The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-07-28
AN AUTOMOBILE TOUR


Powers and the editor of this paper
took an automobile tour last Satur-
day to Daytona Beach in the formers
touring car.
We left Ocala a little after the u.s.
ual breakfast hour and in a little
while the pretty little town of Belle
view hove in sight and for its size
very few towns in Florida has it fad
ed. 1t has charming little lake,
most unique public library, its Gotta
ges are built on the most modern
patterns and its yards are we'll kept
and these are combinations in town
building that are hard to surpass.
Before the dial had reached the
hour of s we were catching glimpses
of the glistening waters of Lake
Weir through the we'll cultivated
groves near the Chatauqua grounds
and here our good road came to an
end and we did not pick it up again
until we crossed the Lake county
line.
We were told by some of the citi-
zens of Lake county that the county
| commissioners of Marion county
promised them most faithfully that if
they would build a good road to the
Marion county line that the Marion
county commissioners would immed-
lately join them and connect it
with the Lake Weir road and the peo-
pie of Lake county are feeling as if
the people of Marion have not kept
faith with them.
1t is "better late than never" so we
hope that Marion will keep its COM
pact and build the road from North
Lake Weir on to the Lake county line
as speedily as possible. There is
stretch of eight or ten miles of road
between these two points that is near
ly as bad as any we encountered on
the entire journey.
North Lake and Weirsdale via
Woodmar and Stanton, will not lose
by comparison with any section
through which we passed and we pass
ed a number of very charming
places.
Lady Lake, where Mr.. Frank Tea
que has his home, with its pretty
lake and its orange trees nesting
among the larger oaks, made no in
different picture.
AS. we passed Fruitland Park we
remembered the heroic efforts of its
founder, Major Rocks, who did so
much TO bring it into prominence.
The signboards say that Leesburg
is thirty-nine and a fraction miles
from Ocala and we reached there
some minutes after nine o'clock.
Leesburg is a wonderfully pretty
place, with the exception of Lake
Okeechobee and perhaps one other, it
is located near the largest fresh
water lakes in Florida, it is the head
of the Oklawaha river navigation and
is marked as an important station on
the proposed canal through Florida
and if this great enterprise is ever
completed Leesburg will be written in
red letters on the map and will grow
in leaps and bounds. 1t already
lays claims to some very pretty resi-
&c in, hn nf rich
orange and vegetable section and is
| Rugged in by four navigable lakes.
Soon after leaving Leesburg we en-
countered a storm. 1t came up so
suddenly that we did not have time
to put up the curtains so sped along
in the rain over quite fine straw
road for several miles. After decid-
ing to get out and put up the curtains
the rain subsidized.
We soon arrived at Tavares, the
count site of Lake county. 1t is his
toric city and will always be INSOFAR
ately connected with the name of
Alexander St Clair-Abrams and the
principal residential avenue is named
for him. A pretty lake nestles at its
feet and some day it will feel the i'm
pulse that is stirring all Florida and
will arise from its long lethargy into
renewed life :,
Mount Dora, which we next reach
ed, is a pretty as a picture and as
bright as a pin. Its builders ,nd& not
only have been architects but artists
as we'll No visitor sees it who does
no sing its praises.
We were told that after leaving
Apopka, which we next passed, that
We would be in Orange county, and as
Orange is noted for it's good roads,
we would encounter them and make
up the time we lost by the storm,
but if there is any worse road than
from Apopka to Orlando it has never
come under our observation and if the
Orange county commissioners ex-
pect to retain the reputation the coun-