The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-11-27
WESTWARD HOBBY AUTO
A. L. Rice Gives interesting Account
of His Trip.
Las Vegas, N. NJ, Nov. i6, 1913.

Eult0r Herald. - when leaving
home month ago so many asked US
to write and let them know how we
were getting along, that l know no
better way than to write to all
Through your paper. We left Wright
Tuesday, October IA, headed for San
Diego, Calf, via the automobile
route, with ticket giving choice of
Highways and full stop-over privi-
lleges. We run to Russell the first
day and stopped over night with
friends: then to Osceola for another
stop. Here Wednesday night It
rained so that we could not take the
lear on until Monday noon, the Goth,
! and then over quite heavy roads, so
that We only made Alton that even
ing. and the next morning started on
over roads frozen hard and terribly
rough, but by noon they became fair
and we made Malvern. our next stop,
easily that evening. Left there the
next day "wednesday about three
o'clock and crossed the Missouri at
Plattsmouth on an old-fashioned fer
ry worked by cable. and camped
half way from there to Louisville,
Nebr. The next day we struck the
Lincoln Highway and found splendid
roads, on through Lincoln, Hastings,
Friend, Atlanta and Oxford, reaching
our friends at Indianola, Nebr,, Sat
! urday p. m, October 25.
The extreme western counties of
Iowa and eastern one of Nebraska
Iappear to have better crops than we
do, and | believe one-third of it was
in crib when we passed there, but 1T
soon dries out and west of Lincoln
don't think / have seen a shock of
fodder SO high but | could run and
jump over 1t; but they report a fair
wheat crop and I believe they have
enough feed to rough stock through
the winter and all stock looks well.
From Lincoln to Atlanta the roads
are mostly level and long stretches
from six to twelve miles often, and
once eighteen without a turn, so that
one day while not aiming to exceed
twenty miles at any time, we aver.
aged seventeen for the day. From
Atlanta to Oxford the road is rolling
and winds around canyons, dropping
into the Republican Valley and fol-
: lowing the river valley for seventy
five miles or more on up the French
man to Wauneta At Oxford we run
into dust storm and drove forty
miles to our friends through dust as
thick as | ever saw snow in Iowa,
swirling down often until nothing
could be seen beyond few rods, then
clearing so we could pick up the road
and drive for some distance before
another gust would strike us. This
has so far been our worst experience.
We left Indianoia Wednesday after
noon, October 70, and reached Den
+. yer Saturday afternoon, November l.,
about three Gays drive. Between
'4MeCeok and Wauneta there Is con-
siderable irrigation and sugar beet
, raising, but at Wauneta the road
lclimbs the side of canyon and out
upon the high land and we realized
we were in the range country. The
roads became trails. Just two wheel
tracks, often six to ten inches deep,
but smooth in the bottom so we could
roll along with only an occasional
jolt from a prairie dog den or man.
moth ant hill Just west of Imper-
ial, Nebr., we stopped for water and
found a Mr.. Hall from New Sharon
holding down a homestead and hav-
ing a comfortably fixed home, not
withstanding the dryness of the coun-
try. Between Sterling and Fort Nor
gan we were in the heart OF the SUI
gar beet country and encountered
some roads badly rutted by heavy
! hauling, but the piles of beets in
sight were well worth seeing.
Between Fort Morgan and Denver
we crossed another range section 60
ling some forty miles between supply
stations. Our visit in Denver was
interfered with by a snow, making
1t quite muddy and being SO CLOUDY
the mountains could not be seen;
and we lett Denver Wednesday, Nov.
5. over roads so muddy that we were
from eleven o'clock until dark reach
ing Palmer Lake, forty-three miles,
and burned ten gallons OF gas to pull
it. Our hardest pull on the trip so
far. At Palmer Lake we struck well
improved roads, and after spending
an hour or two in the morning climb
ing the mountains, left there for Col
orado Springs, where we drove about
three hours through Manitou, the
Garden of the Gods, etc., then on for
Canon City, reaching our friends
there about eight o'clock.
1 ihO SOiOIduO lOtdO
ed here and the main roads radiating
for hundred miles are mostly built
by convict labor and are the finest
In the country, and it seems to me
good way to employ the states pris-
oners for the benefit of the public.
They have fine road to the top of
the Royal Gorge. some twelve miles
In length. Also one following an
abandoned irrigation project some
two and one-half miles up the side of
the gorge, going through three tun-
nels and being at its highest two hun
dred feet above the ID. & r. G.. r. r.
tracks. And their SKY line drive"
which climbs to the top and follows
a ridge some 800 feet above the town
and seldom over twenty feet wide on
top and sloping precipitously on both
sides. Canon City is noted for its
fruits, especially apples, of which
they shipped sixteen car loads one
day while | was there. II is a nice
place and surrounded by fine orch
ards. miles In extent. We attended
the M. K. Sabbath school, with an at
tendance of 534 that day, and the
Presbyterians had 497 the same day.
We left Canon City Thursday. Nov.
IL and drOya IN prahlo nvar roada