Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-15
TELLS OF TRIP
in LONG. LETTER
L. c. D. HILDEBRAND RECEIVES
EPIsTLE rom SISTERS WHO
ARE IN PASADENA

.Hlldabrand. Formerly Residing
North of the City, Relate Expert
ences While Enroute to California.
L. G.. Iaildebrand, who resides on
West Main street, is in receipt Of a
very interesting letter, written to him
by mis- sisters, Mrs, NJ. Moffett and
Miss Ethel Hildebrand. from Pasadena,
Cal, where they are at present resid-
ing. Mrs. Moffett and Miss Hide
brand formerly resided north Of this
city and left for Pasadena October 90.
The following is the letter:
Pasadena, Cal.
October 81, 1906.
Dear Brother and Sister:
We will try and write you some
thing about our trip. Wednesday morn
Ing as we awoke, we found. that we
were in deep snow. somewhere in
western Colorado At Akron, Colo,
we waded through snow more than
knee deep to restaurant for coffee
for our breakfast For mile after mile,
east of Denver, there was nothing to
See but deep snow and great herds Of
cattle with nothing at all in sight to
eat. The fences were down between
the pastures and railroad In places
the cattle had gotten on the tracks
and were dead. Some were alive and
crippled, lying along the tracks of the
railroad, where the night trains had
struck them. We saw as many as fifty
or more in the pastures starved and
frozen, with heads and backs sticking
up out of the snow.
"Our train had to stop at intervals
and the brakemen would run ahead
and drive the cattle from the tracks.
Owing to these delays, we arrived in
Denver five hours late, which caused
us to miss connections with other
trains. The railroad company made
up special train at Denver and took
us to Colorado Springs, where we ar
rived late in the evening.
"A great many were much disap-
pointed because we did not arrive at
the Royal Gorge before dark
Arrive at Royal Gorge.
eve passed through the Royal Gorge
at about 8 o'clock. The moon was
shimmering bright, so the porter in
our coach turned out the lights in the
car and we had good view of the
gorge by moonlight 1t was something
grand. l will not attempt to describe
| it, for one would have to see 1t them
selves to have any conception of what
it is like.
I'VE were in the rear coach of the
train and as we shot around the short
curves, the headlights of the two en-
gines, rejecting on the huge rocks. re-
yealed a very Dretty sight
THUS we travelled all day through
the Rocky Mountains; we saw Pixies
Peak at a distance, also the Mountain
of the Holy Cross and what is called
Castle Gate. They are indescribable
| 1--WE arrived at Salt Lake, Utah,
seven hours late, Thursday evening.
| We did not get to see the city, which
was a great disappointment. We were
afraid that we would not get to see the
great salt lake, but when we arrived at
Ogden, which was about o'clock in
the evening, they sidetracked our train
and we enjoyed good sleep until
morning. :
cat sunrise the next morning we
crossed the great salt lake. 1t was
grand. Some of the passengers ex.
perienced sea sickness in crossing
Cross the Desert.
after crossing the lake, we struck
the desert and for miles we saw moth.
ing but white sand The rest of the
day We travelled through mountains
which some said was the Ruby range
We enjoyed some of the scenery in
these mountains more than that of the
Rockies
while going through these noun
tains, we saw several large herds OF
sheep with a shepherd with them. AT
8 o'clock the next morning we arrived
at Cacramento Cal. We were again
disappointed, as we had to take road
which took US around San Francisco
bay, instead of crossing it to get tc
San Francisco. When we got a good
I view Of the bay, we did not care sc
much to cross it, only we did not gel
to see Frisco
See Beautiful Scenery.
Sunday morning we found that we
had passed through forty miles Of
snow sheds, which are built to keeI
4 the snow from drifting onto the tracks
This was while we were up in the
Sierra Nevada mountains. After we
left the snow sheds, we saw great
deal of beautiful scenery along oul
route, the pine forests in the noun
tains and the lovely green valleys. We
were travelling down the coast line anG
soon caught sight of the ocean. Here
we saw many lovely homes and orch
ards. We arrived in Los Angeles
twenty-four hours late.''
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