The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-04-11
END OF THE TRIP.


built to fetch the Southern Pacific to
time-went to Los Catos, which is the
most romantic spot we have seen. tt
is right in the bend in the mountains
where the little railroad makes a dive
into the tunnel on the east side of the
coast range. Here elegant residences
are owned by Frisco parties for sum-
mer residences, overlooking the valley
and sea of fruit trees of all kinds, a
village of about $500 population. From
there our little train crawled through
cracks in the mountains and every few
it would make dive through
a tunnel, coming out on the other side.
we found little spots where fruit farms
were started and few villages We
took branch road up Boulder Creek,
into the redwood country, hired a
team and drove up the mountain ten
miles over the divide into the big
basin. We were up in the air sure
enough. The California legislature
has just appropriated $25O,00O to buy
the big basin and save the big trees, a
speculative scheme was told, by those
who own it and have got tired trying
to get the lumber out over the noun
tain. There is a saw mill working
there now, and we met three, six and
teams coming down the
mountain with sawed lumber. The
road is very costly, dug into the side of
the mountain, and dangerous. We
had to get out and walk several times
and finally turned back. However, we
could see over the basin and some OF
the big trees. We got on one stump
that was eighteen feet across.
We were not satisfied with what we
saw up there, so we stopped off at
FELTON,, five miles from Santa Cruz,
where they had a lot of big trees
fenced in with a 25-cent admission fee
and a guide to show and explain things
to US. There we're forty big redwood
trees, one sixty feet in circumference
and 300 feet high. Another with a
hole in it which Gen. Fremont camped
in in the winter of 1916 and l847. Six
OF us-walked into it. There was plenty
OF room and the tree~is alive and green
yet. This section is lumber country
with plenty of small saw mills-clear
red lumber
+ From there to Santa Cruz and out to
Garfield park and beach, where the
waves have made channels through
the rocks and go way round under the
ground and come out 10, 20, 40 and 100
rods away, making fearful noises and
splashing, throwing foam hundreds of
feet in the air. It is a wild place in a
storm. From Santa Cruz are took a
steamer across the bay to Monterey,
three hours run.
Monterey is the oldest town in the
State and was once the capital, they
told me, but it don't amount to much
at present. We drove through Chi
nese village near there where they
were celebrating something with fire.
works, fires and Chinese jimcracks.
The streets were barely wide enough
to drive through, the doors were open
and we could see inside. The inhabi-
tants were like swarm OF bees. The
houses were about like chicken GOODS
and pig pens, but not as clean as we
keep our henhouses and pig pens.
Later we saw them out on parade with
more silk banners and robes than we
ever dreamed Of.
Then we took a drive around and
through Pacific Grove, owned and fixed
up and roads graded by S. PR. r. Co.,
toll gate at each end, 25 cents for each
person, most OF the way near the
ocean, and is considered by most peo-
pie to be a magnificent drive; but per-
sonally didn't feel as though I got
my moneys worth. Thence to Del
Monti hotel and grounds and this is su-
PSA'' L iiO SiOuAOS COuuSCESO Wild
the hotel would keep person busy a
week. This, too, is the property of the
S. P. R. R. Co. The hotel was crowded.
one OF Raymond's excursions being
there besides their usual COMPANY.
We came back to Irvington through
thousands Of acres of fruit trees in
blossom, white as a snowdrift.
Monday, March Is, we started for
home. We stopped at Truckee in
tending to go out over Lake Tahoe.
but we were too early. The mountain
scenery was fine to the State line. but
Nevada was tiresome with it's continu.
Gus desert which we were two DAYS
crossing, stopping off nights. We
looked over Ogden, Salt Lake City and
Denver. Neither of them will equal
Minneapolis. We we're too earlv to
see things booming, May would have
been better, still there is nothing Won