Amador ledger., 1900-01-19
DER THE HILLS, FAR AWAY
Trip to the County Seat Of
Inyo.
A BEAUTIFUL MLLEY-SOkE GRAND SCENERY
Country That Is of California but
Not Californian Teachers
Institute.
A BEAUTIFUL VALLEYS GRAND SCENERY
By ELIZABETH sARGENT-w1LsoN.

Ing Trip from mere TO 1nyO county.
1t is not far, "Just over the noun
tains" we say, as We look at Amador
and Mono counties on the map, but
when one undertakes the journey all is
changed Those mountains that lie
between make miles of inches and
stretch hours into days. The Sierral
The glory of California! They shelter
her from blizzard, shut out the desert,
and pen in the sunshine that decks her
form with the golden garb of beauty
and wealth. AS the Alps Graded the
poets and artists of old, so our Sierra
are destined to shelter the bards and
painters of the future.
The traveller of the present finds but
the 'Rocky Road to Jordan" in going
the short way Inyo is southeast of
US, so to get there from Jackson we
start in north-westerly direction, and
no language but Eskimo expresses the
condition of the roads between here
and lone. Onesveryliverisshoo
First of all we are packed three in a
seat, which always reminds me of the
nursery rhyme beginning, "Three lit
tie bugs in basket, and hardly room
for two" AS send-otf you are sure
to receive some sort of mud plaster.
Woman fashion l had my mouth open,
so l chewed gravel most of the way.
Ny Wis Wis received his so that he
gave us uncanny winks of most unbe
coming sort all the way down. Now
the bouncing up is not at all bad, but
the aftermath of sitting down again
is what harrows ones spine, then the
side jerks make one feel as if in train
ing for the Hula-hula.
l once heard man say: Beware
of a county that boasts of low tax
rate, for it means vile roads, no sewers
and few public improvements of any
Sort That ride to lone caused
reflection on the subject.
There is special delight that comes
of barely catching train. AS the
lone train was late in reaching Gait
there came the thrilling excitement of
being boosted aboard the Sacramento
train as it was moving from the station.
Those are the times when a woman
s., realizes the true chivalry of men and
thanks Divine Providence that she is
a woman.
At Sacramento there is another
change, where we make close connec-
tion with the Chicago Limited. AS
you fly over the road after the porter
has snugly tucked pillow under your
head, travelling seems delightful after
all, and one forgets that there ever was
such thing as stage coach.
We climb higher and higher and the
rain drops are replaced by white flakes
that robe the mountains in garments of
purity During all this first day of
travel the distance from Inyo grows
greater instead of less, but at Reno,
after remaining over night, our faces
turn southwark on the Carson and
Colorado Narrow Gauge Railroad. The
car is new, clean, cozy. The reclining
chairs are typical of that cordial hos
pitality that Nevada extends to all. 1t
must be the atmosphere for every one
there possesses it-that ease and gra-
ciousnesS that lead us to say they are
''to the manner BORN 1t is catching
some way, for even the Piutes have a
touch of it, We pinch ourselves in
order to realize that we are not dream
ing of by-gone days "When Knight
hood was in Flower"
The day seems short, and toward
Walker lake we catch glimpse of
Hawthorne, where the train stops to
rest and feed over night. Hawthorne
is a stage center and, although we did
not encounter the 'bad man from
Bodie," we were entertained by
charming woman who, according to
her own tell, runs the town, and in the
spare time has taken five trips to
Europe within three years. She trans
ports you to fairy land, so vivid are
her pictures.
From Hawthorne to Keeler, the ter
minus of the railroad, travel is light
and the train runs but tri-weekly. Our
travelling companions were the Chinese
boss of the section men and an interco-
cation point with tree young interro-
cation points"
"Where did live?"
s'Where was l going?"
ssWould l remain long?"
''Did I intend TO keep the new lodg-
ing-house in Independence"
twas l married or single?"
What would have come next l can
not tell, for at this place the youngest
Interrogation point became car sick.
The family retired to the rear platform
and 1 was sound asleep when they
returned and did not awaken until
Bishop was called.
We are in California once more,
though it is difficult to realize the fact,
for the beautiful Owens valley seems
like some rare jewel in a setting pecu-
liar to itself. The crownhead of the
Sierra, Whitney, with his white-robed
courtiers from his throne upon the
western side guards his treasure with
kingly grace, and on the east spur of
these same mountains towers in grim
grandeur and awes the beholder into
speechless wonder as he gazes upon the
magnifcence. 1t is no gradual rise as
we have on the western side, but
precipitous pile towering above us two
miles. One must see to realize the
prismatic effect, for such coloring as
the changes of the day bring forth are
beyond description or imagination.
One feels like John of old as he saw
new heaven and a new earth where
''The foundations of the wall of the
city were garnished with all
manner of precious stones. The first
foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the
fourth an emerald; the fifth, sardouyx;
the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chry-
solite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth,
topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus;
the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth,
an amethyst-and L saw no temple
within: for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb is the light thereof"
This little valley is about seventy
miles long and is threaded by the
Owens river, which furnishes irrigating