The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-11
OUT OF THE SKY.

When English tourists visit San Fran
cisco they lose no time in ascending to the
SUBMITS of the picturesque hills which
abound in the City and in marveling that
the residents seem to care so little for the
splendid panoramas which the slight effort
reveals. In feasting upon the beauties and
varieties of the wonderful scene they see
two noble mountains in the immediate vi
entity OF the City and make eager inquiries
to learn something of the still grander
views which surely can be seen from the
SUBMITS of these handsome peaks, and
they are amazed to learn That nobody has
cared to ascertain. One of these mountains
is Diablo, whose dark slopes dominate
with gloomy majesty the Coast Range to
the east, and the other is Tamalpais, north
OF the City, standing guard over the ocean
and frowning away northward to the steel
gray dome of volcanic st. Helena.
Happily there are some among us who
have the Englishman's love of adventure
and of, the beautiful in nature, and when
we are older and have developed taste
above wooden shanties and miserable
streets we may discover culture which
shall enable US to appreciate the splendid
charms with which nature has blessed our
environment
The ascent of Tamalpais is really made
qnite often in these later years, for Yankee
skill in devising easy ways OF enjoyment
has proved equal to the construction of
winding road to the summit, traversible by
teams. This is true of Mount Diablo also,
and therefore no reason except that of an
uncultivated taste can be imagined for the
general neglect of our people to exploit the
scenic wonders of these mountains. The
true lover of nature knows, however, that
too much ease cannot be INDUCED without
the sacrifice of some good things, and
hence that the best way to make the ascent
of either mountain is afoot on a summer
moonlit night, with a short sleep on the
summit in sheltered nook on the ground
if there be time, but by all means keeping
awake for view of the glorious summer
sunrise. The whole day may be spent in a
study of the wonderful view, of the chang
ing lights that battle the landscape in a
succession of crimsons, scarlets, puppies,
blues and grays, ending with glorious
sunset and cool night descent to the
valley.
All the splendors and beauties of the
from these two eminences, but both are
required to comprehend them ALL Each
has its revelations which the other does
not make, and the differences in the point
of view of objects common to both serve as
a new delight.
One-half of the horizon from Tamalpais
is given over to the great ocean, but all
the cities and towns lining the shore of the
bay come under review, and also the nu-
merous beautiful and highly developed
little valleys OF the Marin coast noun
tains. San Francisco, in spite of its nu-
merous high hills, looks singularly fiat
from this great elevation and bears the
mystical aspect of mirage.
By far the grander view is had from the
summit of Diablo. The ocean is clearly
visible, but it is further away, and lies like
cleaning silver sea on the western hori-
zon. San Francisco is merely patch of
minute rectangles, and Its vast bay
stretches out into a long and narrow lagoon
of the deepest blue. Toward the east the
scene is noble beyond the comprehension
of those who have never beheld it. The
broad plains of the Sacramento and San
Joaquin, threaded as far as the vision can
pierce by their winding rivers, and dotted
here and there with towns, are backed by
the splendid serrated mass of mountains
which form the eastern boundary of the
State, the eternaIly snow-crowned Sierra,
whose shining tops glimmer with an
aggressive brilliancy in the western sun
shine. AS the sun sinks the white becomes
yellow, then orange, then the deepest and
most wonderful crimson fading INTO q
strange and unearthly purple, which seems
to hold them suspended in the sky. Then
comes the weird blue whiteness of the
moonlight and the silence and mystery of
night