Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-10-14
AUTO RIDE IN TIE NC IN
ITAINS
Harry Wulfing Tells Of De- tful Trip |
Near San Diego. Calf nis


short talk with him and met his daugh-
ter. | intend to go over there again
and get better acquainted with him.
His office is only two blocks from the
Electric cOmpany's office, but | have
been pretty busy lately between busi-
ness and pleasure and it is rather hard
to find Mr.. Layne in his office. went
there four times before | got him the
first time. As | said, we have been
pretty busy lately. We are anxious to
get through with the work we are on
now. (for the Gas and Electric Col as
another job has developed since we ar
rived here. They are planning putting
in an electric line from here to Point
Iona, about ten miles away, and they
want us to make preliminary estimate
on the cost. This proposition is entirely
separate from the other and an entirely
different company. | am very much
afraid my head will swell to bursting
when | am called into consultation on
this railroad proposition. In fact all
this work am doing seems like dream
after my loafing for five months in vi
roqua and | am afraid | will awaken
and find that have been fooled. The
Byllesby company are certainly treating
us fine. Last Wednesday the manager
of the San Diego Consolidated Gas and
Electric company took US out in his big
auto to Lakeside for dinner. Lake
side is some % miles from here over
fine road. When we got there we took
a spin around two mile auto track at
AZ miles an hour. 1t is noted auto
track where Barney 0rfield beat the
world 8 record some time ago. thought
that that ride was pretty fine, but Sat
urday we were told to get ready for
two days out Saturday noon nine of
US, armed with overcoats, caps and
gloves, started fer the mountains in
two big forty horse power autos. The
manager of this company the auditor
of the Byl.esby Co., us three and two
auditors from Buffalo, together with
two chauffeuers, We started east
through orange and lemon groves, grape
vineyards, olive groves and such beau
tiful scenery as can be seen only in an
irregated valley in Southern California.
AT about three O'Clock we stopped at
place called Descanso (resting place.
and oiled up for the heavy climbing
that was to come in the next four miles.
We could see the road winding around
the foothills Just ahead and it looked as
hundred on the horizontal. Ii would
have made Chicago autoist white with
fear to have attempted the climb made
in the four miles that followed. When
we got to the top we were fully repaid
for any anxiety we may have felt in
coming up, for far below and as far as
one could see was the beautiful valley
we had Just left. From there on we
4
beautiful pine forests with mountains
on all sides and sometimes on a high
shelf from which we could look down
to the deep canon below. At six o'clock
we arrived at Cuyamaca, where we
large reservoir at Cuyamaca which
as far as San Diego, nearly sixty miles
away and over 5000 feet below. We
had good supper and after an en-
jOyable evening under clear sky we
retired to the tents. 1t is not hard to
sleep well when breathing clear noun
tain air, ! got up early and went down
to the lake. | am afraid you will think
| am stretching it little, but | saw
flock of more than five hundred ducks.
There were also many cranes, and
could see fish jumping out of the water
all over the lake. II would make an
ordinary hunter from Wisconsin wild.
They told me it was an ordinary sight
to see such large flocks. This lake is
owned by the San Diego Flume Co. and
they do not allow everybody to hunt
and fish there, which accounts for so
much game. it is quite ways from
anywhere too and it takes some effort
to get there. After breakfast we start
ed for Warner Ranch, about thirty
miles. AS we got further away the
scererV became even more beautiful
and for many miles we travelled rocky
road down beautiful mountain canon
arched by mountain oak and pine. We
made little stop at Julian, loaded up
with peaches, plums, pears, etc, from
the trees of nearby orchard. AT
eleven O'Clock we arrived at what SEEM
ed to be the jumping of place. Below,
some SOC feet, we could see a level
tract of country, probably 100 square
miles in area, covered with grass and
dotted here and there with ranch houses
and punches of cattle. This was the
Santa Ysabel and the Warner ranches.
We turned to the left and started down
the winding road, built like most such
roads on narrow shelf. When half
way down we me. six mule freight
wagon. There was no place TO pass
near by 80 we had to back up nearly an
eighth of mile to find a place wide
enough TO pass. When we did get to
the bottom we seemed to be in a big
level basin surrounded on all sides by
high mountains. The mountains did not
seem far away, but we found sat later
that distances are very deceiving in
this pure air.
We travelled directly across the plains
TO the foot of the mountains to War
ner's hot springs. We had dinner of
trout, duck, ice cream etc.
Most anything would have been ac-
ce otable as we were very hungry, but
the dinner set before us was fit for a
king. The Warner spring have sui
phurous water which is 80 hot they say
ore can cook eggs init. II smells as if
they had been cooking rotten eggs
in it. Warmers ranch used to be an
Indian reservation and the houses at
the spring are all made of adobe and
still have many InLian inhabitants. The
spring is supposed to have curative
qualities and there are many people
who go there for baths. We were sew
enty miles from home and it was two
o'clock.
The ride home was very different |
from that coming. The most thrilling |
part was when we descended Eagle |
pass. On both sides were cliffs of |
beautiful rock made more beautiful by |
the evening sun, and from our narrow
shelf like road we could look down into |
Il g. -