Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-09-29
From Southern California.
AN EXCURSION TO CANON DE SANTIAGO.
CANON De SANTIAGO
To the Editor Of the Free Press and Times

AN EXCURSION TO CANON DE SANTIAGO.
Canon De SANTIAGO
Los Angeles Co. CAL, Sept. 2l
To the Editor Of the Free Press and Times:
The average Californian probably spends
more OF his time out of doors Than the in
habitant Of any other State in the Union.
Indeed many OF them are 81 poorly shelter
cd they may be said to live in the open air
Sill, If he wants rest or recreation. be
packs up his frying pan and coffee pot. and
rolls up his blankets, and starts for the
| beach or the mountains to camp out Quite
in sympathy with this feeling, we took
our frying pan. coffee pot, ard blanket, and
the result is here We are, under the wide
spreading oaks AID tall sycamores Of this
most beautiful Canon. Our party consists
of six persons,-one native OF England,
ono of Canada, two Vermonters, a New
Yorker, and one from Ohio. Let me intro
duce, first. out of respect to his cloth, the
Rev. Mr.. Il, young Episcopal clergy
man who has left his clerical dignity. along
donned in their places red flannel shirt,
straw hat. and a rollicking air of good
humOr Next is the Nimfod of the party,
i cultivated genial gentleman and gradu-
ate from the same college as our future
President, Gov. H.yes. Two farmers. who
can perpetrate joke as well as appreciate
it, aud two ladies complete the number.
The latter felt themselves quite IN the
minority. until told " they made them
selves sufficiently numerous" and were
able to reply that they " were Of as much
use as four men, anywhere -
We left Anaheim about ten clock in the
morning, and, alter drive of about ten
miles, most of the way gentle up grade,
arrived at the first step (Which our horses
found very steep step) OF our mour tain
journey. We were soon at the entrance of
the Canon, and lunchug under a masnif-
cent grove OF live oaks. many of then so
completely covered with the wild g-ape
vine that their own foliage was scarcely
vislb be. These vines trail over and tespon
everything, giving the most gnarled old
tree or stump graceful and tropical look.
sour things. no better than the frost grape
in Vermont. Here, too, under foot Is a
carpet OF green grass. and the Santiago
creek ripping and purling over the stores,
in the most musical and home-like way.
No wonder that this Is iavOrte resort for
plcnics and pleasure parties tar and near
But we are determined to get up the Can
on as Tar As We can, and must hasten on.
The road winds about, crossing and re-
crossing the bed OF the creek, passing uu-
der trees whose boughs brush OuI heads
when all at once, the horIs are
stopped, the gentlemen leap to the
ground, and with their guns cooked
steal noiselesslY through the bushes. They
come back, however, looking disappointed,
exclaiming - what big fellow, and then
| ask meekly, What did you see Why
didn't you see It? y wild eat close by the
road" After that | am on the watch for
wild cats. you may be sure. The hills rise
bare and brown IN all conceivable shapes,
and have burnt volcanic appearance. Oc-
casionally the valley widens to half mile
or more, and here quail are fund in
abundance.
The absence OF singing birds : notice
able, here a. well a IN other pars OF the
STATE. Ia i place ike this IN the east, the
air would be vocal with their music but
here there Is nothing, save an occasional
SPARROW, that gives a hushed llile note,
apparently AFRAID to break the Sabbath
stiffness that rcigns. The quail gives a
warning cry which We fancy sounds like,
Look cut there Look out there"
That. with the turtle dove and very proyi-
dent little woodpecker seems TO be all the
birds here. This latter bird penerates the
bark Of the oak trees, and its hole just
suited 10 receive an acorn this done he
drives an acorn IN as snugly as II can be
done with Il hammer. Then in b time of
scarcity he has nothing to DO but eat his
acorn out. Some OF the trees seem filed
with these provisions against aecd. An
other thing We have noticed among these
denizens OF the wi!ds, that the rats huiid
their nests high up in the branches Of the
trees. while the squirrels hurrOw in the
ground. Verify things 90 BY " contrarics
here.
We arrived q. dark at the end OF the road
twenty-five miles from Anahelm with sppe-
titles whetted Tor the trollod quail. our
Nimrod soon had not upDr ihr board (lIte-
rally board)-a little accident such as
tipping things over in the ashes. not at all
impairIng their flavor. We went to bed
this first night. under tie canopy oi the
stars, like Christians alter singing hymn
and joining IN prayer. Bat alas Tor the
demoralzng Influences Of camp life, the
very second night We retired to the tune VI
the " Little Brown jug and recitation
from Mark Twain Doth effectively render
ed by the pars n. The ladies were priyl-
legec to occupy the big wagon Tor bed
chamber but the gentlemen having all
outdoors, and the ants the same privilege,
they naturally occupied the same blankets,
ard the night passed with some very sntlc
performances by both parties. The hunters
were of long before light. stealing like
ghosts up the mountain side, IN pursuit OF
deer, returning IN the midday heat, tired
and disgusttd. The only deer seen was too
far up the mountain to be brought down.
80 his lite was mereIiully spared.
/ The main Canon Is iutcrsected by runner
Gus smaller ones, and scattered all about
among them are the famous bee ranches OF
/ this county. The mountains and valleys
are covered with growth Of white and
/ blue sage, from which the finest honey Is
made One bee man, quite near our camp,
/ has three hundred stands OF bees and two
tons of this years product on hand Las.
/ year he shipped SIX tons. lie Is selling the
/ best strained honey for eight cents per
pound. At these extremely low 1gures.
the business pays better in proportion TO
the outlay than farming or stock raising.
/ Ii Is business and place especially
! adapted TO lnyalids. The work Is light,
and the air among these hills Is de.iclOusly
soft, and at the same time exhlliratlng.
| The heat Of the day Is cooled BY the noun
tain breeze, not harsh like that sometimes
from the sea, and the nights are wonderful
for the cool still dry air. lie must De dis
eOntented wretch who could complain OF
this mountain climate. The land l. flowing
with honey, but not with milk. Our neigh
Dor has about sixty head OF cattle, mostly
cows, ranging these hills and harlly milk
enough Tor his coffee. The COW that gives
him this has to be tied up and ned down
a every operation. What the animals find
to live upon Is query (they were IN toler-
able condition )-cismGie possibly.
To day has been given 10 sightseeing,
some OF the party visiting Elephant Peak
a very precipitous mountain TO the south
and from which all the kingdoms OF the
world can be seen, ii we can credit the tale
| from those who have been there. Oar party
! brought from thence specimens OF the f0s-
| sill remains Of a whale, and muscle she'll
in perfect pres. rvalion. Just below Ele-
plants Peak are the Links" caused by
some great clnvuls0n Of nature evidently.
| The hills appear to have been divided By
some mighty Effort, and one part swallowed
up or sunk IN the earth, while the remain
der presents perpendicular wall of red
clay, except where 1t is worn and washed
by rains, in the most curious shapes OF
arches, columns and gothic structures.
The mountains in this region DO not form a
continuous chain. but rise from the same
level, and are separated from each other by
gorges. rayines. and canons. Bot the most
famous place of all is Robbers Peak, with
a tolerably easy ascent from one side; bat in
all other directions it is steep. precIpitous
wall OF rock and hard clay. There is IAN
over true tale connected with this noun
tain Once upon a time (about Is years
ago) band of Mexican robbers infesting
the country fed to these Mountains, and
being hotly pursued ran up this peak.
thinking to escape upon the other side.
Their pursuers pressed hard after and all
were captured except the leader and one