Charlevoix county herald., 1914-03-21


goes with it. Our run previous to
this had been so commonplace that we
had begun to think that our trip would
be tame and uneventful. In this we
were mistaken, as future miles will
show.
About $50 i'm the afternoon and
about 94.3 miles from Gum Lake, we
passed the Michigan state line into In
diana. The spot is marked by sign
post.
From Niles to South Bend we fol-
lowed the interurban electric line and
soon passed through pretty Misha-
waka and busy South Bend. From
this point on to Laporte, roads are
not good, but from Laporte to Chicago
we found one of the finest and longest
stretches of perfect roadways that we
struck on the whole trip. Over 60
miles of perfection in road building
and how we did zip! An auto dealer
at Laporte happened along with his
car and piloted us over this fine road
way for several miles before bidding
US good luck and turning back to his
home town. 1t was a considerate and
western way of doing things; also a
point of Service" that brings good
will and profit to the concerns that
follow it.
The last hundred miles into Ham
mond, Indiana, we made in three
hours and twenty minutes. Just be-
fore arriving at Hammond, our car
stopped and the driver looked inquir-
ingly at the rest of us. We thought
something had gone radically wrong
and were about to begin our lamen-
tatiOns when each one, looking wide
eyed, first at one companion and then
at another, laconically exclaimed in
chorus "Gasw Interpreted that
meant our gasoline was exhausted.
Such proved to be the case and we in
dividually and collectively cussed our
selves for being so thoughtless. Bat
cuSsing ourselves or anybody else
wouldn't get us in to Chicago and we
had promised ourselves that we
should sleep in the metropolis of the
west our first night out.
None of us knew exactly where we
were, but did observe in the gather
ing duskineSs that we were on fair
ly good roadway but flanked on either
side with swamp land that was any
thing but inviting. 1t was a dark,
dank, dreary spot, lonesome and
spooky, with mosquitoes to burn, but
no gasoline TO burn them with.
One of our party started to walk
until ne could find a supply of gas
He had not gone far when he met a
car coming his way and the driver
kindly consented to loan us enough of
the precious fluid to carry US to the
nearest supply station, which, fortu-
nately, was not far away. We were
on our way again rejoicing and soon
pulled up in front of a road house
that dealt in all kinds Of fluid. We
filed up and encountered, Just as we
were ready to start on our last lap for
the day, a smart rain. Jupiter Plu-
vius could not dampen our ardOr. how
ever, and we plugged along through
the mud and rain into South Chicago
arriving at SiXty-third and Cottage
Grove avenue at II AS p. m.-pretty
muddy-after an initial days run OF
206.7 miles, the longest days run on
the whole trip, by the way.
We slept in modest hotel Park
View, at 70 cents per sleeper, and in
the morning drove into automobile
row on Michigan avenue down town
We spent the forenoon in Chicago
getting supplies, encouragement, dis
) enlargement, enthusiasm and infor-
: nation
, Nearly every one with whom we
! talked gave US encouragement anC
/, said we were sure TO get through e
our destination if we had the grit t
stick it out We stuck. Now and thcr
some pessimistic observer woulC
/ scoTpfully look us over as if we were
. all demented and then decide that the
, trip was impossible, that we would
7 turn back before we had gone hal
) way, and anyway if we did manage t,
7 make it it would take us apywher,
!, from six months to year. We lis
/ tened to all but had made up GU
b. minds along the lines of old San
e Patch's philosophy: "Some thing
e can be done as well as others'-an,
e we proposed TO do the things we ha,
= set out to do. Those who discourage,
t us were not familiar with the histor,
e of transcontinental automobile tour
5 ing. Neither were we at first, but w
{ proposed TO find out by personal ex
a perience.
!. We visited the Chicago AUTOMOBILE
r Club headquarters and there not onl.
$ secured the Automobile Official Blu
= Book for 1912, covering that portion
$ of the United States lying between
}. Chicago and the Pacific ocean, bu
+ much valuable information. This Blu
G Book costs only $3.50, but il contain
y $3.50 worth of real service. II is
8. mine of detailed information in rela
p ton TO routes, roads, scenes, condi
r tons and history. Routes are logge
r so accurately and infinitely that if fol
lowed TO the letter no tourist need q
i one-tenth of mile out of his way
q This book even tells you when to tur
a right, turn left, go straight ahead
@ stop for gasoline, secure drinking wa
= ter, sit down, stand up, walk back, &c
e out your pocket book and all sorts o
& those little details that bother the av
g erage traveller i'm strange land. It.
d worth the money several times over
d never start on tour without one.
n IL was 1920 before we got unde
q way from Chicago, hut having rul
r several hours the night before W
n called this day full days run. w
!. pulled down Michigan boulevard an,
Y turned a sharp left into Jackson bou