Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-04

Even the DedullIul RehS tTtSOHt OH
vacation journey, and you realize
this out in California. Even the mag
niflcent estates, with their broad stairs
fianked by palms and poinsettias; the
avenues Of peppers, they enchant for
n time and then both that you may
have variety and that. bit later, you
can enjoy these so much the more,
you come to yearn for just spice of
the simpler life.
And IL you are willing you can get
IL within a stones throw almost of
tourist land, at Los Angeles.
If you want something different
from any other excursion in all SOUTH
ern travel-land, you can make Mt.
Wilson.
OF course you have made Mt. Ham
ilton, by stage, by day or by night.
And equally obviously, you have been
UP Mt. Tamalpais or Mt. Lowe. But
Mt. Wilson, It is new and wild, and
autre-ohose and so you have your
doubts.
You, however, can be coaxed of
course. There are others willing to try
it and If they can afford to waste a
day from tourist land, well, so can you.
You take the cars for Pasadena
and then beyond to Sierra Madre.
Something in that name makes you
think of childhood happy days, when
you traced mountain ranges for teach
err on the wall map.
1t Is five minutes to eleven when
you reach the street car terminal, For
once out here I'm tourist land you are
left to your own resources. No guides
to poster, no urchins to lead the way,
in hope of possible tip. Just your
common sense and perhaps a pedes-
trian going cltyward to direct you. 1t
is actually refreshing.
You walk few squares up coun-
try, noting a particularly pretty place
among some pepper trees, and an or
ange grove en-pasSant and then the
head of the valley, whence rises Mt.
Wilson.
Here should be the station for the
caravansary, with 1ivered attendants,
here. Just little stable, with the
burros standing about among the
eucalyptus trees and an occasional
donkey gamboling by as might steed
from Chaucer.
If you are tall you get horse, if
you are tall and heavy you get mule;
If, lucky creature, you are small and
of not too much avoirdupois they give
you a burro and you may be happy.
Any OF these are two dollars and a
half the round trip. payable in advance
and without insurance should the
burro tess you over~the cliffs.
You are still alone-delightfu indie
pendence. Those others on the car or
at the hotel backed out when they saw
the steeds.
No one else is going up and as the
mule knows the way-there being but
the simple harrow trail-you set out
alone.
Really this is charming For fifteen
a q PC a
ascents of Mount Wilson owing to peo-
pie wanting to get up into these noun
tains, some of which attain 5000 feet
in height. And then one could go at
any season Of year, which Is likewise
an advantage.
You are on the mule and she takes
her own course You note the heavy
saddle, with a circular piece of iron on
the end of a short bar, at the front,
to hold to. Also, at the sides the heavy
tin stirrups. Then you note the other
mules just behind the stable and Won
der If you got the cream of the herd.
Already it doesn't seem so. The ami
NAL simply rambles at her ease. Like
Stevenson's Modestine in the CO.
venues she absolutely refuses to run.
1t is 11:05 when you get past the stable.
You are alone, and in no hurry, and
so let her take her way. Result, she
IaheS part VI tHe way along WIN ner,
munching of brush and trees
There Is the narrow trail over the
rocks. with the browsing mule alone
in sight. Then the trail becomes mar
rover and muddy and the mule goes
slower and 1t is harder to keep her
from browsing.
She seems to have method in her
madness, nevertheless, at the first,
stopping at point where there is a
magnificent view of the fiat valley,
with the trees and the shrubbery
stretching off to the distant mountains,
while just below there is an orange
orchard, and right ahead are bleaker
mountains.
The trail at once turns steep Steep
as it is the old men from New Hamp-
shire, typical Yankees, gray-haired,
weakened and dry, but jolly withal,
make their appearance upon it. They