The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-03-14
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
Written by o. r. Cline for the Fulton
County News" A Description OF
the Country.

LONG BEACH OAblr, re"' 90
DEAR MIR. PECK. - To write a
letter for the News as you sug-
gest would be pleasure to me
if | could do so satisfactorily.
However I will try to write some
thing oil this sunny land and our
trip hither.
Hoping to obtain better health
and escape a winter at home, in
company with Mr.. and Mrs. Lee.
friends fro.. Anthony, Kas., we
set out for southern California,
on Oct. 18th last. We spent two
weeks on the way delightfully."-,
and regret we did not put in four
or five.
Our first night out, carried us
through the new home of our es-
teemed friends, Mr.. and Mrs. L.
G. Kelly, at Ransom, Kan, and
our inability to stop off and see
them was quite disappointment
to us. But we "have it IN for
them" yet. A soulless looking
country greeted us between day
light and Pueblo-great stretch
es of rich agricultural land
where 1t is irrigated it is as fer
tile as the valley of the Nile; with
out which it is as sterile as Sa-
hara. From Pueblo, via. d. & r.
G.. r. r., our course Is right up
the Arkansas river, with the
great Rockies looming up IN front
of us, and the white cap of Pixies
Peak away off to our right, f''om
which we could see the smoke of
the little locomotive chm bing near
its summit. Passing the oil-tields
of Colorado, at Florence, we
reached Canon City about 3 p. IL.
This Is pretty little city, proper
ly named, for it stands at the en-
trance to the greatest canon pene-
trated by any railroad. The Ar
kansas River. which rises in FIRE.
mont Park, one hundred and sew
enty miles to the northwest of
Canon City, here breaks it's way
through the Front Rangeof noun.
tains, IN the Grand Canon of the
Arkansas. Little wonder 1T
should be lazy sluggard onward
to its destination; for thus far It's
experience is enough to break the
spirit of anything. Drawn by
two monster mountain chm bing
enIines, we slowly enter this aw-
full chasm in an open observation
car. Close along the foamlng Ar
kansas, around dark projecting
shoulders of granite. deeper and
deeper we enter until the way
a mere fissure through the
heights. Far above, the sky
forms blue arch of light, but al
about us are som Der shades which
the suns rays have never pene
trated. Granite cliffs thousand
feet high, smooth and unbroken
and ragged plnacles three tunes
as high, f ,rm solid walls on eth
er side. There are no trees MOI
birds nor flowers. But with the
roar OF winds and the waters
about us, and the menacing crags
above us, in the midst of spite
full snow storm, we feel dwarfet
aud dumb in the sublime scene
and the place seems like the en-
trance to some internal region
Mrs. Lee became very sick, an(
we were all glad when we cam,
out into the narrow upper VALLEY
of the Arkansas; where the seen
cry Is still grand aud beautiful
but less awful.
Night came on us at Salida, bu
IN the light of the full moo
through the thlckly falling snow
the serrated SUBMITS aud tower
ing peaks of the mountains pre-
sented scene peculiarly lmpres
sive and grand. But we misse
seeing the Mount of the Hol
Cross. | quote from Ernest Ii
gersoll's description of it. II
says 'One OF the side valley
coming down to the tiack at rigt
angles from the southwestwarC
leads the eye for a momentar
glimpse up through gloriou
Alplne avenue to where the cath
oral crest oil noble peak. pierce
The sky. 1t is a summit tn,
Wnnld a aftv,.< a 4. =