chief business and -trading center of this section. It is the terminus of a branch of the -Northern Pacific Railroad leading to the main line at Willits, which -is doubtless the secret of its superiority to the other coast towns -we passed through. It is larger than Ukiah, the county seat, which -probably holds the distinction because of its more central situation. - -Beyond Fort Bragg we crossed several shallow, emerald-green inlets -at the mouth of creek or river, both the descent and the climb a -sharp scramble. Three or four of the larger inlets were dammed to a -considerable depth and logs were floated from the interior to a busy -sawmill near the sea. The coast, however, with the exception of a few -picturesque little groves near the sea, is quite denuded of timber. -There are a good many farm-houses, some of very comfortable appearance, -but the agricultural resources of the country did not impress us as -very great. The reddish brown soil did not give any special indication -of fertility and live stock was not much in evidence. Directly on the -coast in places there is a wide belt of sand dunes which are slowly -shifting landward and encroaching on the farms a little each year. - -[Illustration: THE MENDOCINO COAST - -From painting by N. Hagerup] - -Mendocino City, the next place of any size, is a rather bleak, -un-American-looking village of a thousand people. Here we paused for -lunch at a large, rambling, wooden hotel which must have been a -lively place in the old lumbering and stage-coach days. Now it seemed -almost deserted and the well-worn floor of its dismantled bar-room -told of the loss of a goodly number of patrons who were formerly wont -to come here to assuage their thirst. It was with some misgivings -that we entered the place, but the sight of the cleanly, kindly-faced -landlady reassured us; and we fared far better than we hoped for in -the scrupulously clean dining-room--which led us to again remark on -the extremely rare instances where we have found slovenly service or -niggardly meals in even the lesser California hotels. The young man who -acted as clerk, when he heard that we expected to reach Cloverdale for -the night, advised us not to go as far on the coast road as Greenwood, -which we planned, but to turn inland at Navarro, six miles north--a -change which he declared would save us some bad road. - -We had not gotten far from Mendocino when we agreed that it was -not especially desirable to pursue the coast road any farther than -necessary, for we found it quite unimproved, dusty, and rough, with -very steep grades--especially the one leading out of the deep canyon -just south of the town. After that, every few miles we met with sharp -plunges into deep, narrow canyons, and steep, dusty scrambles out of -them, with some very rough going between. - -At Little River and Albion, large sawmills were in operation. The -former village is a pretty little place, with rose-embowered cottages -and apple orchards laden with red and golden globes. The schoolhouse is -situated in a group of fragrant pines and everything combined to give -the village an air of Arcadian quiet and contentment. Perhaps much of -this was only in our imagination, but we did not disturb our pleasant -impressions by making useless inquiries. - -The coast beyond the village was exceedingly rugged but beautiful and -inspiring. Bold, wooded headlands rose above us, a deep violet sea lay -in quiet beauty beneath, and we even had to admit that the inlets, with -their steep plunges and rattle-trap bridges, were beautiful. Here is, -indeed, a country for our artists to discover; they will find the color -and rugged beauty of Monterey on a wilder and vaster scale. In fact, we -often remarked that the whole coast from Greenwood to Crescent City, -with its colorful ocean, its rugged, rock-bound shoreline, its giant -forests, and a thousand other sights of beauty and grandeur, offers a -field for the landscape painter such as scarcely exists elsewhere in -the world. - -Albion seems the busiest place we have yet discovered. Its excuse for -being is a great sawmill which employs several hundred men and which -is supplied with logs by the river and a railroad extending twenty -miles into the hills. The shriek of the saws, the hiss of steam, and -the rumble of the locomotive, reached us before we descended the steep -slope to the inlet upon which the mill is located, and gave us an -intimation of the principal activity of the town. There is a pretty -little bay into which the river flows and a substantial wharf from -which the finished lumber is shipped by schooner. In crossing the river -we passed directly through the sawmill yards and had a near view of its -giant band-saws traveling through the mighty logs at an astonishing -rate. - -Two or three miles beyond Albion we came to Navarro, which we found -a “deserted village,” indeed, for not a human being could be found -about the few gray, weatherbeaten shacks to give us the information -we desired about the road. A little farther on, however, a friendly -signboard made it clear that this was the point where the hotel -clerk had advised us to turn inland. The coast road had been growing -continually more wretched and the deep canyon before us did not look -very inviting. Besides, it was getting late and to go on to Greenwood -would bring us to Cloverdale after dark. We therefore bade a reluctant -farewell to the glorious ocean--it seemed as if we could never tire of -it--and struck the sandy trail that led sharply into a jungle of small -trees and shrubbery. The deep sand and the apparent disuse of the road -caused us some apprehension. The road, however, gradually improved as -it descended to the Navarro River, passing several poor-looking fruit -ranches on the way. - -The grade out of the canyon is one of the longest and heaviest that -we covered during our entire tour. It has few turns, climbing the -canyon side in a straight slope several miles long, at places the -rise exceeding twenty-five per cent. It seemed as if it would never -end and we grew very apprehensive of our gasoline supply, which we -expected to replenish at Greenwood, now eliminated from our route. I -confidently looked for the engine to stall for lack of fuel on some of -these appalling grades, and whiled the time in imagining what course -we should pursue if this happened. I did not reach any satisfactory -conclusion, nor have I yet, for we did not meet another car on this -road and the nearest gas station was twenty miles away. But it didn’t -happen and we replenished our supply at one of the little towns. There -were three or four villages on the fifty-mile stretch between the -coast and Cloverdale, all of them rather dilapidated and forlorn, -though there was much activity at Boonville, where a huge sawmill was -in operation. None of the numerous ranches along the road looked very -prosperous and perhaps half of the houses were deserted and falling -into ruin. This, we were told, did not necessarily mean that the owner -had starved out. A great many of them, after “proving up” their claims, -had sold out to the large ranchers, who were buying immense tracts in -this country. - -There was much pretty scenery along the way, rich with autumnal -colorings which we might have admired more had we been more comfortable -ourselves. But the road was rough and dusty and the wind had risen to -a perfect gale which chilled us for all our wraps and blankets. A car -was ahead of us for the last several miles and almost strangled us with -dust clouds so dense that even trying to pass was out of the question. - -We rejoiced with exceeding joy when eight miles from Cloverdale we came -into the new state highway, smooth and dust-free. Our chance friend at -Crater Lake Lodge had especially admonished us to stop at McCray’s when -we reached Cloverdale, and had noted on our maps, “Very comfortable -country inn two miles out of Cloverdale.” So we kept a sharp lookout, -for a “very comfortable inn” seemed about the acme of our earthly -desires at that particular time. We had no difficulty in finding our -proposed haven, for a huge, rambling frame building bearing the legend, -“McCray’s,” loomed up directly by the roadside and we were received -more like expected guests of the family than commercial patrons. - -There was a decided atmosphere of home about the rambling old -place--originally the McCray Homestead--and one very quickly falls in -with the mood of good fellowship that rules everybody connected with -the inn. We were ushered into the family sitting-room with its roaring, -open fireplace--welcome, indeed, after our ride in the piercing -wind--and were cordially greeted by Father McCray, a six-foot-two giant -whom the younger generation designated as “Pap.” He introduced us to -the other guests, mainly members and close friends of the family, for -the season was over, though the inn is kept open the year round. They -all proved very pleasant, jovial people and we soon learned how very -different are the relations between the McCray’s and their guests from -those between the ordinary hotel and its patrons. The inn, we learned, -is conducted on quite an extensive scale during the summer, when two -hundred people can be entertained in the main building and adjacent -cottages. There is a large, well-appointed club-house just across the -road, where the guests may pursue dancing and other amusements to their -hearts’ content, and there is usually enough going on to thoroughly -dispel ennui on part of anyone. - -But the crowning feature of McCray’s is the meal service; verily, it -brought back recollections of mother at her best in boyhood days on the -farm. The delicious conserves, never found in any mere hotel, are made -from California fruit right on the premises and nearly everything used -is grown on the farm under Pap’s watchful supervision. A few words with -Pap are all that is necessary to convince you that no detail of service -or entertainment escapes him and that he has more pride in earning -the approval of his guests than a mere desire to get their money. We -liked McCrays of all degrees and already have plans for a trip in -that vicinity again, with the inn as one of our stopping-places. Our -only suggestion for improvement is that a locked garage will make the -average motorist feel easier than the open shed in which our car was -stored during our visit. - -The next morning we were away on an easy run to the metropolis through -the famous Santa Rosa Valley, with its endless vineyards now laden -with their purple harvest. Everywhere were signs of activity on part -of the vineyard people and we met many loaded wagons and motor -trucks carrying the grapes to the numerous wineries in this vicinity. -But I will not write in detail of our last day’s run, since I have -covered this country fully in my previous book, “On Sunset Highways.” -We reached San Francisco in the early afternoon, having been absent -from the golden gate city for nearly a month and our strenuous but -delightful and inspiring pilgrimage through the mighty hills and lovely -vales of Northern California and the Oregon country was at an end. - - - - -Into Yosemite - -by Motor - - -[Illustration: EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE - -From painting by H. H. Bagg] - - -Into Yosemite by Motor - - -When the writer of this book first visited Yosemite a few years ago, -no motor car was allowed to intrude in its sylvan solitudes and it was -freely alleged by the stage drivers that the time would never come -when this noisy, dust-raising demon would be permitted to frighten -their horses and disturb their equanimity. Their attitude was one of -decided hostility, though they affected to laugh at the suggestion--the -roads were too crooked and narrow and the grades too steep for -“automobeels”--no, sir, you’d never see them in Yosemite. Besides, the -horses in the park had never seen these pesky machines; they would -simply go crazy and dump the coaches over the cliffs. All of which -seemed reasonable enough at the time and nothing was farther from my -mind than the idea of piloting a car through the devious trails that -serve for roads in this sylvan wonderland. - -But “tempora mutantur,” indeed. Motor cars in California increased in -geometrical ratio and the owners banded themselves together in the live -and efficient organization known as the Automobile Club of Southern -California. This club contended that no good reason could be urged -against admitting motor cars to Yosemite and after a dint of effort -succeeded in bringing the Secretary of the Interior to the same point -of view. True, the decree was issued with apparent fear and hesitation -and the venturesome motorist who wished to explore the park was hedged -about with restrictions and hampered with endless red tape regulations. -The cars came, nevertheless, though probably as many were deterred by -the stringent rules as by the forbidding roads. - -The dire results so freely predicted by the stage men did not -materialize in any great degree. There were few serious accidents and -the motors, as a rule, met with little difficulty in negotiating the -roads to and within the park. As a consequence, the rules were relaxed -with each succeeding year and many of the most annoying regulations -abandoned or reduced to mere formalities. We made our trip in September -of the Panama-Pacific year, and during the previous months of the -season nearly two thousand cars had preceded us into the park. We did -not have to demonstrate that “either set of brakes would lock the -wheels to a skid;” in fact, I am very dubious on this point. We did -not have to get up at an unearthly hour to enter or leave the park and -the time schedule imposed on us was so reasonable that none but the -speed maniac would care to exceed it, even had no severe penalty been -attached. It was all simple enough and our trials in doing Yosemite by -motor lay in a different direction than the rules and regulations, as -will appear in due course of my narrative. - -There are several routes by which one may enter and leave the park -pending the happy day longed for by the Auto Club when a broad, smooth -road--“no grades exceeding five per cent”--shall convey the joyful -motorist to this Earthly Paradise of the Sierras. You can go from -Fresno via Coarse Gold, from Merced via Coulterville, from Stockton -via Chinese Camp, or from Madera via Raymond. You can now even reach -the park from the east by the new Tioga road, branching off the Sierra -Highway at Mono Lake, should you be seeking the wildest and most -difficult route of all. - -We decided, for reasons which may become apparent as I proceed, to make -our entrance by the Madera route and to leave the park with Stockton -as our objective. We still have reason to believe that as things stood -at the time--or even now--these routes were the most satisfactory -and we are quite sure that whatever improvement may be made, the -tourist interested in pioneer days of California and fond of wild and -impressive scenery should choose the Stockton road at least one way. - -We did not get away from Fresno, where we passed the night preceding -our start for Wawona, until late in the afternoon. A swift run over -the splendid new highway brought us to Madera about four in the -evening, but there remained little hope of covering sixty miles of -unknown mountain road to Wawona before nightfall. A glance at our maps -revealed Raymond, about twenty-five miles farther on--the terminal of a -branch railroad from Madera. We decided that Raymond would make a good -stopping-point for the night; an early start would easily enable us to -reach Yosemite the next day. So we set out over a choppy and very dusty -dirt road which was conducive to anything but speed and comfort, but -which nevertheless brought us to our objective in the course of an hour. - -We found a forlorn-looking hamlet in the edge of the foothills and a -glance at the ramshackle wooden hotel was anything but reassuring. -A short conversation with the proprietor of a little shack labeled -“garage” was not more encouraging. He was very noncommittal about the -merits of the hotel and finally said, - -“It’s only thirty miles to Miami Lodge--mighty comfortable place; you -ought to reach there before it gets dark. Shall I telephone them to -hold dinner for you?” - -All of which sounded good to us as we contemplated prospective -accommodations in Raymond, and with a speedy acquiescence we were away -for Miami Lodge. Ten miles per hour, said the garage man, would be -a good average for a greenhorn over the road we were to traverse--a -ridiculously low estimate, we thought, but we had not proceeded far -before we agreed with his conservatism. A narrow and exceedingly -tortuous road plunged into the hills, threading its way among giant -pines or creeping precariously along steep hillsides and around abrupt -corners deep with dust and at times laboriously steep. Now and then it -emerged into pleasant little glades and on entering one of these we -saw a young mountain lion trotting leisurely toward the thicket. Of -course our small rifle was under a pile of baggage, unloaded, and the -cartridges in a grip, but we consoled ourselves with remarks about the -extreme improbability of hitting him even if we had the gun. - -It was sunset by the time we had covered little more than half the -distance and while we regarded the approaching darkness with some -apprehension, for the road showed no signs of improvement, we forgot -it all in our admiration for the enchanting scene. Many were the -magnificent vistas opening through the pines skirting our road along -the mountainside. Purple hills topped with dark forests stretched -away to a crimson sky; shadowy canyons sloped far beneath us, their -mysterious deeps shrouded in a soft blue haze. It was a constantly -changing yet always entrancing picture until the color faded from the -skies and the canyons were blotted out by the gathering blackness. Then -the road demanded our undivided attention, for we covered the last ten -miles in pitch darkness and our neglected headlights proved in very -poor condition. - -About dusk we passed a little store and postoffice bearing the poetic -name of Grub Gulch and later came to a comfortable-looking roadside -inn, the Ahwahnee Tavern, where we should doubtless have stopped -had our accommodations not been ordered at Miami Lodge. We learned, -however, that this was only six miles farther and we crept cautiously -onward over the stiff grades and around the abrupt turns. We were glad -indeed when the lights of the Lodge twinkled through the pines and, -leaving the old car to shift for herself under the stars, made a hasty -toilet and attacked the substantial meal we found ready for us. - -The Lodge is a comfortable rustic inn set in the pines on a hillside -which slopes down to a clear creek dammed at one point into a small -lake. The little valley forms a natural amphitheater surrounded -by the forest-clad hills and is altogether a pleasant and restful -spot well away from noise and disturbance of any kind. The creek is -stocked with rainbow trout and big game is fairly common--attractions -which bring many sportsmen to the Lodge. It is easy of access by the -Madera-Yosemite auto stages which run daily during the season. - -Beyond Miami Lodge we found the road even more trying than it was -southward. Heavy grades and sharp turns continued, and deep dust and -rough stretches caused much discomfort. We met many motor trucks and -several heavy wagons drawn by six or eight horses, which made ticklish -work in passing on the narrow grades and which stirred up clouds of -yellow dust. As the sun mounted, the day became intolerably hot, making -it necessary to elevate our cape top which combined with the dust to -interfere with our view of the scenery. - -The famous Mariposa Grove of giant redwoods lies a short distance off -the main road to Wawona and though we had visited this before, we could -not resist the temptation to do the big trees by motor. An attendant -at the entrance gate demanded a fee of one dollar and admitted us to a -narrow, winding road which steadily climbed a stiff grade for about -three miles before we came to the trees. We renewed our acquaintance -with the Grizzly Giant, reputed the oldest of living things on this -mundane sphere. We found him protected by a high wire fence to ward off -fiends suffering from the name-carving mania or souvenir seekers who -sought to rob him of a chip or twig. He had not aged perceptibly since -our previous visit and looked good for many more centuries, though the -late John Muir once declared his belief that the Grizzly Giant had -passed his zenith of growth and is now in his decline, a point not yet -reached by any other redwood. But the hoar old monarch stands a second -visit well indeed, though one may not experience quite the feeling of -awe always inspired by the first sight of these mighty trees. It quite -overwhelms one to reflect that here is a living thing older than the -oldest records of the human race--a life that was in its infancy at -the beginnings of Egyptian civilization. So impressive to us was the -Giant and the reveries he excited that we hardly gave due attention -to his three hundred and sixty-four companions in this grove, the -least of which, taken by itself, might well excite the astonishment -of anyone who had never before seen a redwood. Of course we had the -novel experience of piloting a motor car through the living arch of the -Wawona while completing the circle through the grove which brought us -again into the road by which we entered. - -Wawona is only four miles from the big-tree road, a rough, dusty, and -very winding four miles with a good many steep grades, and it was -an interesting comparison to recall the trip we made over it in a -coach-and-four on our previous visit to the grove. Making due allowance -for all the discomforts one experiences in an automobile during a hot, -dusty day on difficult mountain roads, our present method of travel -made the memory of the snail’s pace and suffocating dust and heat of -our former trip to the grove seem more than ever like a nightmare. - -We reached Wawona in time for the noonday luncheon at the pleasant -old inn which has been the haven of sightseers for nearly half a -century. It is delightfully situated in a little vale amidst a group -of towering pines and all about it green meadows stretch away to the -forest-clad hills that surround it on every hand. Through the valley -runs the South Merced, famous for its mountain trout, a delicacy which -guests at the inn sometimes enjoy. About the main hotel building are -scattered several isolated cottages for the accommodation of guests -who may be particular about privacy and plenty of light and air. There -are numerous beautiful drives in the vicinity aside from the Mariposa -Grove trip. One of these follows the river for some distance and -another makes a circuit of the valley. - -We had no time for these, as we were intent upon reaching Yosemite -for the night and the regulation is that you check in at the final -station by six o’clock. About a mile from Wawona we found the cabin of -the ranger who issues tickets for the south entrance to the park. The -formalities detained us but a few moments, since with the great influx -of motor tourists during the exposition year, much of the original -red tape was dispensed with. A copy of the rules and regulations was -given us and the time of our entrance was stamped upon the ticket to -be delivered to the superintendent at Yosemite village. The action of -our small rifle was sealed and, with a friendly caution that it would -be unwise to exceed the limit, we were ordered to proceed. Knowing -something of the trip from previous experience we felt no uneasiness -about exceeding the two hours and twenty-seven minutes minimum time -allowed for covering the twenty-eight and nine-tenths miles between the -station and Yosemite garage. No one but a confirmed speed maniac would -care to exceed this very reasonable limit and anyone wise enough to -admire the scenery along the road as it deserves to be admired might -well consume twice the minimum time. - -For some miles after entering the park we climbed the long, steady -grade following the South Merced Canyon, always at a considerable -distance above the stream, which we could see at intervals through -the pines, flashing over its rock-strewn bed. There was scarcely a -downward dip in the road for the first half-dozen miles, and we could -not but recall the distressing effort of the horses as they toiled -painfully upward on our former trip while we sat disconsolately -enveloped in smothering clouds of dust. What a contrast we found in -the steady, cheerful hum of our engine as it drove our car onward at -not less than the permitted speed of fifteen miles, leaving the dust -behind us and affording unhindered views of the endless panoramas of -canyons and hills. Despite the heat and some murmurs from the back seat -about the effect of the too ardent caresses of California sunshine on -the complexion, we had lowered the cape top, for no one can get the -full effect of the towering pines that skirt this road unless he has -the open heavens above him. One will not often come across--even in -California--finer individual cedars, sugar pines, and yellow pines -than he will see here--splendid arrow-straight shafts several feet in -circumference, often rising to a height of two or even three hundred -feet. It is, indeed, pleasant to think that they are immune from the -lumberman’s ax and guarded carefully against devastating fires. We -paused at times in the shade of these forest titans and contemplated -the wide range of hills and valleys beyond the canyon--particularly at -Lookout Point, some seven or eight miles from Wawona. Here we beheld a -seemingly endless panorama of forest-clad hills stretching away until -lost in the infinite distance of the lucent afternoon. Once before we -had beheld the same scene--at sunset, the hills shrouded in an amethyst -haze, the valleys dim with purple shadows, and the sky resplendent -with crimson and gold. Nothing could have shown more impressively the -wonderful variations of the same landscape at different hours of the -day, or proven more completely that one must come many times to see the -beauty of Yosemite. - -Three or four miles beyond Lookout Point the road branches, the left -fork leading to Glacier Point, a distance of fourteen miles. This is a -magnificent drive through virgin forests and should not be missed by -anyone who has not made the trip. There is an old-fashioned hotel at -Glacier Point where one may be fairly comfortable for the night and it -is worth while to remain for the night to witness the sunrise over the -mountain ramparts of the Valley. We did not undertake this trip, having -made it a few years before by stage, but for all that we are sorry now -that we let slip an opportunity to view the wonderful Glacier Point -panorama a second time and some day, shall have to go back again. - -Continuing a few miles farther, we came to the top of the grade -leading down into the valley. We recalled it as a stiff, strenuous -road, winding around sharp curves and often along the edge of sheer -precipices which gave us a great many thrills from our high perch -beside the driver of our four-in-hand. We had traversed mountain roads -so much worse in the meanwhile that Wawona grade really seemed quite -tame from a motor car and even the ladies took only languid interest in -its twists and turns. We paused again for the third time at the famous -Inspiration Point, and, indeed, we can not help envying those who are -fortunate to come into the Yosemite by this road and thus get their -first glimpse of the valley from Inspiration Point. Perhaps the view -from Glacier Point is as glorious but one is not likely to come upon it -so suddenly and is somehow expecting stupendous things, but Inspiration -Point bursts on the wayfarer from the Wawona all unaware and he sees -unfold before him almost in an instant all the marvelous sights that -have made Yosemite a world’s wonder. I have tried elsewhere--in -a previous book--to tell something of my impressions when I first -viewed this unmatched scene and perhaps I may be pardoned for a short -repetition of my words, since I do not know that I can do any better in -describing it. - -“Inspiration Point! Well named, indeed, for it must surely be a prosaic -imagination that does not kindle with enthusiasm at the prospect. -‘It comes up to the brag,’ is what Ralph Waldo Emerson said after -contemplating it long in silence--or at least that is what the guide -books and railroad literature credit him with having said. It sounds -strangely unlike our staid and gentle philosopher, whose language -we are wont to admire as the finality in polished English. But it -expresses one’s feelings more strongly, perhaps, than fine words. -We have been led to expect much; they have assured us and we have -often read, that the view from Inspiration Point is surpassed by few -panoramas in the world--if, indeed, by any--for grandeur of mountain, -cliff, and peak and for beauty of contour and color, and all of these -are enhanced by the magic of the hour when we are so fortunate as to -see it. - -“The valley lies before us in the soft blue haze of the evening -shadows, and its encompassing walls and towers are kindled with -the purple and golden hues of the sunset. As one contemplates the -glittering peaks and domes and the ranges of glowing mountains out -beyond, he can realize John Muir’s characterization of the Sierras -as the ‘Mountains of Light.’ The grandeur of Inspiration Point seems -more of cliffs and spires, of towering walls and mountain peaks, while -from Glacier Point one is perhaps more interested in the details of -the valley itself. But from either point one may witness a scene that -will possess his soul and whose beauty will linger through the years. -We regret the necessity which hurries us from the scene, for the pause -of the stage coach is but momentary. We have had but a glimpse of a -landscape that might well hold one’s rapt attention for hours.” - -It is the third time we have viewed this wonderful scene and we have -been fortunate in coming each time at a different period of the -day--morning and evening and early afternoon. Each has shown us a -different phase of the beauty of Yosemite, for the variation of light -and consequent changes of coloring have everything to do with the view -from Inspiration Point. - -We proceeded slowly and cautiously down the steep switchbacks leading -to the floor of the Valley, a long, low-gear grind, for regulations -forbid disengaging gears on roads in the park. The descent did not -seem nearly so precarious as when we first made it in the regulation -coach-and-four--the road appeared to have been widened at the turns; -maybe this was only in our imagination, due to greater familiarity -with mountain roads. We were enough at our ease to enjoy the splendid -vistas of the valley and mountains which were presented from a hundred -viewpoints as we slowly descended, something that we hardly did the -first time. Nor did the time seem so long, though I really doubt if we -went down so quickly as our dashing driver piloted his coach-and-four -over this three-mile grade on our first trip. We soon found ourselves -on the floor of the valley with Bridal Veil Falls waving like a -gossamer thread above us--it was in September and the waterfalls were -all at lowest ebb. The four miles along the floor to Yosemite was a -joy ride indeed and we felt no desire to infringe the low speed limit -imposed on motor cars. What though we had seen this wondrous array of -stupendous cliffs, domes, pinnacles, and towers many times before, -familiarity does not detract from their overpowering majesty and weird -changeful beauty. - -When we left Wawona we were somewhat fearful that we would be in danger -of exceeding the seemingly absurdly low minimum time allowed--two hours -and twenty-seven minutes for the twenty-six miles. It seemed as if -we couldn’t help beating it without loafing on the way. However, on -consulting our timepieces on nearing Yosemite station--there is a heavy -fine for coming in ahead of schedule--we found that we had consumed -over three hours and had stopped only a few minutes on the way. At the -checking station we paid the five dollar fee required of motorists who -enter Yosemite and took the car to the official garage forthwith, for -absolutely no motoring is permitted in the park except for ingress and -egress. - -The old Sentinel Hotel had not changed in appearance since our last -visit, nor had it improved in service; however, it was comfortable -enough for a short stop in warm weather. We had heard many rumors -of a new modern hotel to be erected on the site of the Sentinel and -one declared that it was to be built and managed by that prince of -innkeepers, Frank Miller of the Glenwood Mission Inn--all of which -we fondly hoped might prove true. We learned, however, that although -Mr. Miller had negotiated with the authorities in regard to building -a hotel in Yosemite, he abandoned the scheme when he found that the -government would not grant a lease for a period of more than ten -years. Later a corporation, the Desmond Company, secured control of -the concessions of the park and among their plans, we were told, is -the erection of a first-class hotel, though at this writing the work -has not begun. The company already has a new hotel at Glacier Point--a -great improvement over the barn-like structure with which Yosemite -tourists have so long been familiar. - -Our excuse for a third trip to Yosemite was chiefly that we wanted to -visit it by motor car; we had seen most of the sights and made most of -the trail trips and drives, so there was little to do but lounge about -in the hotel and vicinity for the rest of the afternoon. I visited -the garage, which was merely a huge tent with open sides, where the -cars were parked in care of an attendant. There was apparently a very -good machine shop which seemed to have plenty of work, for break-downs -are exceedingly common. The manager asked us if we would favor him by -carrying a new axle to a motorist who was laid up at Crane Flat, near -the entrance to the park on the road by which we expected to leave the -next morning. - -The regulations require that motor cars leave by the Big Oak -Flat road between 6:00 A. M. and 4:00 P. M. and the first-named -hour found us ready for departure, as we had been warned that an -exceedingly strenuous day’s work lay before us. It is only one -hundred and twenty-three miles to Stockton; hence we concluded that -the strenuousness must be due to something besides long distance--a -surmise which we did not have to wait long to verify. About two miles -from the hotel, following the main valley road we came to a sign, “Big -Oak Flat Route” and turned sharply to the right, crossing the Merced -River. Immediately we began a sharp ascent over a dusty trail through -thickly standing pines. Coming out of the trees we find ourselves on a -narrow road cut in the side of the almost perpendicular cliff. It is -fair at first, screened from the precipitous drop alongside by a row -of massive boulders which have the psychological effect of making us -feel much more at ease, though I doubt if they would be of much use -in stopping a runaway car. Nevertheless, they are a decided factor in -enabling us to enjoy the wonderful views of mountain and valley that -present themselves to our eager eyes as we slowly climb the steep -ascent. We are sure that we see many vistas quite equal to the view -from the much vaunted Inspiration Point--but they are not so famous -because far less accessible. - -The road grows rougher and dustier as we climb slowly upward; the -boulder balustrade disappears and we find ourselves on a narrow shelf, -with infrequent passing places, running along the edge of a cliff that -falls almost sheer beneath us. We pause occasionally to contemplate the -marvelous scene beneath. The whole floor of the valley is now visible; -its giant trees seem mere shrubs and the Merced dwindles to a silver -thread; across the narrow chasm we now look down on the Cathedral -Spires, the Three Sisters, and Sentinel Rock; we see Bridal Veil Fall -swaying like a gossamer against the mighty cliff, and beyond we have -an endless vista of forest-clad mountains. Three thousand feet above -the valley we enter a forest of mighty pines; the road winds among them -in sharp turns and the grades are very steep and deep with dust. We -are not very familiar with our car--which we leased from a Los Angeles -dealer, and as we near the summit the motor loses power and can not -be cajoled into propelling the car over the last steep, dusty pitch. -After an hour of fruitless effort, we appealed to the foreman of a road -gang which, fortunately for us, was at work close by, and he helped the -balky engine out with a stout team of horses. - -“What’s the damage?” we gratefully asked of our rescuer. - -“Just a bottle of whiskey, stranger, if you happen to have one along.” - -We expressed regret at our inability to meet the very modest request -and our friend had to be content with coin of the realm instead. Later -on an auto expert told us that the particular make of carburetor on -this car will not work satisfactorily at an elevation of more than -seven thousand feet. - -We were still several miles from Crane Flat and the descent proved -quite as steep and rough as the climb, but there was no precipice -skirting the road to add nervous disquiet to bodily discomfort. - -Crane Flat is nothing more than the ranger station on the road and -the official took up our “time card”--we came by a safe margin of -two or three hours--and removed the seals from our “game getter.” We -delivered the axle entrusted to our care, but found that the owner of -the broken-down car had accepted the situation philosophically and -gone fishing--his third day of this pleasant pastime while waiting for -repairs. - -Out of the park we hoped for better things in the way of roads, but -we soon found the dividing line imaginary in more ways than one. The -road speedily became rougher, dustier and steeper than that we had -traversed, but, fortunately, it was down hill. - -Two or three miles from Crane Flat we came to the Tuolumne Grove of -Big Trees, where there are numerous giant redwoods, though not so many -or so huge as those of Mariposa. A short detour from the main route -took us to the Dead Giant, the most remarkable tree of this grove. It -is tunneled like the Wawona tree in Mariposa and we had the sensation -a second time of driving through a redwood. The remains of the Dead -Giant are one hundred feet high and one hundred and five feet in -circumference; scientists estimate that the tree must have been at -least forty feet in diameter and perhaps four hundred feet high--larger -and higher than any redwood now living. It was destroyed perhaps three -hundred years ago by fire or lightning. The General Lawton of this -grove is one of the most beautiful redwoods in existence and there is -also a Fallen Giant still growing greenly although lying prone, its -roots not being entirely severed. - -Near the grove is the Tioga road which has recently been completed -across the Sierras to Mono Lake on the Sierra Highway so that Yosemite -may be reached from the east, although the entrance must be made at the -west end of the valley. We met a party that had just made this trip and -who declared the road next to impassable at that time. - -A few miles beyond Tuolumne Grove one may reach the Hetch Hetchy Valley -by a short side trip--a valley which has been styled a miniature -Yosemite. It attained a nation-wide celebrity by the fight made -to prevent the city of San Francisco from using it as a source of -water supply, but San Francisco finally won and an act of congress -permits the city to retain the water of the valley by a dam across the -entrance. The engineers, however, claim that the work will not destroy -the beauty of the valley nor prevent the public from visiting it. - -Beyond Tuolumne Grove we still continue to plunge downward over the -rough, stony trail which tried every rivet in the car and worked havoc -with tires. At one point we had the unpleasant experience of meeting -a car coming at high speed around a corner--the road was very narrow -and as the newcomer was right upon us a collision seemed inevitable. -The wild man at the wheel of the scrambling Ford, however, took long -chances, for he ran upon the sidling bank when we had given him the -last inch we could squeeze from the outer side of the road. It seemed -that he must inevitably turn over on top of us, but the luck that -sometimes is said to shield infants and fools--he was certainly no -infant--favored him and he rolled back into the road right side up -and went plunging along on the narrow grade. My friend, after drawing -a deep breath, referred to the crazy driver as the “wild Irishman” -and though I protested against the reflection on my remote ancestry, -we still identify the road hog who gave us such a scare, by this -appellation. - -It was lunch time when we reached Sequoia, though we were only -twenty-nine miles from Yosemite--a pretty insignificant showing for a -half day’s run, from a mileage point of view, but it had been strenuous -enough to make us tired and ravenously hungry. And hunger proved a very -good sauce for the meal which we got at Crocker’s Hotel, which is about -all there is of Sequoia. And I am not complaining of Crocker’s Hotel, -either. I think they did very well when one considers that all their -supplies must be hauled eighty miles by wagon road--naturally canned -stuff and condensed milk prevailed. Another outstanding recollection -is that it cost us forty cents per gallon to replenish our gasoline -and we could not complain of that under the circumstances. The young -fellow who kept the store near the hotel said he “had been the rounds -in California,” but Crocker’s Ranch suited him best of any place he had -seen. It was interesting to know that anyone could be satisfied in this -remote and lonely place; it certainly had the advantage of being near -to nature, if that was what our friend was seeking. - -Beyond Crocker’s the characteristics of the country were about the -same. A rough, dusty trail, winding through pine-clad hills with -occasional heavy grades, carried us along for a good many miles. We -occasionally passed a remote little station with a general store and -“garage” bearing evidence of its origin in an old-time blacksmith -shop. Colfax Gate, Smith’s, Garrett, and Big Oak Flat--which showed -little reason for the distinction of giving its name to the road--were -all of the same type, with nothing to invite even a casual glance from -the tourist unless he needed gasoline or oil. - -At Priest’s there is a country hotel, a haunt of hunters and ranchmen; -but we recall Priest’s chiefly because it gives its name to one of -the most beautiful bits of road engineering in California. The old -road through this section had some of the steepest grades to be found -in a country of steep grades; in fact, it was all but impassable to -automobiles as bits of it still to be seen from the new highway will -amply prove. The new grade extends for eight miles from Priest’s to -Jacksonville, in which distance it descends fifteen hundred feet, but -in no place does the gradient exceed five per cent. It follows the very -crest of a giant hill range overlooking a beautiful valley some two or -three thousand feet below. Alongside there is nothing to break the full -sweep of one’s vision--not a tree or even a shrub intervenes between -the roadbed and the precipitous slope beneath. Although the road is -wide enough for easy passing at any point, the very baldness of its -outer edge is enough to give a decided thrill to nervously inclined -people and our driver received more advice and caution from the -rear seat than had been offered him on far more dangerous roads with -occasional rocks or trees alongside. - -At Jacksonville the road comes down almost to the level of the Tuolumne -River and we found ourselves on the border of the old gold-mining -region made famous by the tales of Bret Harte. There are still several -placer mines in operation along the river--the road passes a very -large one at the foot of Chinese Camp grade, and the river is sullied -for miles by the muddy washings from the mill. Chinese Camp grade -is one of the worst encountered on our entire trip; it is steep and -terribly rough, and dust a foot deep hides the ruts and chuck-holes, -so we were compelled to “go it blind.” It was a four-mile plunge and -scramble around sharp curves, half smothered and blinded by dense dust -clouds which rose before we could get away from them, we made such -slow progress over the dreadful road. At the hilltop, however, we were -rewarded for our strenuous scramble by a magnificent view of the river -canyon and a wide panorama of forest-clad hills with the emerald thread -of the Tuolumne winding through them. Contemplation of the magnificent -scene and a draught of cold water from our thermos bottle revived our -spirits, which had drooped somewhat in the hot, dusty climb to the -summit of the grade. - -A short distance over a stony trail brought us into the main street of -Chinese Camp, if we may so designate the wide, dusty section of road -lined with wooden shacks of which every other one seemed a saloon. -The appearance of the buildings warranted the guess on our part that -there has been little change in this primitive hamlet since Bret Harte -visited it, nearly a half century ago. Not far from here are many other -camps and villages which found enduring fame in the stories of this -most representative of all earlier California writers. Sonora, Angel’s -Camp, Tuttletown, San Andreas, Mokelumne, and other places familiar -in Harte’s pages may all be reached in a detour of fifty miles or so -from the Big Oak Flat road. Most of these towns, like Chinese Camp, -have made little progress since they were mirrored in the tales which -appeared in the old Overland and Argonaut of San Francisco. - -Beyond Chinese Camp we encountered the worst stretch of road of the -entire day--a mere trail winding through a rough, boulder-strewn -country seemingly having no end or object in view except to avoid -the rocks too large to run over. No effort had been made to remove -the smaller stones from the way and we had an unmerciful jolting, -although we crawled along at a dozen miles per hour. Fortunately, there -are no steep grades, and occasionally smoother stretches afforded -a little respite. It would be hard to use language, however, that -would exaggerate the relief which we felt when, on ascending a sharp -little rise, we came upon a splendid paved highway which the road-book -declared would continue all the way to Stockton. I think that the last -forty miles into the city consumed less time than any ten miles we had -covered since leaving Yosemite that morning. - -We certainly presented a somewhat disreputable appearance when we -came into the town. The car and everything about it, including the -occupants, was dirty gray with dust, which I noted was two inches deep -on the running boards and perhaps a little less on our faces, while -it saturated our clothing and covered our baggage. California hotels, -however, are used to such arrivals and we were well taken care of -at the Stockton, despite our unprepossessing appearance. A thorough -cleaning up, a change of raiment and a good dinner put us at peace with -the world and we were soon exchanging felicitations over the fact that -we had done Yosemite by motor car. - -The route which we had taken, though strenuous enough, as my narrative -indicates, is the one used by the majority of motorists going into the -park. Of course, earlier in the season this road is not so rough and -is freer from dust; one may make the trip to best advantage in July or -early August. The time of opening the road varies, but the passes are -usually clear of snow by the middle of June, though one is likely to -find mud in places for some time after the snow has disappeared. - -There are two other roads into the valley besides the Tioga road from -the east. One of these leaves Fresno and joins the Madera road a few -miles west of Wawona. One may start from either Modesto or Merced for -the Coulterville road, which joins the valley road a little beyond El -Portal. This road has the steeper grades, some as high as thirty per -cent, but it takes one through some magnificent scenery and also passes -the Merced Grove of big trees. - -When the new route proposed and surveyed by the Automobile Club -of Southern California is finally completed, the routes which I -have described will probably be obsolete except for the occasional -tourist who prefers the strenuous. The new route proceeds from Merced -to Mariposa, a distance of forty miles, and is already partially -completed. From Mariposa a new route has been surveyed by the club -engineers to El Portal, following Bear Creek Canyon, a distance -of thirty-three miles. Including the fifteen miles from El Portal, -the total distance from the main highway is eighty-eight miles, or -considerably less than any existing route. Better still, no grade -on the new road will exceed five per cent and it will make Yosemite -accessible by motor a much greater part of the year than at present. -The completion of this proposed road is brought measureably nearer by -the fifteen million dollar bond issue voted in 1916, as the Highway -Commission has made the new Yosemite route a part of its pledged -program. - - - - -A Run to the Roosevelt - -Dam and to the - -Petrified Forest - - -[Illustration: SOLITUDE--THE ARIZONA NATIONAL FORESTS - -From painting by Thos. Moran] - - -A Run to the Roosevelt Dam and the Petrified Forest - - -Possibly this chapter is out of place in a book of motor travel on the -Pacific Coast, for it has somewhat to do with journeyings by railway -train and shifts the scene of action to the barren hills and green -valleys of Arizona--the land of mystery and contrast without peer among -its sister states. In our goings back and forth to California over -the Santa Fe Trail, we had often laid plans to stop at the Petrified -Forests near Adamana and to visit Phoenix and the great Roosevelt Dam, -which waters the green and fruitful Salt River Valley. It is hard, -however, to wrench oneself from a Pullman car before the journey’s end -when one has become comfortably located, and so our plans were usually -deferred until some indefinite “next time.” Had we taken trouble to -ascertain how easily and quickly such plans can be realized, we should -no doubt have carried them out much sooner. - -Leaving Los Angeles in the afternoon in a through sleeper, we awoke the -following morning to see the vivid green of the Salt River alfalfa -fields all about us, reaching Phoenix in time for a late breakfast. We -were not posted on the hotels of the town, but went to the Jefferson -because it was nearest, finding it a modern, fireproof building with -well-appointed, comfortable rooms. There was no meal service, however, -and we were directed to a restaurant farther down the street. We also -inquired about hiring a car to take us to the Roosevelt Dam and the -clerk replied that he would have a driver connected with the hotel -call on us shortly. This party appeared while we were at breakfast and -expressed his willingness to serve us. - -“Of course you mean to spend the night at the dam,” he said, “returning -tomorrow.” - -We assured him that we didn’t mean anything of the sort--that our -time in Phoenix was limited to two days and that only one of them -could be devoted to the Roosevelt Dam. “They tell us that it is only -seventy-five miles distant,” I asserted. “Surely one hundred and fifty -miles isn’t much of a drive if we get away by 9:30.” - -“You may think differently after you’ve made the trip,” he replied, -“but I reckon it can be done if you feel that you can stand it.” - -We thought we knew something of bad roads and rough going and -felt sure that the trip couldn’t be much worse than many other -one-hundred-and-fifty-mile jaunts we had done in a day, and, to get -down to business, asked, “What kind of a car have you, and what will -you charge us for the drive?” - -“I’ve a Dodge,” he replied, “and the regular price for the trip is -forty dollars.” - -The lady of the expedition had not said much so far but the latter part -of the remark aroused her interest and slightly excited her ire. “Forty -dollars for one hundred and fifty miles--a six or seven-hour trip!” she -exclaimed. “We don’t wish to buy your car, thank you.” - -We declined to negotiate farther with a party who was such a palpable -would-be robber and on coming out into the street I approached a -jovial-looking old fellow in a Ford labeled “for hire,” thinking -more of getting a little information than of any likelihood of doing -business with him. - -“Yes, I can take you to the dam,” he said. “Drive you up to-day and -bring you back tomorrow; forty dollars for the round trip.” - -“But we want to get back this evening,” we replied, ignoring the -unpleasant confirmation of the Dodge driver’s “regular fare.” - -“Waal, couldn’t do it in the Ford, but my son has a new Buick six and -he can make it all right--but he’d have to charge you fifty dollars.” - -We had gotten over the first shock given us by auto rates to Roosevelt -Dam and heard this with fairly steady nerves--we were bound to make -the trip and a few dollars one way or the other were not to deter us. -The young man was hunted up and after some dickering he consented to -pilot the new Buick six, the pride of his heart, on her maiden trip to -the dam for the regular price, but declared it would be well after dark -before he could get us back. - -“Do you mean to tell me,” I exclaimed, “that a machine like that will -require twelve hours to do one hundred and fifty miles?” - -“You’ll know more about it,” he replied, “when you’ve been over the -road; besides, we’ll have to stop for lunch and of course you’ll want -a little time at the dam.” To all of which we assented--and I may -anticipate here enough to say that I do know more about it since I have -been over the road and that while forty dollars seems pretty high auto -hire for a one-hundred and-fifty-mile trip, I am convinced that it -would have taken all of that out of my own car and tires had we made -the run in it. - -A few preliminaries detained us until nearly ten o’clock, but when -we got under way our driver quickly cleared the streets of the town -and we were soon skimming merrily along a fine, level road skirting a -broad, tree-bordered irrigation canal. This is one of the main arteries -carrying the water which gives the valley its green prosperity--an -unruffled emerald river eighty feet broad and eight feet deep. We -crossed a fine bridge over the Salt River at Tempe, nine miles from -Phoenix, and about as far beyond this town we entered Mesa, the second -city of the valley. So far we found the road level and good, some of it -having been surfaced and otherwise improved. - -Beyond Mesa we came quickly out of the cultivated part of the valley, -pursuing a good dirt road leading through a sandy stretch of desert, -toward the rugged hill range which rears its serrated crests against -the silvery horizon. Seen from Phoenix, the mountains that encircle -the verdant valley are shrouded in the intensest blue--far away hills -of mystery that suggest some fairyland beyond--but as we drew nearer -to them the blue shadows vanished and the bald, harsh outlines of -mighty wall and towering crag seemingly barred our way. The prevailing -colors were dull browns and reds and the slopes were almost devoid of -vegetation. Great boulder-like hills are tumbled about as though some -giant had flung them in wild confusion to bar the ingress of human -trespassers. The road, however, finds a crevice by which to enter the -mighty barrier and about midway between Phoenix and the dam it begins -its conquest of these forbidding hills. Somewhere we had read that -the government had built a “boulevard” through these mountains to the -dam and our preconceived notions were of a fair mountain road. We -had, therefore, no mental preparation to assist us in enduring one of -the crookedest, roughest, rockiest trails we ever bumped over in all -our experience. The route we followed was known as the “Apache Trail” -in pioneer days and frequently afforded a secure retreat for these -troublesome savages when pursued by the U. S. troopers. In converting -it into a thoroughfare for vehicles, it would seem that little has been -done except to widen the old trail--a real highway to Roosevelt Dam is -yet to be built. - -The climb begins at the foot of Superstition Mountain, leaving the -river some miles to the left. Much of the road is natural granite rock, -almost untouched by the hand of man; again it is blasted in the edge -of a cliff, though little has been done to finish the surface to any -degree of smoothness. We scrambled through the Devil’s Kitchen--a wild -array of fantastic, multi-colored rocks--pink, yellow green--withal a -beautiful spot spoiled by a senseless name. - -We followed the edge of sheer cliffs or skirted sloping hillsides -overlooking charming little valleys. From one point we had a far-away -glimpse of the vexed river--we crossed the inevitable “hogback” and -the grandest panorama of the whole trip burst suddenly upon our -astonished vision. It is a vast, oval basin more than a thousand feet -in depth, surrounded by parti-colored hills--though golden yellow seems -the predominating color--on every side save for the narrow chasm by -which the stream makes its escape from the canyon. But from our point -of view the creek seemed a silver thread and the pines on the valley -floor shrunk to mere shrubs. Our driver pointed out the ranch house -where we were to have lunch, though we located it with difficulty, for -it seemed no larger than an ordinary dry-goods box. The road here--the -only especially creditable piece of engineering on the route--descends -the mighty hillside in long, swinging loops and with only moderate -grades. It offers many wonderful panoramas of giant crags and towering -pinnacles; at times great cliffs rise far above it and again sheer -precipices fall away at its side. This wonderful vale of beauty and -grandeur goes by the very unpoetical title of Fish Creek Canyon, which -again reminds us how unfortunate the pioneers often were in their -nomenclature. What a pity that the sense of fitness which clung to the -old Indian or Spanish names in the Southwest or the romantic propriety -that gave the oriental titles to the palaces of the Grand Canyon was -not more common. - -At Fish Creek Station, we paused at a plain, rustic roadhouse, where -a substantial dinner was served after considerable delay, for the -landlady and her daughter appeared to be sole attendants upon ourselves -and a dozen or more people who came by the stage. While awaiting the -dinner call, we amused ourselves in watching the antics of a pair of -young mountain lions confined in a wire cage. They were graceful, -playful beasts, somewhat larger than a big cat, and about six months -old, our driver said. They were caught in the vicinity, which is noted -for big game, and the very rare mountain sheep can be seen on the -surrounding cliffs at almost any time. The rocks assume many fantastic -shapes against the skyline around the valley and by exercising a little -imagination we finally could see the “Lion” and the “Cross” on the -distant heights. Leaving the station, the road follows the boisterous -creek for some distance, winding among trees and boulders which skirt -its banks. Then we again climbed rugged granite hills almost devoid -of vegetation, save many queer cacti, often gorgeous with blooms, and -finally approached the river, which we followed at no great distance -for the rest of the run. We saw it from the heights, whence it appeared -like a green, fluttering ribbon, as it dashed over its stony bed. As -we proceeded the road dipped down in the valley and finally came to -the very banks of the stream, which it closely followed for several -miles. It is a broad, beautifully clear river, plunging over the stones -in foaming rapids or lying still and deep in emerald green pools. The -road had been washed out for some distance by a spring flood and the -new work was excruciatingly rough and strewn with razor-edged stones -which wrought havoc on the smooth new tires. The scene at this point, -however, is one of wild and entrancing beauty. Far above us rose the -rocky walls, splashed with reds and yellows; below us the river banks -were lined with cottonwoods, aspens, and willows beneath which were -green meadows, with prosperous-looking cattle grazing upon them. - -The road swings away from the river for some distance and we again -entered the hills; we crawled up narrow, steep grades and around the -corners of stupendous cliffs. Ere long a deep-voiced roar announced -that the object of our pilgrimage was near at hand. As we came out -upon a promontory, we got a full view of the mighty arc of stone that -shuts the vast wall of water in the heart of the blue hill range before -us. Torrents were pouring from the spillways and a rainbow arched the -clouds of mist and foam that rose at the base of the three-hundred-foot -fall. We paused in wonder and admiration to contemplate the scene--for -once the works of man rival the phenomena of nature in beauty and -grandeur, though we must confess that the natural background is a very -helpful accessory to the wonderful view. Back of the dam the shining -blue lake, twenty-five square miles in area, stretches away between the -granite hills, which show little traces of vegetation save scattered -scrub pines and cedars. Near at hand the reddish-brown volcanic rocks -stand out in bold, bare outlines, but gradually softened by the blue -mists of the distance, they take on the semblance of fairy towers -and domes. Substantial iron bridges two hundred feet long span the -spillways on either side of the dam and afford access to a sixteen-foot -roadway along the top of the mighty structure. - -From the road one gets the most adequate idea of the gigantic -dimensions and great solidity of the dam; a few figures illustrating -these may be admissable here. The height from lowest foundation is 284 -feet; thickness at base, 168 feet; at crest, 20 feet; total length, -including spillways, 1080 feet. The cost of the entire work was nine -million dollars, of which three and a half millions were spent on the -dam alone. Five and one-half years were required to complete the job -and formal dedication occurred on the eighteenth of March, 1911, with -the redoubtable Teddy himself as master of ceremonies. It was not -until nearly four years later that the reservoir was entirely filled. -There is enough water in reserve to supply all lands now under the -system with sufficient moisture for three years, putting any chance of -crop failure from shortage out of the question. About three and a half -feet of water annually is required to produce crops in the Salt River -Valley and this, with the warm sunshine and fertile soil, brings forth -a yield that is amazing to farmers in rain-watered sections. A valuable -by-product of the system is the water power available at the dam and -at various points on the river. The aggregate will exceed twenty-five -thousand horse power, which will ultimately pay for the maintenance of -the system, giving the land-owner his water service free. - -Crossing the dam, we followed the road for a mile or two to Webb Lodge, -a comfortable-looking rustic inn built on a point of land extending -well into the lake. A good many Phoenix people come here to spend the -week-end and enjoy the excellent fishing. A number of stage tourists -also stop at the Lodge for the night, completing the trip to Globe, -forty-five miles farther, on the following day. We may confess that the -thought of a pause for the night here appealed mightily to us, but our -plans did not admit of such a stop, and after a half hour’s rest in -the big chairs on the Lodge veranda we signified our readiness for the -return trip. - -The prospect of immediately retracing our way over the cruel road which -we had just covered was not at all alluring and we would recommend to -would-be visitors to make arrangements for a through trip to Globe -by auto-stage, resuming the railroad there. Our return trip was not -entirely without its reward, for we saw many weirdly beautiful effects -as the sun went down over the giant hills and the blue shadows veiled -the mysterious deeps of the savage ravines. Besides, the viewpoints -were so vastly different that it was often hard to believe we were -pursuing the road which we followed in coming. The sky was perfectly -clear and the western horizon was a vast, burning expanse as the sun -disappeared, though there was but little afterglow. - -But we were hardly in form to appreciate the weird gradations of light -and color and the almost terrifying beauty of the twilight mountains -about us. The terrible road had worn the lady of the party to the -limit of endurance and our anxiety to get out of the fearful hills -constantly increased. It seemed an age before we rounded the black -bulk of Superstition Mountains and saw the moonlit Mesa glimmering -before us. Even the motor seemed to give a sigh of relief as the car -reached the level plain and settled down to a swift, steady pace after -the strenuous work in the hills. Mesa and Tempe were quickly passed -and we reached the well-lighted streets of Phoenix a little after nine -o’clock. The lady was so thoroughly fagged out that she declared there -was no possible hope that she would be able to leave the hotel the next -day. A night’s rest in a comfortable bed, however, worked wonders and, -though there was considerable complaint about sore joints and muscles -in the morning, she declared herself ready, after a late breakfast, to -carry out our plan to explore the vicinity of Phoenix during the day. - -We soon struck a bargain with the old man whose son had piloted us to -the dam, to show us, with the assistance of his trusty Ford, what he -considered worth while in and about the city. He proved an excellent -guide, for he apparently knew every foot of the country by heart, -though perhaps he was a little too much of a “booster” to impart -unprejudiced information about Phoenix. We found it quite impossible -to disabuse him of the idea that we were seeking investments in the -valley--he evidently couldn’t conceive of any other reason for the -interest we were evincing in the country. He first descanted upon the -climate--the practice of every loyal westerner--and we had learned the -futility of disputing the asseverations made in such cases. - -“I lived in Missouri several years ago and my wife suffered so terribly -from rheumatism and other ills that we decided on a change of climate. -We moved to Los Angeles and lived there for three years, but there -wasn’t much improvement and on the advice of a friend we came to -Phoenix a few years ago. My wife is perfectly well now and I feel that -I’ve added years to my life. It’s the warm, dry climate that does the -business; California is too wet in the winter months. Pretty hot in -summer?--Well, yes, but we don’t feel it like you do back east. I stay -here the year round and enjoy the weather all the time. The records -prove that the sun shines eighty-four per cent of the possible time and -there is an average of only thirty-seven rainy days in the year. Yes, -it’s good enough for me, and you’ll like it, too, if you decide to come -here.” - -We first drove about the town and noted the handsome public and private -buildings, the wide, well-paved streets, and the many comfortable -residences with their pretty grounds. Not many of these could be -classed as pretentious, though there are several fine homes on the -broad avenue leading to the Government Indian School. The State -Capitol, a small but handsome building of classic design, surrounded by -ample grounds, is situated in the center of the town. Tucson has given -up the claim which it once pressed for the capitol, and no doubt a more -adequate structure will be built before many years. There are several -imposing public school buildings, classic lines prevailing in the -architecture of nearly all of them. A beautiful Y. M. C. A. building -with the mission motif predominating, fronts a pretty little park. I -have already mentioned the hotels, which of course greatly outclass -anything one would be likely to find in an eastern town two or three -times as large as Phoenix. Near the city is the Ingleside Country Club, -with a handsome club house where winter visitors are made welcome. -Nor did our guide permit us to overlook the Insane Asylum adjoining -the city and assured us that the big addition then building was made -necessary by prohibition, recently adopted in Arizona--leaving us to -draw any conclusions we might see fit. - -Leaving the town we pursued the broad avenue leading to the Indian -school--a splendid road running straight away to the blue mountains, -sixty miles distant. It seems to me that I never saw elsewhere -mountains so intensely blue as those which surround this Arcadian -valley. Perhaps the universal greenness accentuates all colors. Surely -it was an earthly Paradise on the day of which I am writing--a bright, -fresh day with a light breeze laden with the odors of orange blossoms -and new-mown alfalfa. The Indian school is small and the buildings old, -but the surroundings seem ideal for teaching the rising generation of -red men the ways of civilization. - -From the Indian school we drove to some orange groves not far distant -and made no attempt to dispute our guide’s emphatic claim that they -were quite the equal of the best groves about Riverside or Azusa. - -“They can grow any fruit here that can be grown in California,” he -declared, “and some that can’t be matured there--dates, for instance. -We have frosts sometimes, but I’ve seen worse ones about Los Angeles. -Our main crops never fail, though; we can always count on a full yield -of grain, alfalfa, sugar beets, or a dozen other staples. And I want to -ask you if you ever saw finer cattle than those right before your eyes.” - -We followed a road along one of the canals which spread like a network -over the valley and furnish unlimited water for the 182,000 acres now -under irrigation. About 30,000 additional acres can be reclaimed by -pumping water to a slightly higher level and this will comprise about -all the available land in the valley. None of it remains in possession -of the government and prices of improved land now range from $100 to -$500 per acre--very low, our enthusiastic informant asserted, when -you consider that a single year’s crop will often pay twenty-five to -fifty per cent of the original cost of the land. And this did not seem -unreasonable when we saw the enormous crops of wheat and alfalfa which -are being harvested--and the latter yields two to six cuttings per -year. Of course, there may be another side to the story of Salt River -Valley’s prosperity--as there is to nearly everything on this mundane -sphere--but our interest was too casual to spur us to any careful -investigation. - -We were back to our hotel in the early afternoon, after having covered -a large part of the roads, good, bad, and indifferent, in the immediate -vicinity of the town. If we had time to go farther afield, we were -assured that there is much of interest within a radius of one hundred -and fifty miles about Phoenix. Tucson, one hundred and twenty miles -to the southeast, has the State University and one of the oldest and -most picturesque of Spanish missions in the Southwest--that of San -Xavier Del Bac, still in charge of the Franciscan monks. Granite Reef -Diversion Dam is thirty miles to the northeast and just beyond that are -the ruins of old Fort McDowell, established in the days of the Apache -wars. About it is an Indian reservation where the sons and daughters -of these fierce red warriors now pursue the arts of peace--they are -famous basket-makers and some of them are prosperous farmers and -cattle raisers. The Gila Indian Reservation is seventeen miles to the -southwest and is remarkable for its excellent buildings, which were -erected by the Indians themselves. One tribe, the Pimas, is noted for -its pottery, and its proudest boast is that it has never been at war -with the whites. - -All of these points may be reached by motor over roads ranging from -fair to bad--but whatever their condition, constantly improving, for -Arizona, despite her limited population as compared with her vast -areas, is making every effort to improve her highways. Our old driver -left us at the hotel with the earnest plea that we give the merits of -Phoenix as a place to live our careful consideration and we assured -him that if we did not become citizens of the town it would not be his -fault. - -Our plans were already made for a stop at the Petrified Forests of -Arizona--for these are in Arizona, though it takes a night’s run on -the Santa Fe to reach them in this land of magnificent distances. We -were met at the little goods-box station of Adamana by a short, swarthy -individual who seized our grips and piloted us to the bungalow-like -inn across the track, where the proprietor, Mr. Chester B. Campbell, -welcomed us and assured us that in response to our telegram he had -reserved “the best in the house for us.” We found the best to be had -in the Campbell Hotel quite primitive enough to suit the taste of the -most ardent advocate of the simple life; bath-rooms and running water -were taboo and telephone and call bells minus in rooms. But things were -clean and one is hardly entitled to Waldorf-Astoria accommodations for -two-fifty per day--“American plan.” - -We barely paused to deposit our baggage in the room assigned to us -before signifying to Mr. Campbell our desire to visit the wonders which -had brought us to Adamana and we were assured that nearly everything -worth while could be done in a day--since Fords had superseded horses -and spring wagons. And I suppose it was fortunate for me that this -shift in transportation methods had been made; otherwise what excuse -could I have found for including the story of our experiences in a -chronicle of the motor car? And there was no time lost in “hitching -up.” Almost immediately we heard the familiar growl of the Ford engine -and were told that our car was ready. We found the swart, stocky -individual who met us at the station in charge of the steering wheel -and he proved an encyclopaedia of information, useful and otherwise, as -well as an artist in piloting the little machine over the sandy wastes. - -“We’ll take in the North Sigillaria first,” he declared, “and there’ll -be plenty of time after dinner to do the others.” - -It was the last of May--a clear, fresh day with a rather stiff breeze, -and the desert sand along our route was starred with many beautiful -blooms which elicited exclamations of admiration from the ladies of -the party. They must needs pause to gather a few of the flowers and -inquired as they climbed back into the car, - -“Are there any rattlesnakes in this country?” - -“Plenty of ’em,” responded our pilot. “I just shipped a big fellow east -yesterday.” - -“Do you make a business of catching snakes?” I asked. - -“Not much--but a young lady who was here said she’d like to have one -and I promised to send it,” he replied with the air of a man whose -promise is always equal to performance, and went on to regale us with -other weird stories of adventure with deadly reptiles. - -“Any mountain lions in this section?” I asked, thinking to afford him -subject-matter for further stories of his experiences. - -“Never heard of any,” he promptly answered. - -“Roosevelt in his new book tells about hunting them near the Grand -Canyon,” I began, but he interrupted me with a snort of disgust. - -“Roosevelt is the biggest ---- faker in the whole country. You can bet -your life he never hunted mountain lions in Arizona.” - -“But I read it yesterday in his new book,” I insisted. - -“Mebbe you did--he may write about it, all right, but I’ll gamble this -Ford agin a copper cent that he never did it.” - -I saw there was no use trying to defend the veracity of our strenuous -ex-president to a man with such a righteous horror of a faker and -therefore desisted. - -In the meanwhile the Ford had scrambled up a short incline to the -verge of a gigantic chasm and paused. From the gorgeous colorings--the -vivid dashes of red, yellow, purple, orange, and all the gamut of the -mingling of these--we might have fancied before us a section of the -Grand Canyon in miniature, save that the floor of the great depression -was comparatively level. Looking westward down this weird prismatic -valley, our view was unobstructed for twenty-five miles or more and the -vivid color belts gradually melted into a lavender haze which formed -the horizon. - -“That’s a corner of the Painted Desert,” said our guide, “and those -black stumps and blocks you see down yonder, a mile or so, are pieces -of the petrified trees. There’s a trail so you can walk down if you -want to.” Nobody exhibited any keen anxiety to hit the trail and the -driver confirmed the general disinclination by saying that the trip was -hardly worth while; we should see the other forests, far larger and -more interesting, at close range. So, after due contemplation of the -scene--for this stretch of the Painted Desert is far more worth while -than the forest at this point--we gave word for the return. - -On the way the driver pointed out the line of the original Santa Fe -Trail which we crossed and I made some remark about the improvement -in roads and transportation methods which enabled a transcontinental -driver only a week before to complete the ocean-to-ocean trip in a -little over seven days. Our driver had not heard of this feat and as -the purport of my remark percolated to his brain he burst out, - -“Don’t believe it; clean impossible for a single driver to do it. He’d -have to average five hundred miles a day.” - -I assured him, however, that it had been done; that the Los Angeles -papers were full of it when we left that city. - -“Don’t care if they were; there’s a fake of some sort about it,” and he -expressed his disapproval of fakes in general by urging the Ford at a -vicious rate over the sandy trail. - -As we came near the hotel we saw signs of great activity in the stable -yard--the girls mounting saddle horses and cowboys dashing hither and -thither in the valley beyond. - -“Big cattle round-up to-day,” said our driver, and we were seized with -a desire to see as much as possible of said round-up. Mr. Campbell -assured us that we still had time before dinner to visit the scene -of the round-up and that our driver could take the Ford anywhere a -mustang could go. So we struck out across the broad, sandy wash of -the Rio Puerco in face of stinging gusts of sand, for the wind had -been steadily rising all morning. We pursued our way across the desert -toward the scene of activity, jumping over hummocks, plunging in and -out of little ravines, and crawling through the sagebrush, but making -progress all the time at an astonishing rate. - -Our driver in the meanwhile was regaling us with blood-curdling tales -of his experiences as a cowpuncher--stories of thrilling fights with -Indians, of how he was lost for days in a blizzard to be rescued in -last extremity, and similar harrowing adventures. He was interrupted -by a cowboy who rode up to us, touching his sombrero to the ladies. -“Hello, Gulliver,” he cried, “How’s the Ford for rounding ’em up?” Our -pilot now had little to say, but the newcomer was very courteous in -answering our queries and explaining the maneuvers of the round-up. - -They were now coming in from every side, bringing about a thousand -cattle in all--the object being to separate--“cut out”--the cows with -young calves for branding and the merchantable steers for shipment to -the east. The herd was assembled in a level plain near a corral and the -cowboys, some three or four dozen in number, dashed furiously about, -dexterously singling out the proper animals and turning them into the -corrals. Sometimes a calf, bawling wildly, would bolt for the hills, -followed by his terrified mama. It was astonishing how fast and how far -the little beast’s spindling legs could carry him, but his pursuer soon -had him lassoed and dragged him, in spite of his stiff legs, to the -corral. Poor fellow, if he could have realized the fate awaiting him, -he would probably have increased his desperate struggles for freedom; -a little later he was thrown to the ground and his owner’s brand -imprinted on his smooth hide with a red-hot iron. - -One of the ladies of our party had a kodak and, being anxious to have a -few snaps at closer range, asked one of the cowboys to take the camera -and ride nearer the herd. - -“I’m afraid I don’t know how to work the machine. Say, Gulliver, you -take my horse and try it,” which Gulliver did with sublime assurance. -In the meanwhile perhaps a dozen girls from the hotel and vicinity -came cantering to the scene and were the recipients of most respectful -attention on part of the cowboys. A couple of heavy covered wagons came -lumbering on the scene a little later and paused beside a pond filled -by windmills on the opposite side of the herd. - -“Them’s the grub wagons,” said Gulliver, “Shall we drive round and see -them get dinner?” To which proposal we readily assented. The two cooks -had some difficulty in getting a fire started on account of the wind, -which had increased to a veritable gale, driving the sand in stinging -gusts. One of the cooks dipped a bucket of water from the pool and -poured a quantity of the murky liquid into a dishpan of flour which -he vigorously stirred with his hands. He soon had some biscuits which -looked quite good and his compeer was busy frying steak in huge pans. -Canned vegetables and fruits were produced from the wagons and a very -passable meal was soon ready for serving on wooden picnic plates. True, -everything was liberally sprinkled with the sand which constantly -filled the air, but it was clear from the husky boys flocking in to the -repast that Arizona sand isn’t deleterious to the constitution. We were -invited to join in the repast, but the ladies decided it was time to -return to the hotel and we departed with profuse thanks to our would-be -hosts. - -We did not fare any too well at the hotel--the help had gone almost -en masse to the round-up, leaving most of the work to be done by the -proprietor and his wife. - -“A round-up means a holiday to almost everyone in Adamana,” explained -Mr. Campbell. “It’s no easy matter to keep help at the very best, and -when anything occurs to break the monotony of our life, we have to let -our people make the most of it.” - -We agreed that a chance to see the round-up ourselves more than -compensated for any inconvenience we experienced on account of it, and -everybody took it good-naturedly. - -Gulliver, however, expressed contempt for the round-up; it was -hopelessly tame and civilized compared with those of old days, in which -he had participated, when every man wore a big gun and cartridge belt -and shootings were delightfully common. He was ready after lunch with -his Ford to pilot us to the forests lying south of Adamana. Had not -our time been limited, we should have demurred; the wind had risen to -a perfect gale, clouds of sand obstructed our view, and gave a faint -yellow tinge to the sky. Crossing the river wash, the Ford stalled in -a fresh sand drift and Gulliver requested us to dismount and “give her -a lift.” A little sagebrush thrown under the wheels, an energetic push -by the passengers, some vigorous growling, and more or less snorting -and scrambling on part of the car brought it out of the drift and we -went on our way rejoicing. A wide waste of sand-blown desert stretched -before us; not a tree was visible save a few small cottonwoods along -the Rio Puerco, which, being interpreted, means “river of mud”--though -sand would be more appropriate just now. In the rainy season it often -becomes a raging torrent, cutting off access for the time to the -southern forests, but Mr. Campbell hoped to have a bridge before long. -For six miles we followed the desert trail, often nearly obliterated by -the drifting sand. No human habitations were in sight, only rocks and -sagebrush-studded sand with fragments of a pre-historic Indian village -or two. - -The first forest is not of great extent, but is interesting for -its famous natural log bridge, sixty feet long, spanning a deep, -tree-fringed chasm. The great trunk is four or five feet in diameter -and despite earnest protests from the female contingent I walked across -it in face of the gale, which was, of course, the only element of -danger. - -The second forest is larger, comprising about two thousand acres. -It has many huge trunks almost intact, including the “Twin Sisters,” -the most distinguishing feature of this forest. Gulliver assured us, -however, that the third forest, six or seven miles farther, was the one -most deserving of our attention and if, when we had done this, we still -hankered for petrified forests, we could stop again at the first two on -our return. He took occasion to regale us with additional chapters from -his personal experiences--some of which might indeed have fitted very -appropriately in the career of his namesake. I suggested that he ought -to wear goggles to protect his eyes from the sand--one of them was -badly blood-shot. - -“The sand hain’t got nothing to do with that eye,” he said. “One time -when I was on the range I got into a little dispute with another -cow-puncher and he shoved his gun in my face. I knocked it to one side -but the bullet grazed my cheek, and I got a bad powder burn in the eye.” - -“Well, I suppose you didn’t do a thing to that fellow,” I ventured. - -“Just took his gun away from him and told him to be more keerful next -time--but here’s the third forest. We’ll just leave the Ford and take a -little round on foot.” - -And, indeed, we soon agreed that one who wishes to see the real wonder -and beauty of the petrified forests may well devote most of his time to -the third, or Rainbow Forest, as it is known locally. Here are hundreds -of huge stone trunks, many five or six feet in diameter, and over -two hundred feet long, lying as they fell, but broken by some mighty -convulsion into sections a few feet in length. Every detail of the bark -is preserved, in some cases in apparently its original colors, so that -except for the fractures one might imagine before him a great redwood -log of comparatively recent date. But the great marvel of color is seen -in fractures--every tint of the prism, with blood-red and golden yellow -predominating, combine to astonish and delight the beholder. The grain -and annual rings of growth are plainly marked on many of the gigantic -blocks, enabling scientists to judge pretty accurately of the age of -the trees when destruction overtook them--and some of them had surely -attained their millennium. Everywhere on the sands were scattered -millions of jewel-like fragments, glittering in the sun and exciting -our cupidity to possess specimens of these curious prismatic gems. We -picked up what seemed the most beautiful specimens only to discard them -for others that happened to strike our fancy more forcibly, and in the -end we had stowed away several pounds of the wonderful stone-wood in -Gulliver’s Ford. Of course we knew that only the smallest fraction--a -few glistening chips--could be taken with us, but Sinbad the Sailor in -the valley of diamonds must have experienced much the same feelings as -ourselves amidst these exhaustless jewels. For there is no danger of -the tourists depleting the supply. Millions of tons, covering square -miles in area, are scattered about on the surface and perhaps as much -more is buried just beneath it. Commercial exploitation of the wood was -prohibited since December 1906, when the forests were made a national -monument and the preservation of these wonderful deposits is thus -assured for all time to come. - -Many solutions have been offered to the question, How did natural -forces operate to produce this almost incredible spectacle which our -eyes behold? “The wise guys say that these trees grew hundreds of miles -from the place,” said Gulliver, “and some big flood washed them here -and buried them under a half mile of sand. There they laid a million -years or so, changing into stone, and then along comes another flood -and washes the sand off from ’em.” - -There are other explanations in the books, but perhaps this is as -good as any; it all must have happened before the advent of the human -race upon earth and before the surface of the earth had assumed the -definite shape which now confronts us. Some declare that a great inland -sea overwhelmed this prehistoric forest and the petrification took -place beneath its waters, which deposited deep layers of rock and sand -over the trees. But however it occurred, the great marvel is before -our eyes, acres and acres, profusely covered with chalcedony, agate, -onyx, cornelian, and amethyst, for all of these are here in color if -not in actual composition. Though no habitation now greets the eye--the -only structure being a covered platform on a little eminence affording -a view of a wide area of this strange prostrate forest--human beings -once lived among these weirdly-colored stone trees. Skeletons and -rare old potteries are often unearthed and ruins of Aztec villages -are found in this vicinity. How these primitive men subsisted here is -hard to conjecture, for it would be difficult to imagine a land more -inhospitable for the support of animal life. - -When we were preparing to return, I asked Gulliver if it were not -possible to visit the Blue Forest, to complete our round of the wonders. - -“The Blue Forest,” he snorted in disgust, “that’s one of John Muir’s -fakes. Nothing there worth seeing and would take you another day; have -to make the trip with a team.” - -The latter assertion was sufficient to quench our desire to visit the -Blue Forest and the question whether it was one of John Muir’s fakes or -not became a matter of indifference. - -“There’ll still be time for you to visit the hieroglyphics after you -get back if you want to,” said Gulliver, “but that’s another trip that -even a Ford can’t make; it’s only a four-mile round, though, and the -team can do it in an hour. No, I don’t drive the team myself; I just -officiate as chauffeur. Alkali Ike will do it about right, though, and -he knows more about them hieroglyphics than the fellers that scratched -them on the rocks. They’re mighty curious, and you’ll miss it if you -don’t see them.” - -We didn’t propose to miss it and a small charabanc was ordered -forthwith on our return to the hotel, as several others proposed to -join our party. The wind was raging stronger than ever and the whole -river wash was hidden in clouds of driven sand. Through this we had -to pass at a snail’s pace, for it was heavy going. We could scarcely -see a foot ahead and the stinging sand filled our eyes and hair and -when anyone tried to speak he got a mouthful of it. The driver bowed -his head and let the horses wallow along at their own pace until they -finally scrambled up the opposite bank. - -A few rods beyond the river the driver asked us to dismount and led us -among the huge sandstone ledges which overlook the valley. He first -conducted us to the prehistoric ruins of an Aztec community house, -where walls of rough stone about a foot in height laid in mortar mark -the outlines of numerous dwellings which fronted a plaza one hundred -and thirty feet wide by two hundred and ten feet long. Near the center -of this court has been found a small “kiva” or underground ceremonial -chamber similar to those of the pueblos to-day, and the flagstone -pavement is still in good preservation. - -Near this ruin the hieroglyphics may be seen; they are cut in the -stones of the cliffs along the river for the distance of more than a -mile. The “cutting,” however, of the smooth sandstone has been done -with some hard substance, probably bits of petrified wood, rather than -any metal instrument. Some of the carvings are probably symbolical, and -the meaning is not easy to decipher. Others, however, tell their story -plainly enough. The most ambitious effort is supposed to represent -a royal wedding. The figures indicate dancing and rejoicing and the -priest may be distinguished by the symbolic “bird of wisdom” which he -holds in his hand. There are also representations of flocks and herds -and many individual birds and animals, some quite cleverly done. There -is a long-legged stork, and what he holds in his bill is evidently -intended for a frog, though it might pass for a baby by a stretch of -the imagination. Altogether, these strange carvings are as interesting -as they are mysterious. Their age can only be guessed at, but few -authorities put it at less than a thousand years. No history exists of -the people whose lives are represented here; even tradition is silent. - -After inspecting the ruins and the hieroglyphics in the immediate -vicinity, we were driven for a mile or so beneath the mighty cliffs -along the river. At intervals additional carvings were to be seen, -often high up on the rocks. Returning, we passed near the scene of -the round-up, where a few cowboys were still engaged in branding the -calves--a scene which none of the ladies of the party wished to linger -over. It was nearly dark when we recrossed the river--if we may use -the name for the wide strip of sand where the Puerco rages at rare -intervals. The wind had slightly subsided, though the sand was still -disagreeable enough. - -We were quite ready for a substantial dinner, but things were still -badly disarranged at the hotel. A dance always follows a round-up and -of course none of the hotel girls were willing to miss such an event. -Even the cook had disappeared and the guests had to be satisfied with -the efforts of Mr. Campbell and wife, who rose to the occasion in a -very creditable manner. - -After dinner the guests lounged about the comfortable lobby of the -hotel; there was little to attract one to the rooms until he was -ready to go to bed. I don’t know whether it was a representative -petrified-forest crowd or not, but it was certainly cosmopolitan. There -was a Dutch doctor and his wife from Java--exceedingly non-committal on -the subject of the European War; a middle-aged English lady, professing -to be an invalid but doing the hardest “stunts” everywhere--she -even ate the cowboy dinner at the round-up--accompanied by a very -intelligent Danish lady as a companion and manager; and several plain -American citizens like ourselves from widely scattered sections of -the country. The conversation, as may be imagined, was varied and -generally interesting. The proprietor, who joined us later, told many -entertaining anecdotes of his experiences in the Indian country to -which he made frequent visits to purchase blankets for his store. He -said that he made it a rule never to decline the hospitality of the -Indians or traders, no matter how filthy they might be, since they were -sure to resent any squeamishness on part of a visitor. - -“I was invited to eat in one shack,” he said, “where conditions -beggared description (I fancy the principal dish was dog); and where -the table was simply black with flies, but I joined in as if it had -been a repast at the Waldorf-Astoria. That’s the only way to get the -confidence and the genuine friendship of these people. Of course, I -was situated differently from the ordinary tourist, for I have regular -dealings with both the Indians and the traders.” - -The guests generally joined in expressing the hope that circumstances -might not arise to put their good manners to such a test. - -Mr. Campbell has occasionally outfitted and conducted parties to the -various Indian reservations and particularly to the Moki Snake Dance. -On his last excursion to Moki-land he conducted a party of some thirty -people at a round rate of two hundred and fifty dollars per head, and -the general impression prevailed among them that he was coining money -a la Rockefeller. The fact was, he assured us, that so great were the -difficulties in securing supplies and especially forage for the horses, -that his profits on the trip were negligible. - -The round trip to the Navajo country can be made via Ford in two days -and Gulliver had orders to be ready to take the “invalid” English lady -and her companion on this excursion the following day, but it was -deferred on account of the wind storm which raged in even greater fury -than the day before. - -Campbell is an expert on Navajo blankets, of which he has a very large -collection in the little store which he runs in connection with his -hotel. There are blankets of all degrees, ranging up to three hundred -dollars in price. During the holidays he does a considerable mail-order -business in all parts of the country by means of a magazine advertising -campaign. - -At breakfast we found the serving girls again on the job, looking a -little blase after the dissipation of the round-up and dance. They -declared the latter a disappointment; it was too tame and uneventful. -“Why, there wasn’t even a fight,” said a blonde-haired German damsel -who brought our coffee and hot cakes. To elucidate her remark, Mr. -Campbell explained that while “gun toting” in Arizona is entirely -obsolete and bloodshed quite as uncommon and unpopular as in any -part of the country, few dances in Adamana end without a fist-fight -between some of the cowboys. Naturally, the men greatly outnumber -the maidens and contests for favors are almost sure to result in -warlike demonstrations. The ladies have doubtless come to consider -these collisions between rivals as in some degree a tribute to the -popularity of the female sex and when a dance passes off too peaceably -they feel as if their charms have not been adequately appreciated. - -We boarded the California Limited about noon to resume our eastward -journey. We agreed that the Petrified Forests are well worth while; we -are sure that if the traveling public was generally aware how easily -these strange stone trees can be reached and how well visitors are -taken care of by Mr. Campbell and his helpers--not forgetting the -efficient and entertaining Gulliver--a far greater number of passengers -would “drop off” for a day or two at Adamana. - - -[Illustration: Map Showing Author’s Route in California - -Oregon Map on Reverse of Sheet - - By Courtesy of - THE OREGON JOURNAL - Portland, Oregon -] - -[Illustration] - - - - -INDEX - - - A - - Adamana, 294, 314. - - Albany, 171. - - Albion, 236. - - Alturas, 69. - - Annie Creek Canyon, 84–85. - - Applegate, 31. - - Arcata, 207–208. - - Astoria, 160. - - Auburn, 28–30. - - - B - - Bear Valley, 33. - - Bell Springs Mountain, 216–218, 220–228. - - Bend, 112–116. - - Bly, 74–76. - - Bonneville, 144. - - - C - - Celilo, 140. - - Chinese Camp, 270–271. - - Clear Lake Valley, 21. - - Cloverdale, 238–241. - - Colfax, 31. - - Coloma, 45. - - Columbia River Highway, 135–153. - - Cow Creek Canyon, 178. - - Crater Lake, 17, 81–109. - - Crescent, 112. - - Crescent City, 195–199. - - - D - - Dalles, The, 125–132. - - Del Norte Redwoods, 20, 193–194. - - Deschutes River, 112, 115–120. - - Donner Lake, 22, 33–34. - - Dutch Flat, 32. - - Dyerville, 217, 220. - - - E - - Eagle Lake, 65–66. - - Emigrant Gap, 32. - - Eugene, 173–175. - - Eureka, 18, 21, 184, 209–219. - - - F - - Fort Bragg, 233–234. - - Fortuna, 219. - - Fresno, 248. - - - G - - Glenbrook, 48–51. - - Globe, 287–288. - - Gold Run, 32. - - Goose Lake, 69–72. - - Grant, Ulysses S., 213. - - Grants Pass, 179–185. - - - H - - Harriman, E. H., 104. - - Harris, 223–225. - - Harrisburg, 172. - - Harte, Bret, 22, 45, 213–215, 270. - - Hetch Hetchy Valley, 266–267. - - Honey Lake, 63–64. - - Hood River, 132–135. - - Horse Lake, 67–68. - - - J - - Jacksonville, 270. - - - K - - Klamath Falls, 74–81. - - Klamath, Fort, 83. - - Klamath, Lake, 81–83. - - - L - - Lakeview, 72–74. - - Lancaster, Mr. S. C., 138–139, 145, 150. - - Latourelle Falls, 149–150. - - Laytonville, 229–232. - - Little River, 236. - - Lost River, 76. - - - M - - McCrays, 239–241. - - Madeline Plains, 68. - - Mariposa Grove, 251–253. - - Mendocino City, 234–235. - - Multnomah Falls, 146. - - - O - - Oregon City, 168. - - Orick, 205. - - - P - - Painted Desert, 298. - - Pais Creek Canyon, 175. - - Patrick’s Creek, 189. - - Petrified Forest, 294. - - Phoenix, 277–294. - - Placerville, 45–46. - - Portland, 154–161. - - Priest’s, 269. - - Putnam, George Palmer, 167. - - - R - - Reno, 57–61. - - Requa, 202. - - Rogue River, 102–103, 179. - - Roosevelt Dam, 277–289. - - Roseburg, 175, 177. - - - S - - Sacramento, 23–27, 44. - - Salem, 169–170. - - Sand Creek Canyon, 110. - - Santa Rosa Valley, 21, 241–242. - - Sequoia, 268. - - Shaniko, 121. - - Shepperd’s Dell, 148–149. - - Stockton, 272. - - Storm Crest Tunnel, 136. - - Sunday, Billy, 134. - - Susanville, 64–65. - - Sutter, Col. John H., 26. - - - T - - Tahoe, Lake, 17, 23, 35–44, 71. - - Tallac, 38, 39. - - Trinidad, 206. - - Truckee, 35, 54. - - Tuolumne Grove, 265–267. - - Tygh Valley, 122, 123. - - - V - - Vancouver, 159. - - - W - - Waldo, 186. - - Wawona, 248, 253. - - Wellman, John W., 101. - - Westport, 232. - - Willamette Valley, 163–167. - - Winthrop, Theodore, 131. - - - Y - - Yolo Trestle, 25. - - Yosemite Valley, 245–274. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they -were not changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; unbalanced quotation -marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left -unbalanced. - -The index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page -references. - -The illustration at the beginning of the book is the cover; the first -two illustrations on the Title Page are decorative; the third is the -publisher’s logo. - -Page 215: “in his first essay” was misprinted as “in first his essay”; -corrected here. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Oregon the Picturesque, by Thomas D. 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