Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-03-12
Los Angeles, Feb. IS, 1914

llHe WAS Wilen one VINO drove an
auto from any part of the central west
to the Pacific coast was crowned with
glory and gray hairs; but now, be-
cause of the bettering of road con
ditions, better knowledge of the diff
culties that may be encountered and
how to meet them, transcontinental
touring as an endurance stunt, is rap
idly degenerating and will soon be a
healthy outing for those who love the
quiet life. When ] left Watertown
this winter for hundreds of miles /
met road conditions that were bad
enough TO break the heart of mule
beacuse of rain, snow and frost in
Nebraska and Kansas where roads
are usually much better than in Da-
kota.
Reaching Amarillo, Texas, we hur-
ried along and travelled the Border
land Route across those great plains
of western Texas and eastern New
Mexico = through the Sacramento
mountains of New Mexico for sixty
miles, climbing to an altitude of seven
thousand five hundred feet through
most beautiful scenery and then ac-
ross the mesa to ElPaso, making that
part Of the run easily at an average
speed of 22.52 miles an rour.5y
| have been trying to remember
did I not send you a short account of
that part of the run? Well, if II have
repeated, it does rot matter much
A few days after reaching ElPaso
ran over to Deming, New Mexico
taking about four and one=half hours
to make the run of ninety-eight miles.
After staying is Deming a short time,
] concluded to run over TO California
for a few days. The old car being
ready to take the road we left Dei,ling'
one week. ago last Sunday morning
at 40. We were soon in Lordsburg.
sixty Gnaiea asay and Eslals SOM NV u & {
past the Lordsburg silver and lead
mines. through Granite Gap of the
STEMS Peak Mountains and down the
San Simon valley to Rodeo, a dis
tance of fifty miles more, where we
We're splendid and the old car just
flew past Apache, Bernadino, around
the south end of the Chiricahua Noun
tains ian Apache word pronounced
cher-y-cow)a nd on into the great cop
per smelling city of Douglas, Arizona,
160 miles from Deming. Filling the
car with gas and oil we started over
the paved road for Douglas. We had
not gone far before we overlook a
sport riding a motorcycle at fair
speed. We gave him the passing sig-
nal and he replied by greatly increas-
;rg speed and signaling us to run by
if we could and then the race was
on. told Roy to "step on her. and
the way we rushed down that road
after that grinning imp on two wheels
was something rather swift. don't
know how fast we msandered as my
speedometer will not register more
than sixty miles an honrand--well,
it couldn't keep up. 1t was as inter
esting as chasing coyotes with an.
auto on the plains CT Texas, but the.
pace was too swift, resulting in
hot motor and our friend of the flying
two wheels was forced to give up the.
race and let us go by. He was a.
reckless sport but he sure travelled
some while he lasted. AS may be-
guessed we were not long getting to
near Douglas, but as did not wish
& to run the Tombstone Canyon be-
cause of new road work / swung to
the south and west OF the Douglas
hills, crossed the San Pedro river at
Hereford and then over the mesa
thwesterly to Huachua where Z fin
ished the days run, having travelled
223.3 miles in 800, making an aver
age of nearly "a miles an hour.
We left Huachuca at 800 the next
morning (Mondayl and quickly pass
ing through between the Milestone
Mountains and Mustang Peak we were
soon at Empire ranch. Without stop
ping we soon entered the beautiful
Live Oak Ravine and rapidly u ssssaSs1
ed the way amid its splendid trees.
green and wild flower strewn hills
and little brook to the summit of the
Santa Rita Mountains.
Here Is suddenly revealed to the
traveller one Of the prettiest bits Of
scenery to be found in az the west
II may be an obession have seen
this gem many times and each time
with unabated pleasure. Indeed i y
one Of those nature pictures that no'