Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-08
PRESIDENT TAFT
GOES BY STAGE
TO GIANT TREES
TRAVELS ALL DAY IN COACH
OVER MOUNTAINS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE ARRIVES AT
SIERRA HAMLET
Temporary "Whlte House" In Yosem-
ite Park Guarded by United States
Cavalry Troops - Children
Greet Party
LBv Associated Press.l


NT AWONA, Cal, Oct. An all
w day stage ride over thirty-four
~ miles of mountain roads brought
President Taft tonight to this lovely
Sierra retreat eight miles from the
entrance to the Mariposa grove of big
trees, whittier the chief executive
starts tomorrow at sunrise.
Mr. Taft and his party reached the
Wawona hotel in their stages at p.
M, one hour after the scheduled time,
due to the presidents lingering in the
Grouse Creek forest near Chinquapin,
where the MONDAY luncheon was
served on improvised tables set down
at the foot of a hundred towering pines,
sentines of the forest.
The day ride from El Portal, which
was left behind at Z a. m, included
glimpses of Yosemite valley from In
spiration and Artists Points, pursuit
of the tumbling waters of the Merced
river into the valley floor with the
teeming trout pools all along the way,
and a winding narrow climb to a
height of 1000 feet at the crest of
mountains which shut in the wonders
CT the Yosemite.
1t was not until the sun had dlsap-
peared that President Taft had his
first sight of a deer. Long protection
having robbed the naturally timid anil
mails of sense of fear, the big doe gave
the chief magistrate look of passing
interest and resumed its browsing. The
president had declared this one of the
most enjoyable days of his life.
1t was his first glimpse of the Yo-
semitic. and the impressive surround
ings, the bracing mountain air, the
freedom from speech making, all con-
tributed to the pleasure of the first day
of roughing it in the Sierras.
Tagged Out
This outing came just in time, for
the president was pretty well tagged
out when he left San Francisco,
Mr.. Taft's constant coach companion
today was John Muir, the noted nat
ulalist and explorer.
Mr.. Muir knows his Yosemite and he
had ready answers for the innumerable
questions the president put to him.
AS he passed through the outskirts
of the valley, the president was salut-
ed by grizzled old California pioneer.
Calen Clark, the first white man to
make known the existence of the giant
sequoia trees which the president will
see tomorrow
Mr.. Clark is now more than 80 years
of age. He lives in the park and has
asked that ne be buried among the
trees and mountains he has known so
long and loved so we'll.
President Taft alighted from his
stage during a portion of the trip and
walked a mile or more up the noun
tain road. 1t gave him a splendid ap-
petite for the picnic luncheon of fried
chicken, potato pie fruit and jelly
served in the Grouse Creek pine forest.
AT one point in the park where a
change of stage was made the presi-
dent was greeted by a band of little
school children and shook hands with
all of them.
Tonight, in the temporary white
house" into which one of the little ho-
tel cottages here has been converted,
the president is being guarded, as he
was last night at Ell Portal by a de-
tachment of soldiers from troops I and
NJ of the Fourteenth United States
cavalry stationed in the park