The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-11-27
WRITER PROCLAIMS
BEAUTY OF VALLEY
Manila. 2. l.. Oct. Y. 1919

Euitor dlacler: nave Just finished
reading an editorial in your issue of
September II, entitled Lost Lake
Road" In the past two years | have
read several editorials on that subject,
and news articles, and at one time,
recall, it looked as though your efforts
we're to be crowned with success.
Not hoastfully. but in order to quail
ify in your estimation, for an opinion,
| will state that have seen most of
bthe beauty spots of the earth, insofar
as mountain and lake scenery is con-
cerned. have travelled through the
mountains of Japan, and there is much
beautiful scenery there. | have been
in some of the coast cities of China, in
cluding Hongkong. | have visited in
and around Jerusalem, Alden, Cairo,
and have, of course, seen the Nile.
! have climbed Vesuvius, and wit
messed some of the pretty scenery in
and around Naples, Rome, Venice and
Milan. The Alps are beautiful, as are
also the Italian and Swiss lake dis
tricts, Lake Como and Lake Lueerne,
and the picturesque Swiss mountains.
| have 'excursioned" hundred miles
on the Rhine, travelled by rail through
England, and ridden in tally-ho
through some of Scotland's mountain
and lake districts, including Loeb Lom-
ond and Loeb Katrine, made more fa-
nous by Sir Walter Scott. | have
lived in the Philippines IL years and
have hiked over the moutains of sew
eral islands. have lived in Baguo,
the wonderful summer capital in the
mountains of Benguet, P. |. | have
travelled through the majority of the
states in the good old U. S. A."
could qualify further if you desired and
space permitted, but we'll let it go at
that.
Having seen some - many-of the
principale cities of the world, | will
put myself on record by stating that |
regard Portland as one of the most
beautiful cities on the face of the globe
mot only beautiful, but, next TO New
York City. the most bigoted. New
York state and Oregon are to them
nothing but suburb, vast rural dis.
ttict.
have lived in Portland and the
Hood River valley, and feel sorry foi
| Portland. She overlooked a beautiful
bet when she located in that misty
murky lowland instead of along the
palisades of the Columbia where HooC
River town now sits serene-but that s
getting poetical, and away from the
main point.
have ridden up the Columbia on thu
Bailey Gatzert, and. briefly speaking
for scenery the Columbia has the Nile
Yang g-ste-kiang, the Jordon, Tiber
Seine, Rhine, Thames or Hudson
"sknned a mile" For grandeur O
scenery, grandeur, mark you, tn,
mountains, forests and snow capped
peaks of Oregon surpass them all. ant
III say this without desire or intention
to exaggerate. have hiked from Dee
in the Hood River valley, up to Los
Lake and return in sinlge day. AM
while this lake is beautiful, saluabl
asset with its stage settings. to b.
candid and fair to other lake districts
should say, in my opinion, there ar
more beautiful lakes in Italy, SwitZer
land and Scotland, with Switzerland i
the lead.
And now to the main point. Abou
that Lost Lake road, from Portland {
Hood River, those Portland ostriche
certainly have their heads in the sand
Ii have heretofore assumed that tn
road was to run through the Bull Ru
reserve, which might possibly tend {
contaminate the city water supply
But in your issue above referred to
is stated, "the proposed highway doe
not pass through the watershed of Blu
Pun Iaka and there is M earthly reg
son why the highway should not b
constructed.
: OF the many memorable days in m
"vagabond" career, the trip ] mad
from Dee to Lost Lake stands out !
bold relief in my memory. The granC
eur of the scenery through the fores
reserve, the majestic frs, the decort
tions. excels anything | have ever vii
messed.
If the scenery is as beautiful on tn
) Portland side of Lost Lake as it Is Q
the HoSd River side, Portland, by il
a obstinacy. is depriving the world {
: one of the most wonderful scenic higl
ways imaginable. Even il it did ru
through the Bull Run reserve, contan
ination could be prevented by legisli
: tion. In my travels ] have, as ma
!, ter of course, seen great man
valleys. | wish to add that all thini
i considered, scenery, climate and ma
e ural resource development, have see
= no valley that will compare equal
with Hood River.
| might cxpatiate at length on th