The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-08-02
ON THE SLOPE.
How They Live on the Other Side
of the Rocky Mountains.
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.


WHEREIN THE WRITER DESCRIBES THE
COUNTRY AND SOME OF THE FEATURES
OF LIFE ON THE SLOPE.
Published by Permission.l
Ell CoNEzo Rancho, July 3.-Desr M:
weather, and all complaining of it, while
| am sitting on the porch, wearing heavy
flannel shi-s and my vest. and would not be
uncomfortable with coat on. A traveller
In California, during the months OF July
and August, will find the heat very intense
even in the coast towns, but let him go
back anywhere from ten to twenty miles,
/ where be will be from 1000 to 1000 feet
ABOVE the sea, and then If he can not enjoy
himself, he never will In this world.
| have not known a single day yet, when
| there was not breeze from the ocean and
have never written q letter here on the
porcn that have not had to pile books on
my papers to keep them from blowing
/ away. There are two large white oaks
one beside the house and one back of it
of the same size; &C noon the shade OF one
| of them forms nearly an exact circle, and
| is thirty three PAGES In diameter. i do not
think this species of oak ever grows any
larger than this in this state. The other
| day 1 took the thermometer, which stood
| at 1909 Fab. In my room that was exposed
to the direct rays OF the sun,
and hung it under one of these
| trees, when it fell to SO degrees. A party
of five gentiemen-One from Boston and
the others from Santa Bsrbars-heve been
| csmpiI near US, and L have been going
| out with them, acting as guide and hunter,
and was fortunate enough to shoot deer
| for them. We became fast friends, and
| they invited me to go with them to the
upper Ojai pronounced Oh-bi) valley and
hunt snd FISH there; so tied two blankets
on my saddle and was off with them.
| Alter proceeding about three miles, we
met man coming from Santa Barbara,
who informed one OF our party Mr.. p. J
that his wife was sick. so we changed our
course and rode "a miles to San Buens-
ventura, where Mr.. p. teIegraphed, and
finding that all was right, we turneu due
north and entered on
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROADS
1 ever saw. About twenty miles ahead,
the mount aims rose almost perpsndlculsrly
for some four or q We thousand feet, and on
each side high hills ran parallel with the
road, which followed the bed of the Santa
Anna river, beautiful mountain stream,
clear as crystal, flowing through as charm
ing a valley as could be imagined, all IN
der high cultivation. And here first saw
the phenomenon of wa Ter flowing up hill,
st least, this is the appearance it has. As
you ride along, the mountains rise up so
steep that as you go tow Ard them you have
! the impression that you are going down
Mill, when you are really ascending,
and when you first look at the
water in the trough which conducts 1t to
San Buens ventura, you feel sure that it is
flowing into the mountains instead OF
from them and it Is not till you look back
and realize how impossible it would be
for water TO flow from the sea into the
mountains that you can believe that your
eyes have so deceived YOU. By evening
We reached the Lower Ojsi and came to b
rancho situated In a narrow canyon with
the hills on both sides green TO their tops,
with trees aud all manner of plants, owned
by Spaniard of pure Castilian blood and
quite wealthy. He had three very haDd-
some daughters, one OF them was perfect
beauty with the clear, dark skin, oval
features and coal black eye of her race
They all smiled and laughed, and one OF
them played the piano for us, it was al
elegant Instrument, and L may hsve been
prejudiced by the time, place and novelty
of the thing, but 1 thought had never
heard the piano played before. Some o.
these high-toned Castilians take great
pains with the education OF their children
and spend large amounts of money for
-
trout enough for our breakfast and the
next morning we went Is miles further to
the upper DIAL where we camped, having
travelled altogether about so miles. We
spent the afternoon In getting our camp
into good shape and looking around on TIE
fsirest prospect one could wish to see. Ga
one side the mountains rose so high that it
would take whole day to climb to the
top of them, and on the other side of the
valley were
HIGH HILLS COVERED WITH OAK TREES
and kind OF grass resembling blue grass,
but coarser and more dry. The next
morning 1 climbed the hills, and on look
ing across little canyon 1 saw a large
deer, and In about two seconds 1 sent a
bullet into mis- front shoulder, but unfor-
tunstely had left my Spsncer riffs al
home, being out of cartridges. and had
only muzzle loader, and the distance be-
ing too far to kill him | was very sorry to
see him get off on three legs with the other
hanging losoe, and Il went back quite dis
gusted. The next morning p. and myself
went up the mountain on horseback, TAX
ing q couple of blankets with us as we
were going TO stay out all night, and 1
never enjoyed night so much as that
night on the mountain. The air was per-
fectly delightful, and 1 slept almo st
all nigns Just III my nahhel snirt,
pants and boots Towards morning
drew my blanket over me but the air was
so light and fms and the moon so bright
! that lay for hours drinking 1t in. When
| the dsy broke the view was magnificent.
HEAVY ocean fog lay away down below us,
over Ventura, the mountains on each side
| of the bay rising above the fog like islands
and when 1t cleared of we could see
twenty miles to San Buensventura, to
Santa Barbara. to Congo, and over the
inland mountains of Santa Cruz and
San Miguel. II you take the atlas,
and starting at point twenty miles back
| of Ventura, draw straight line for one
hundred miles over the Santa Barbara
channel and over San Miguel out to the