River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-08-14

Clara
We pass other campers just pack
ing up; others on their way home,
and enjoy our days ride, resting in
the thought of our stay at the
Grove. Arriving here at noon, six
days from home, we rest quietly
in our tent under the pines,
in view of the bay from our front
door.
Later. We are enjoying the eli
mate, clear from fogs, except the
high kind, the piney and salt air,
and the freedom from care. To-day
finds us at Moss Beach on the
famous 17mile drive where the
MOSES, the many tinted waves and
the huge breakers on the point near,
all in the bright sunlight holds one
in delightful trance. The tide is
coming in and the waves are high
and far out, they begin their rolling
and breaking on the hidden rocks,
and at light house points few
miles above us, the sad moaning of
the buoy tells of dangers to be
avoided. The past five years have
taken from me all desire to climb
over the rocky shore and | sit here
in the buggy with old Kittie's head
facing the sea and listen to old
oceans roaring tales of disaster and
sorrow it has seen away out on the
deep. 1t is a scene never to be for
gotten and these pictures stamp
themselves on the mind to be car
ried through the year. The land on
this point belongs to the Pacific
Improvement Co., in all, some seven
thousand acres, through which runs
this 17mile drive, for the most part
near and on the coast, by Moss
Beach, the Light House, Point Joe.
A point of, rocks when one has
climbed gives a sensation of being
out at sea because of the huge
breakers so near. Seal rocks,
covered with seals at all times only
when we were there. Cypress
Point, a grove, the only one of it's
kind in America, brought from
Spain by the Catholic Fathers.
Sentinel Rock, rightly named as it
stands in its majesty amid the wild
waves, seemingly guarding the
grove. Central Point where you can
look across Carmel Bay and see the
whaling station A toll road leads
down the coast to it and the beau
ties of Point Lobos. Here are
tables and seats and stone fire
place for the benefit of campers,
Pebble Beach, an abalOne stand,
where Chinese women sell beautiful
shells and wonders of the deep.
| The greatest wonder the day we
| were there was a Chinese baby.
The road turns at Saltwater Bay,
up over the hills through the tim
bers.
In our camp at the Grove were
a company from Stanford's, among
them the mother of one of the pro-
fessors. A jolly crowd. We joined
in a picnic around the drive one
day. They came in a fruit wagon
fitted up with camping outfit, and
they dismantled it, put in chairs
and seats, and~eight of them drove
out. One of the party was lawyer
from Montana, whose wife was liv
| ing out here, sending son and
daughter through the college, and
he had come out to visit them. We
1unched at Central Point and while
we prepared tables he made the
coffee. We ejoyed it all, and af-
| ter lunch what should appear upon
the scene but two large gray, white
ringed squirrels and two blue jays,
with petitions for our fragments.
1t was a pleasure to feed them and
study their characteristics. Any
one who has seen a jay knows just
how they talked"
We rested on the rocks watching
the seals at play in the surf until
one of the party suggested we drive
home through the Del Monte
grounds; Mr.. R. to lead, as he only
knew the way. We went, but my
greatest trouble was that the beauty
was all gone from my hat-disap-
peared in the. rain. Considering
that it looked as we'll as some of the
others l let the worry go. The
driver of the other party wore over
| al1s down from Palo Alto, and as he
did his own packing his wife asked
him if he had put in his pants, and
he said What do want of pants
on this trip" Kitty was the best
looking among US, and she carried
her head high, as though she were
to redeem the company from its
countrifed appearance.
We drove all around the lovely
lake with it's pond lilies and swans,
| white ord 11ocL +hro11of1 the wind