Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-03-20
MRS. PATTON WRITES
MORE or THEIR JOURNEY.


Editor Reflector: We spent
y week in Phoenix AZ our friends from
California had quite a little work z
do on their car. ! was a little sur
prised 10 find oranges growing
around Phoenix, Ariz. / believe ]
really like II better around Phoeni'
than / do in California. About II
miles west OF Phoenix is verS
large ostrich farm. II covers 64O
acres. At a distance ! made the
remark "that man 10 surely worth
something or nothing to have sucn
a large herd of cattle" didn't
suppose that there was such q flock
OF ostriches anywhere in the U. D.
! had heard Of the ostrich farm at
Pasadena but 1t is pony compared
to the one at Phoenix.
After we left Phoenix we had the
choice of two routes, one along the
ella river and one over the noun
tains. We wanted to take the one
over tiie mountains but the other
PARTY wanted the river route. We
thought our car could travel the
hills better than go through sand.
We pitched our tent just about a
mile from where the roads forked
and spent the evening with pros and
cons of the different routes. At last
our California friend said he would
90 our way until we crossed the
Colorado river, then travel his
choice. We said alright. We spent
the night at Harrisburg. Harrisburg
used to be quite a place but the
mines played out and the town was
deserted save two old miners who
were very kind. We camped In an
empty store building which in an
early days used to be saloon. or
course a gambling table was In con-
nection with the saloon. Many a
man lost his all and had to leave
because of the saloon. These two
miners, the youngest 70 years old,
were still living in hope that they
than / DIN California. About IA
The Colorado river has no wagon
bridges across 1t at all. We ferried
across at Ehrenbury and spent the
night In Blythe. AS per agreement
we started south to strike the Yuma
road. We followed the stage line
from Blythe to CLAIMS. So far we
have travelled over prairies and in
canyons and valleys and over noun
tains and hills. But for good roads
good water and fine scenery and all
that goes to make a good time, give
me travel over mountains. AS far
as CLAIMS you will finds roads no
worse than you find in Dickinson
county. We are now about 56 miles
west of Yuma. The roao is begin
ming to get sandy but not enough
to bother our car any. But we look
back and the other car is stuck. We
look at our watch and it is dinner
time. The children and eat our
lunch while Mr.. Patton goes back
to help the other car get started.
We finally get started. We go but
a short ways and look back and the
other car is stalled again. While
Mr.. Patton helps them get started
/ wrap the hind wheels OF our car
with rope This time we went al
most a half mile before we stop as
our car was, ahead and the other car
couldn't go around. We thought It
rest to go quite ways before we
stopped. The sand is drift sand,
lust as fine as it could be-. The
ocean sand doesn't begin to COM
pare in purity and fineness to the
sand that blows off the old beach
of the Salton sea. Night came on
and the other car was almost a quar-
ter of a mile behind. We stopped
and got supper. Then after supper
we worked until we got the other
car up to ours. We didn't stop to
nut UP the tent as it was so nice
and warm, but rolled ourselves In
the blankets and laid down on the
sand to sleep. We hadn't gotten
into sand deep enough to bother
very much as long as we were NOV
ing, but when we stopped our cal