The herald., 1894-09-16
narrow path by taking the road through

at your back. Sandclouds laden with
pebbles and weeds envelop you with
sudden fercenese, and large bowlders
by the wayside seem anxiouslv waiting
for q larger gust, so that they, too, can
join the procession.
Borrowing few sticks from neigh
boring fence. fixed my coat so that II
would spread out like a sail. In this
way hoated along mile after mile,
scarcely pedaIing 10 miles out OF the en-
tire 50
From Pleyto to San Miguel, 20 miles
distant, the road loses what good repu-
tation it may have gained ia it's former
course. For the first five miles the
scenery is lost in the toll up and down
the mountain side, and mostly up at
that. At Kings City had been in
structed regarding the route. After
crossing bridge and passing two houses
you were to turn to the left and from
there make no turns at all. but were to
keep the right-hsnd road, there only
being one other fork and that about
half mile further on. From here on to
San Luis Obispo the trip was monoto-
nous and wearisome except the coast
down the Cuesta grade. Luckily l had
rubber strips on my tires, 80 thai l
could use my foot as brake. Without
this protection my light racing tires
would hardly have reached Mexico.
''At San Luis l roet my brother, How
ard Alexander and George Pollard, who
had arrived safely the evening before.
One OF the best arrangements We had
made for the trip was in having a trunk
of necessary articles sent on from town
to town ahead Of US. So in the evening.
after we had disappeared in our rooms
for short time, you would never have
thought we had been travelling all day
over hot, dusty roads. 1t was late in
the morning when we left San Luis
Obispo. We took longer, and, as they
told US, better route to Arroyo Grande.
But If the other is worse l pity the poor
wheelm an who is ever lucklcss enough
to go that way.
Everything went we'll until we came
to the Santa Maria river bed, the place
where the water must have turned into
sand, and before the conversion there
surely was plenty OF water. They call it
two, but will wager we walked 80 miles
in crossing it. AT least that is how it
seemed to me. First you climb q
bs bsd-wire fence and tear your clothes,
trying to find it harder on the other side
Then you climb back again and settle
down to steady walk, dragging your
wheel after you. The fence ends and
you seem lost ia = great desert.
Walking in the wagon tracks
you think the other bank
will bring relief. You struggle up the
other side only to see the sand stretch
ing on and on in the straight and mar
row way, the way you must go.
"But it must all end at last, and we
were repaid at Santa Maria By ono OF
the best meals on the trip. Perhaps We
called all of them the best, for it only
takes q few days ON the road to change
a consumptive into an athlete. In the
sentiments of the great humorist, few
weeks trip awheel would return an
Egyptian mummy to its pristine vigor
and give it an appetite like an alligator.
1--WE were escorted ON our way bv Gus
Pene. A. E. Cox and Bert Coblsntz
Leaving them some 10 miles out w
wended our way up the valley over q
very sandy road. One thing which q
cycist would like to see spread all over
the country is a set OF distance posts,
noting how far you are from the next
town. It's a falling in this country for
no one seems to know how far he is
we'll, as l was saying, we would inquire
distances. One person would say 10
miles. Inside Of the next 800 yards an
other would answer Is. Rather slow
travelling, and we often vented our feel
ings on the surrounding atmosphere.
"Our route was over the steep grades
of tine Santa Ynsz. being shorter, and if
the other through Los Almas could be
worse, then this is the better. So they
told US, at least.
There are two separate inclines. both
very steep frsm this side, bat offering
long, gradual coasts on the other. For
three or four miles you wind slowly
hard, smooth roads.
''Here we were overtakcn by darkness,
but, as a full moon was rising, the ride
from the summit to Los Olivos, six
miles away, was one not to be forgot
ten. After leaving Santa Ynez, five
miles from Los Olivos, the road be-
comes most monotonous. You
wind up long, barren cafion.
over rough and dusty roads filed with
loose rocks and powders. The creek
bed, where water may once have been.
but which low looks 40 i it had for
nOkttA Wuab CNOA NsrVf udNS
been, winds fro1a aide TO side os tie
gully, leaving high abusting lodges. Up
and down these we went in the most
monotonous order, every new one the
exact counterpart of the one just passed.
Az far away as you can see the same
dust, rocks and sagebrush are outlined
against the bleak and barren mountain
side. For the entire distance there are
no houses to be seen, except where the
stage stops for changing horses.
Nothing is ever raised here except
on windsy days, when they raise hor-
rible cloud OF dust. But os the wind
neldom blows they mako a failure of
even that. About three miles from tho
summit the Cold springs stopping place
ia reached. 1t is like al oasis in the
midst of q desert. Here By chance
are few trees and tiny, trickling
stream of water. Hcre we lunchcd, aud
then resumed the same course to the
top. Then began our steep descent.
But about two miles down the road
changes and is slightly elevated for an
other two, whom once more it plunges
downward into the Santa Barbara val
Icy. Just before reaching this slight
rise suddenly discovered that How and
Polly had dismounted. l shouted, but
they answered that everything was all
right, go / continued on until the road
again took it's downward oourse. From
this spot WAS enabled to see the place
where | had left my companions. Soon
/ ooAu INN alO lf1 1t.af md