The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-01-23
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM OLD MEXICO

Mexico City, Mexico, Jan. 10, 1908.
Editor Glacier -
When | started from lhome on De-
cember IL, intended writing at diff
ferent places on my journey, but 1t
seems as II ones time is fully occu
pied, If not In sight seeing or travel
Ing, In resting so here we are at our
journeys end, outward bound. Our
next start will be toward home,
though not there di cot. The way |
feel today wo ID not be sorry to be In
Hood River now, the elevation here
being 80 high does not see to agree
with my constitution. However, we
are enjoying the trip greatly.
After leaving Portland and Salem
our first stop was at Sacramento, Cal,
arriving there at 6 u. m. In a dense
fog which lasted uutil about 10 Q. m :,
when the sun came out warm and
bright. The state capital grounds,
consulting of % acres Of velvety green
grass, dotted here and there with
orange trees laden with ripe, yellow
fruit, Is very pretty indeed. After
spending a couple Of days there we
went on to Oakland. There we found
many changes and improvements since
our last visit three years ago. The
many large new buildings and greater
business being very noticeable, in fact
now city, where II used to be almost
a suburb OF San Francisco. After re-
naming few days looking up old
friends we moved on to San Francis
co.
Dear old San Francisco.
IL would be utterly impo .sible for
me to describe the ruin and devasta-
tion on every side that meets your
sight, no matter which way you look
or what Car line you 60 out on. The
city hall still stands as the earthquake
lett 1t, partly demolished. We could
only stand and gaze In astonishment
and wonder, to see how trembling
of the earth could so completely de-
stroy so large and apparently we'll
constructed building; but the tremble
that time | guess was hard one.
Many large and costly buildings ale
under course of construction, others
are being repaired. almost recon-
structed, yet to me San Francisco
seems to have before 1t an almost end
less task before 1t can, literally speak
ing, be on its feet again, yet In more
ways than one IL seems the same city
OF old, full of hustle aud hustle, the
people on pleasure bent. Hotel ac
commodations were good and reason
able. They had just had rain and the
streets we're very dirty and muddy, 40
we decided to 60 on and stop over on
our return trip, so onto Mountain
View, where we felt at home, 1t hav-
ing once been home. The whole
country in and around there as far rs
San Jose Ia almost one vast orchard !;
very few apples. although not to cou,
pare with our Hood River apples, cf
which we had few along Our
friends pronounced them of very ite
flavor and so juicy.
After few days. stay on again o
Los Angeles, which Is fine city aud
as beautiful as man and money eau
make it, and seemingly very prosper
GUS. Still heard more hard time
talk there than aLy place we have Wis
tied so far. Their best crop (the tour
ist) was, they claim, fully one third
less this year than usual, which ot
course, means much In business
way. OF natural scenery they cannot
boast, but to them climate" has
been mole than indulgent
On January l, 1908, we attended the
Annual Rose Carnival at Pasad, M.
The carriages, autos and floats WeIe
beautifully decorated with roses aud
other flowers, everything and every.
body was in summer laiment and it
was more like July than like New
Years day. 10 was hard to realize 1t
was winter. The only time We have
felt 1t was really winter 10 whel our
letters from home speak Of snow, cold
and rain.
On January ith W. started for I'll
Paso, Texas. The trip was not very
interesting one, being through des-
ert, non pI oduciDg region About the
only thing of interest was the great
inland Salton sea, covering acres aud
acres of what was few years az, lies.
ert or grazing lands. The body Of
water is something over 800 miles long,
don't know how wide, aud from 80 to
100 feet deep In part Of 1t, the water
coming from the in flow of the Colo
RADIO river, whose c1urse was changed
by some irrigating company, which
was damned up and broke through.
II is really q wonderful sight to any
one who just q few years ago passed
over that desert to now see that body
of water 100 feet below sea level, there
being mountain range west of it,
making 1t In reality vast inland sea.
W. ..~t-oI a.. LII paso Ian,asu