The National tribune., 1903-07-30
CALIFORNIA;
ATTRACTIONS.
The Experiences and Sights of Com
rade Touring Through the Statehood
Advice.
BY w. w. STONE.

BY W. w. STONE.
''Re l a-goin' to 90 to the National Ea-
campment?" quoth Uncle Charlie White.
in answer to my query. "Well, you see,'
he continued refectively. II calkiate |
don't ought to go, but / guess | jestll
have to, for the spirits arc a-movin' ME
already; then, when 1 get down to home
and a train load of old vets from the East
comes along, a-whoopin' and a-cheerin'
ard sloshin' around with the Old Flag.
why, I'll have inspiration -
NO, worms" broke in Editor Dunn, of
the Escondido Advocate, sourly.
"Inspiration," calmly went on White, glar-
ing reprovingly at Dunn over pair of
horn specs, ''and jest jump aboard the
train and come just as l am"
We were in EsconddO, little town at
the southern limits of California. Uncle
Charlie had come up from San Diego TO
visit some of the comrades of Escondido
Post. Uncle Charlie may be a dreamer,
but he is one of that type who keep their
eyes open to the affairs of the world, and
see what is going on. The dreams of such
people are very apt to be the children of
the days observations. Comrade White
owns n bee ranch of hundred hives near
San Diego and an interest in a poultry
and orange farm near Escondido, SO that
he is not labeled for the almshouse.
j am at this time of writing in a little
mountain glen paradise few hours ride
from San Francisco. / speak of Escondido
to convey some idea of this State of mag
nificent distances.
Our metropolitan city of San Francisco
is the radiating center of the State. Here
terminate the four great competing roads
from the East: the South Pacific and the
Santa Fe from the south, and the South
crn Pacific ana the Oregon and Northwest
ern from the north. On Friday morning
at o a. m. / left the town of EscOnd do,
situated but few miles from the Mex
lean border on the south. | caught the
San Diego train at Oceanside, and reach
ed Los Angeles ut noon. l took a quick
run down to the Soldiers Home at Santa
Monica and left Los Angeles on the Owl
Train at 5 p. m. We landed in San Fran
cisco at s a. IN. on Saturday morning. AT
2:30 p. m. l crossed the bay on the Ii
burcn Ferry and boarded the California
Northwestern train for Guerneville, which
place was reached at 6 p. m. There |
was met by my friend Barnard, with his
team and driven over a steep mountain
road down into this little fairy glade,
ltutHillS IL ny WIFI HdIIOW
margin. Thus in the space of 81 hours.
including stoppages, / have traversed the
southern half of the State, a distance of
over 100 miles, taking in the ramihcat.Ons.
There is no drudgery nor wearisome
monotony in such journey. 1t is ever
a constant succession of delightful pic
lures in Natures realistic biograph. I'M
medately beneath your eye you have a
broad sweep of living green. The orange,
the lemon, the fig, the prune, grows here
in extravagant profusion, charming the
eye with the eyer-varying hue.
Flanking this emerald highway on either
side lie rugged mountains rearing their
solemn heads into the sky: there they
stand, riven and gnarled and wrinkled.
like battle-scarred veterans standing guard
over smiling world.
1t is this ever-varying change of scenery,
this succession of surprising conditions
and possibilities that form the keynote to
our extravagant claims for California.
A short time ago | was amused at hear
ing an eloquent harangue by my friend and
comrade, Charlie Edelmann, the Senior
Vice Commander of our Lincoln Post.
Charlie was standing in the lobby If
the Occidental Hotel, so ably managed by
COmrade Hooper, of the same Post. Com
rade Edelmann was surrounded by num-
ber of Eastern tourists, thirsting for infOr-
nation.
Yes, gentlemen" cried Edelmann, en-
Enthusiastically, California is the second
State of the Union in size. but the first
in climate and probabilities. 1t has no
anything else you want, from a skein of
the finest native silk to calf with six
legs and two tails, why
"Aw. come now; ah, 1 beg pawdon, you
know" broke in young English traveller,
standing in the group of listeners, but you
don't mean to say, you know, you've real
ly, cawves with six legs, you know, and
and''-
Certainly, SIR" answered Edelmann.
suavely, ''they have become so common
as to cause no comment; beside this, We
have wine barrels made out of slaves
worked up by old man-of-warsmen out of
the daily papers and bound, not in calf
with six tails, but by Indian war whoops.'
A puzzled expression came over the
face of the Briton, but the burst of
laughter from the bystanders netted him,
and he walked away with his nose in the
air.
If were to be asked for an opinion as
to the most satisfactory itinerary for
comrades visiting this Coast in anticipa-
ton of the meeting Of the National En-
campment / should recommend q circuit
coming into the State by one of the
northern roads and returning by one of
the southern.
Up to September, the road over the
Sierras, for instance, along the line of the
Southern Pacific, you have scene of ma
tive grandeur, excelled nowhere in the
world.
Along toward the end of September the
snow commences to fall and the air gets
bitingly cold. True, it is dry cold that
is easily borne and serves to stimulate
every energy if you keep in constant mo-
ton, but this is not always admissible un-
der the conditions prevailing with the
railway tourist. One of the pleasantest
vacations spent by me in the Golden Gate
was week whiled away in September a
J few years ago among the Sierras.
} We, that is, my wife and two girls.
were visiting relative at the wood and
!; ice yards at Camp Sixteen, on the Truckee
; River.
Toward the end Of the week prepared
to leave fog San Francisco, going BY easy