Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-01-04
FROM SUNNY CALIFORNIA
A BREEZY LETTER FROM L. L. CALDWELL
An Interesting Account of His Journey
to Southern California and the
Vicinity of Pasadena.
Lagona Beach, Orange Co.
] Cal. Dec. 18th. 1904.

y AokOu0 ocoCiiS ONduSc w. .
CAL, Dac.. 10Th, 1904.
I have not forgotten my promise to
write you. We had very delightful
trip all the way through to the coast.
Wife and had the whole section in
the sleeper. There was a whole car
load of very nice people in our party,
and we got acquainted with all Of
them, and by the time we reached Los
Angeles we seemed like one family.
Our journey from Calmar to Kansas
City and west across the whole state
of Kansas was uneventful. At Trini-
dad, Colo, our train of fourteen cars
was cut in two and two engines coup.
led to each section for the climb Of
eighteen miles to Ration Pass. The
grade on this bit Of track is three feet
to every one hundred, with half mile
tunnel near the summit. The altitude
at this point is 7,6OS feet, and If you
have weak lungs it is quite necessary
to take q bracer. and in extreme cases
two Of them. Mine seemed to be an
extreme case. Once on top Of this de-
vide. we say our little "Now lay me
down" and as some one has said. put
our feet on the dash board and let her
60 and at the next stop find ourselves
in New Mexico. We were surprised
to find from four to six inches Of snow
all through this teritorry. The little
stations we 60 through look poor and
desolate /; adobe shanties with Mexi-
cans and Indians Soon after getting
into New Mexico we went up through
the Gloryetta hills. a most lovely ride
of about twenty five miles. They are
covered with q low growing. very
green cedar, not too close together,
far enough apart to be nice. We saw
lots of Indians all through Arizona.
At every stop they importuned MS to
buy some of their handv-work, in
beads and fancy pottery. blankets,
bows and arrows, etc From what we
saw of Arizona, move the Indian be
allowed to remain there indefinitely.
At San Bernardino we got our first
glimpse Of the fruits and flowers Of
California. From there to Pasadena
it is almost one continuous orange
grove. At Pasadena VS. bid good-by
to most of our fellow passengers with
regret. Mr.. and Mrs. Treat stood the
trip nicely; they also left the train at
Pasadena. AS we we're about on time
and our train was reported five hours
late, there was no one to meet ms. Mrs.
Torsen felt very badly to not meet
her father and mother ut the train,
bnt all is we'll that ends we'll. We had
a very delightful visit with Mr.. and
Mrs. Leonard. also with Mr.. and Mrs1
Hammond Smith who live close by.
Mr.. Leonard has lovely bungalow,
and his two sons, George and Roy
have one on each side of his. need
not tell you how lovely Pasadena is.
as you have often heard it described.
but 1 will say the half has not been
told Mr.. Leonard drove Us all about
the city and Roy took as OH a ride in
his automobile. Roy has a fine store
in Riverside. also one in Los Angeles
George is developing a tin mine in
the mountains in this vicinity.
The proper thing to do when in
Pasadena is to visit Mount Low. The
trip is frought with (as some thinK)
little danger. apd so my wife did not
care to 60. She said something about
"those that knew nothing" etc. but
to me anything to be real interesting
wants to be a little dangerous or
wicked, If not it its rather tame. A
trolley car goes way up through the
foot hills to the base Of Mt Low. and
then you take cable car up an in
clined plane almost perpendicular.
nine or ten hundred feet. These
cars are limited to SO many people
the conductor told me. but from the
way the car was crowded. think the
limit is reached. when no man can
pile on. As soon as we started up,
we could see car start to come down
that was attached to the other end of
our cable. When / saw it coming l
thought it would surely knock us out,
and so got in my little "Now 1 lay
me" for the second time, and closed
my eyes, but 10 and behold, like the Le-
vite on the trip from Jerusalem to
Jerico, it passed on the other side.
At one place near the top. think it
was little more than perpendicular.
and our car swung out from the track
like the pendulum of clock. At the
top of the incline, we took small
trolley car for further trip of five
miles up the mountain. and it was up
and up aud ever up, winding in and
about the most impossible places 1t is
the most wonderful piece of engineer.