Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-04
AIR LIKE CHAMPAGNE,
Bear Valley the Greatest Sum-
mer Resort.
The Home Of Myriads Of Rainbow
Trout.
.Charsotsristics Of Beautiful Spot
which IL Little Inconsistency
which IL Grand Beyond
Description.

n yistas whose varied scenic splendors
rival the Alps or the rugged grandeur Of
the Apennines, ID to be found in Bear
valley. in San Bernardino county. 1t
would exact the genius Of Salvador
Rosa to adequately depict it on canvas.
In the heart Of q sheltered valley,
located $500 feet above the sea, nesting
in forest, lies crystalline lake, five
miles long and varying from half mile
to three miles in width, formed Of snow
water, cold and pure and the homo
Of untold myriads Of speckled rainbow
trout. Here certainly the tired dweller
Of the cities can find surcease from the
cares Of the world, wonderful success
nion Of scenic environment, an atmos-
phere filled with the elixirous fragrance
Of the pine and imbued with all the
sxhilarsting qualities Of sparkling cham
pagne. The opening up OF this en-
ohantingly beautiful valley to the stream
Of tourist travel and to the denizens Of
the Southern California region has
added another potential charm to the
infinite variety Of attractions which
characterize this heaven-favored Sec
tion of America.
A party of newspaper men and Off
oials of the Santa Fe road made the
journey to Bear valley last Saturday.
They started from Highland station, on
the kite-shaped track, ct $3.50 Saturday
morning In capacious six-hor5e stage,
Captain M. +. Cropley holding the rib
bons with an art and skill that would
have made Phaethon' presumptuous un-
dertaking success. In the party were
Assistant General Passenger Agent H.
K. Gregory, superintendent w. B. Bea-
mer, Passenger Agent W. A. Mitchem of
San Bernardino, Judge E. 8. Torrance
fof San Diego, E. O. Winslow, @. O..
Haskell of the San Bernardino Times
Index, ]. E Kiplinger Of the Kaleido-
scope, G. B. Whitcomb. VIM. Galer Of
the Los Angeles Express, w. r. Ream
Of the Times, and M. NJ. Ogden OF the
HERALD.
There was crack Of the blacksnake
whip Of Captain Cropley over the heads
Of his restive equines, and the climb of
the mountain commenced. The mag
nifcent road built by the Highland
Lumber company was the route, and
after crossing the foothills with their
corona Of orange trees and floral luxuri-
ance, the climb up the mountain began
in earnest. Round and round in ever
narrowing circles the stage assembled
into the clouds; ct times as favored
points were reached magnificent pros
poets of the valley far below were pre-
sented to view.
The ascent continued until IL 80. when
the mill OF the Highland Lumber COM
pany, situated in q gorge in the noun
tain side, was reached. Here the party
enjoyed the hospitality of General Man
ager M. A. Neilan Of the lumber COM
pany, and sat down to substantial
dinner. The lumber company here own
of $1,000 feet day. It is estimated
feet of lumber in the tree. It is yellow
and sugar pine, and fir. After dinner,
with six span of horses, and with Paul
Power as the jehu, the journey
was resumed, and again the party
were ascending toward the empyrean.
The scenery now took on more pictur-
esquely striking features. On every
side stately redwoods lowered above,
veritable giants OF the forest, while the
mountain sides became still more rug
ged.
StupendouH masses of rock had been
torn from their erstwhile resting places
and piled by Titanic hands in grotesque
forms. Here there was close resem-
blance to q battlemented castle, and there
the gigantic counterfeit presentment oi
some grand old cathedral, with it's
Gothic architectural splendors. On
every hand these massive piles of gran
ite had been rolled and piled into fan
tastic forms by some Cyclopean force ol
the ages, while below the sinuous road
way, etreamed in various directions
cations that widened into expansive
Wales full of the mystery and Suggestive
ness, Of nature in her primitive moods
Up and up the stage still climbed, until
an altitude of 8002 feet was reached, and
here, after passing through narrow
covert thickly wooded, q superb vision
was opened to the eyes Of the enraptur
ated sightseers.
It was the famed Eagle pass
over which even the practical, sober
minded Argonauts-t peripatetic pros
pector-has even waxed enthusiastic
On one side of the pass the mountain
side sank away sharply in sheer fal
of 1000 feet, while across the purple
haze, scintillant in the golden sunlight
the yellow arid stretches of TIE Moiavl
desert reached in to the far distance for
full 100 miles-the line Of cleaning
sand impinging on the. emerald luxuri
ance that reached from the top of th,
mountain away down to the foothills al
the lower ends Of that wondrous valley
Turning to the other side Of the pass
another enchanting and comprehensive
vision was revealed, and the eye followet
the fertile con6guration Of the Eal
Gabriel valley--the new Garden Of Edel
down for more than 100 miles, until i
reached the blue waters Of the Pacific
Towns and hamlets had dwindled int
tiny Lilliputian structures, that wer
taintly outlined and blurred by the haz
Of distance. Towering up in tn
skies were Mounts San Antonio, Sal
Jacinto, and Mount San Bernardin(
with the coronal Of dazzling snow tina
cleaned white against the deeply
darkIy. intensely blue Of the cloudlee
sky. The Howadjis fingered long here
and left this grand panorama reluct
antly.
Again the route was resumed an,
wound around tremendous precipicee
and after two hours Of varied landecap D
plunged down into Green valley.
oup-iike basin, the sides 81 which Wer
clothed with banks Of snow. From thi
point the road trended downward, cross
ing many clear and flashing streams Z
mountain water that. from the head
waters Of the Mojave river, and The
entered 1 thickly wooded country reach
Ing Pine lake, in the heart Of Bear vi
lev It O'Clock. Pine lake il an idee