The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-10-23

Hood River county from the beginning.
There is another kind of beauty
found in Oregon. The undulsting land.
A stretch of level and then hill that
YOU can easily climb on the "high" and
then coast down on the other side 70
another stretch of level, and then
mile and then another easy sloplng
hill: mile after mile at the rate OF 70
and 80 milesiper hour from daylight to
dark over roads that supervisors have
never dared to mar, once in awhile fol-
lowing the section lines, but not often
easy graceful curves to fool the dust.
If YOU get off the road head through
the sage brush anywhere, any direc-
tion, to find the lost road. Sage brush
to right, sage brush to left. sage bush
before. Jack rabbits galore. Sage
brush behind, Jack rabbits so kind. y.
The crossing of Crooked river is OF
especial interest. The perpendicular
basaIt formation on either side over
which you can throw stone from bank
to bank. The little river at the base
more than 300 feet below; the Crooked
river bridge 240 feet long and 32O feet
high the wonderful castles silhouetted
against the red western sky we passed
Just at sunset.
We estimated that one of these huge
piles was one mile long and one thou-'
sand feet high, built up not amongst
the mountains, but on the open eoun-
try. Crooked river runs throuh the
level country.
The desert between Bend and Burns
is being homesteaded and improved in
many places, which shows what can be
done by dry farming. Usually water is
found at depths varying from eight to
20 feet.
Along the whole course you will meet
autos, auto trucks and heavy freight
ers. The last mentioned with from
eight to IL horses with three or four
trail wagons. We were told at "The
Half Way House." (Br6okings) during
the months of June and July 720 guests
registered at the hotel, not counting
the stage drivers.
Our first intimati0n of approaching
Burns was on a circular drive between
the hills, when there lay spread out be-
fore us valley 80 miles wide and so
miles long, level as a table, the beauti-
full Harney valley with thousands Of
cattle grazing in the fields. We esti-
mated there we're 1000 in the first field
we passed.
Our destination was 1.-THE Narrows"
% miles from Burns and directly across
the valley at the junction of Harney
and MaIheur lakes.
Burns is in little world of its own
and in measure hemmed in from the
outside world. The people of Burns
are contented and prosperous. 1t is
not a seedy town. We were informed
there is no one destitute. The citizens
are generous and ready to hel p anyone
who comes there in need. The town
has an air of thrift. 1t may seem
strange, but we were told there are in
telligent meg and women who live
there who have never seen railroad.
Some of them 60 years old. The post
mistress, a we'll educated young lady.
has never seen a railroad train. They
have all they need at home and are
satisfied.
The lakes are shallow and only q
small portion of them open. The
greater part is covered with tules. The
ducks know the reservation lines bet
ter than you do and if they are real
tame when they alight in pond you
had better not shoot. The farmers are
obiging and ready to assist you in
having a good time. The road book
will direct you at every. turn and you
had better follow its instructions.
We spent one day in the goose
country grain fields, and should have
given this place more time to find the
hyways. .
One fock of geese came over "us'
and with three shots I'VE" brought
down three geese, and then "we'
lapsed into comatose state with two
more loads in "our" gun. DR.. Scobee
Mr.. Keir and MIR. Hahn, who wers eye
witnesses to the tragedy "fell dead. ,
The combined weight resulting from
the slaughter was 2S pounds, no
counting DR.. Scobee, MIR. Keir and Mr.
Hahn. Another flock left the grail
| field and passed over two nimrods ant
we thought that not one goose woulC
escape, but they were undisturbed AM
with an occasional "honk" disappeared
over the bluff. The hunters who stooC
there seemingly ready for the oppor
tunity said thesgeese passed so clos
they could see their eyes. Both hunt
ers testified under oath that the gum
were out of commission. Felt relieves
to learn the real cause, for we wer
fearful that it might be slight strok,
of paralysis. viii not give names, fol
there are were few incidents we al
promised to forget.