Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 207, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1920 — LOG OF TRIP TO YOSEMITE [ARTICLE]

LOG OF TRIP TO YOSEMITE

WRITTEN BY JOHN WALKER, FORMER REPORTER OF THIS CIRCUIT. The following article from the pen of our former court reporter and very popular former fellow townsman is taken from the Tucson Citizen, published at Tucson, Ariz. The article will appear in installment -of which the following is the second: Leave Coast Route. “We turned off of the coast route near San Jose, desiring to go into the Yosemite, and drove to Stockton. This was out of our way to some extent, but desiring to secure road maps, etc., we felt it well worth the extra distance. Upon calling on the automobile club, we were accorded every courtesy, and upon informing them Where' we desired to go, were again furnished with complete maps, with the good roads indicated, those not so good thus indicated, and the bad roads shown. Leaving Stockton at noon, we traveled the Lincoln highway for part of the distance, and then got on the Oak .Flat road. While this road is not paved, it is an exceptionally good mountain road, filled with sharp turns it is true, but many passing places, so that there is little if any danger of meeting cars. Along this road every 30 or 40 miles are taverns where gas, oil and other supplies can be obtained, all. of Which are indicated on our road maps, so there is little chance of getting in trouble. Upon entering the Yosemite National Park, the government, through the forest department, have provided beautiful camp sites for persons going through, where abundance of shade is provided, usually along some little mountain stream, and the department, with the assistance of the campers, keep it immaculately clean. Along this road are many places where the road seems to be hanging by a thread on the mountain side, with a sheer drop of hundreds of feet/Seemingly just on the outside of the wheels of your machine. Here, too, are provided passing paints every few hundred feet, so that one machine, usually the one coming down hill, can park in the clear, and the upcoming machine pass. Upon reaching the first control of the valley, each person has to stop and register their machine and have their firearms sealed, and are given a slip showing this data, and then drive on nine miles to the second control, where these slips are taken, ana new ones issued. At the second control, when going into the valley, you have to Wait until the odd hour, thus Avoiding meeting any machine coming up, as they all come up on the even hour, and no one is allowed to start down until all machines are either up or accounted for. Upon turning the corner after leaving the second control, it seems that the entire world is at your feet: You can look down thousands of feet to the. bottom of the valley, across to. Glacier Point, Cathedral Spires, the Bridal Veil Falls, and other points of indescribable grandeur, which makes one realize that we humans are indeed insignificant when compared with the wonderful things nature can do when she tries. Going down this four miles of road, it is almost going straight down, and with your machine running on compression in the low gear, the brakes are> necessary all the time. There are itaany places on this road where only about eight or ten inches of road is all that is between the outside of the machine and the rocks thousands of feet below. One may look down into the

valley at one of the roads that resembles a white thread more than anything else, and to see an automobile going along just seems to be a small black speck barely creeping along. In fact, you have to watch for it for some time to be able to say it is really moving. Upon arriving at the control at El Capitan, our cards are inspected and if we have not made the trip in less than 35 minutes, we are again registered, and given new cards. If we have allowed, our machine to make the four miles in less than 35 minutes, a penalty is attached, as this is against the rules, and this penalty is determined by the forest ranger, sometimes only a friendly admonition, and again a fine is attached, and theA is no appeal. Entering th# Valley. “Upon entering the valley proper, one is struck with awe at the wonderful things that nature has placed in this one spot. El Capitan is a solid rock raising her head thousands of feet. above the surface of the surrounding country, without a break in her glassy sidee. This rock has been scaled a number of times, but only by the aid of ropes, and by expert mountain climbers. As you drive through the big pines and redwoods, and at a sharp turn in the road, the Yosemite Falls comes into view. This falls drops from the high mountains to a ledge, and then makes the final drop to the surface of the valley, which really seems two falls, one back of the other. While these falls lessen as the summer advances, in July they are at their best. Upon arriving at the village, if you desire to camp, you register with the forest service, and are then assigned a camp ground. The hotels are Camp Curry and Yosemite Lodge'. At the former you have the choice of tent houses, two beds in each, or bungalow cottages. In the ten houses the rates, American plan, are >4.00 a day per person. In the bungalows, the rates, American plan, are |6.00 per day per person and up. The hotel rates at the Lodge are generally the same, but this is a hotel entirely. If one desires to camp, there is no charge for camp site, and the stores furnish your supplies at the usual prices. Prices of everything in the valley are fixed by the government, and are very reasonable, considering that all supplies have to be freighted part of the distance. Camp Curry is located at the foot of Glacier Point, and is a most beautiful spot. During the day at the camp, the visitors are left to their own devices, but after dinner in the evening, they all assemble around the big camp fire in the middle of the camp and listen to whatever form of entertainment may be furnished for that particular everimg. This consists of singing, story telling, a good reciter, musicians, and other forms of entertainment. There is a fire burning during the evening on Glacier Point, which, on a dark night, seems to be a light in the sky directly over Camp Curry. At nine o’clock each evening, a call is made to those attending the fire on the point, which is answered from above, and thereupon the fire that has been burning during the evening is slowly pushed over the brink of the rock, and is a home made Aurora Borealis as the living coals of fire slowly slide down the sides of the rock. If the night as dark, the rock is not to be seen, and the fire and red hot ashes Ijpve the appearance of a blood red comet, reaching from Glacier Point 3,000 feet below. When the fire has all been pushed over and has died out, the “good night” call is given from above, answered from below, and the day is officially done. (Tei Be Continued.)