New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-16
A RAMBLE IN CALIFORNIA.
ON THE MEXICAN FRONTIER.
FROM MOUNTAIN TO SEA-FIRST VIEW OF 1hH
PACIFIC-THE SANTA re RouTE-ChAh'
ACTERIsTICS OF CALIFORNIA SCENERY
THE OLD MISSION OF SAN
LUIS REl.
CrroM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TniBrSE)

(FIoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TEiBrNE)
Hotel Del Coronado San Diego, Cal, June 2l.-
The sky was vast dome of blue crystal and All
space seemed flooded with sunshine we roliei
down the valley this morning, making our course
for the sea. \ fresh breeze was stirring III 'ie
spirs of tn, eucalyptus and in the feahery pei''"'
streamers Of the pepper and among the ra''ah'
flowers many "A blooming lawn, and over many
a field of golden hay, and the air was laden WIFI
Fragrance from oleandcr, magnolia and helotrop''
and countless hlossoming shrubs that make TINS
region one field Of costly beauty. The trail that
| we followed runs west and south, past Redlands.
on her stately heights and Riverside in her fertile
| vale and the Tcnescal Mountains. and the corn
fields and orange groves Of Santa Ana. and so on
ward toward the ocean All along the way from
Orange to Capistrano saw the massive SANTA
Ana range with Biz Laguna at It's head. Between
those mountains and tho sea the bottom lands ar"
exceptionally leveE ard much of the territory Il
devoted to hay and grain. At III Toro the pilgrim
thinks of beautiful Modeska. whose ranch Is IN
/ the Santiago Canyon. about twenty miles TO the
| cast and whose name and presence have cast
| Glamour over all this country side. Signs OF tn"
sea have been growing frequent. and at Cap.T-
trano-where there is AN old mission church, haif
| in ruirs-its welcome proximity is evident n IN"
cool wind the saline odor. tho sandy soil ann IN"
hardy vegetation itte further. and through a
vista Of golden meadow. saw for the first tine
tho great white breakers and the blue desert OF
tho magnificent Pacific. II is at San Juan thar
the Santa Fe route strikes tine coast and from that
point almost to San Diego it skirts the shore ana
runs through scenery as sweet and gentle as
brcnzv and romantic. as ever soothfh the sonS"'
or hcwiicho1 the mind Often. indeed. the country
is bleak. from lack Of trees hut the grass is h"au'
Tho dir
scented with hcrblikc odor that are full of health
on one side the great ocean surgrs and sparkes IN
shmmerinc silver. and on the other side the hills
roll away in pillows Of gold. At this sea Son OF
the year the prevalent color il yellow: IN the
winter il will be green At al times the scene is
a pageant.
The general character Of the landscape in South
crn California is amply and Faithfully denoted in
the objects that fill tho picture. as you make ms
Journey toward the Mexican line. II is land
scapc of wonderful amplitude and rich variety.
and the sight Of il at orc, broadcns perception and
dgnifes thought. The life of the i1habitant'
my bn frivoou. NAV he fine the life OF Natur"
is stupcadous. and everything here has been made
for grandeur The mountains and the ocean,
mentors Of human insiqnifcance and emhlems of
| eternity. arc hero closely confronted; and, how
ever much tho spirit Of the spectacle my he modi-
is snblimty Center aspects of the scenery mingl"
with its statelncss but no natural element Of it
is trivial or mean: and. while its majesty inspires
| ave its variety is a continual delight. At dis
| ,oncc the mountain peaks loom through pale
blue mist More near. their craggy wooded slopes
silent and grim in the sunshine, CLEAN through
| v.tas in the lower hlls-ranGe beyond range
reaching backward and upward 10 the nn"ioulod
sapihirc Of the summer sky. On the foothills ana
in the meadows that fringe the sea the dry russell
grass is thickly sewn with golden tan-weed. In
rho shaded and moist ravines the trees and shrub
berry are rank and green Rivers that soon VIII
| he copious and prccipitate torrents. flow now in
thin streams through sand and rocks. in the
shadows Of their arid reds. Groves OF the i've
oak are frequent and sentinel lines of the Lom-
hardy poplar. AMI clumps Of eucalyptus, with nero
and There = cottage: while wheat-iieldS commnglc
with fruit orchards. salt marshes with deserts OF
brush. patches Of barley with acres Of pasture,
vinnvarls with almost boundess tracts of corn,
ard beds of bulrush with a wilderness of cactus
and sage Cattle feed in the low ground, and
over :, there are occasional flights of birds. In
some Of the meadows the hay is stacked IL
trodigiou, hcaps. and. since months pass with
scarce one drop of rain, il will remain there, un-
covered and safe The hay-iieds are many and
bread AMI often, a. yol look upon the distant hay
cart and the workers around il. in the sunny
main. YOU might thinI, yourself in Warwick or
Yorishirc-but that YOU miss the opulcnt English
roliorc tie gray church tower. and the far-of.
floating music Of the chimes. At intervals the
brilliant green OF the alfalfa lights up the vel
low cXpansc The rocks shine with delicate
Towering sea-moss. lone tree upon the hilltop
catches your passing vision. ruined adobe
house CLEANS from its nest of scarlet gcranium AMI
.l.:ft
,till. and seemingly unpeopled-on the sunny
western slope that fronts the sea. II is world OF
pictures and of dreams, and over it all the spirit
# the mountain shares dominion with the wizard
az tha doom Miles OF white beach extend along
This coast on which the vast Plciiic breaks con-
tinuallv in the endless music of foamng pillows
and doshinc surge All the land seems to flower
into gold while out over the ocean the blue OF
heaven darkcns into purple and the horizon is an
ondlcss line Of mvstery-at once allurement and
menacc-the everlasting symbol of hum1n fate.
Eastward and inward, from Oceanside-which
sleeps on this delicious coast. about Midway De-
tween San Juan and San D,ego-therc Is drive
across the mountains that horc no traveller will
ever omit 10 take The ascent is gentle bait even
from the first height, YOU gain view of the
Pacific that amazes You by iiS extent and over
whelms Won with its beauty. Soon however, tn"
a.a is forgotten and your gaze is completely
fascinated by the charm Of the land. You on
n rold that winds ard dips and rises, yet keeps
ever nj the crest of the range, and on every side
YOU are envroncd with golden bills and ample
valleys. clad mostly in russell and yellow vcrlurr
that ripplcs in wind and SUM- ard given over to
the cattle and the birds Here and there you may,
perhaps. discern farmhouse far down in the low
lands; hat almost the only visible sign of human
life was the distant railway track winding out
through hill-gap, from Carlsbad, toward Es
condido-"thc hidden One''-twcnty miles away
Nowhere in all my wardcrings have | been con-
scious of greater airiness. and breadth and mag
niticent amplitude. than there, the brink of the
great VALLEY OF san Luis Roy. Far TO the north
Il L.. L.