The Detroit times., 1915-04-08

Yesterday at the Grand Canyon fell in with
delightful chap by the name OF Way who Is
the kind OF material that Charles Dana Gibson,
Richard Harding Davis and Owen Wister
should dote on. Way is the chief government
forest ranger for the Arizona district centerins
at the Grand Canyon He has Gibsogesque feat.
ures. wears his sombrero and rides his horse
with an air that rarely sees N picture books,
and Is OF the stuff that heroes soldiers OF for.
tune. and such folk would do well TO be made OF.
The reason I scraped up an acquaintance with
Way was because ] had hefrd about a little
jaunt he made from the Grand Canyon 10 Micht
gan and return, and ! wished TO find out IL the
story was true. IL was Way was born IN Al
pena Mich. which is a town twelve hours north
OF Detroit and a right considerable distance
from Arizona. year or so ago he wished TO
20 back 10 the home town for little visit, but
he dreaded giving up his open HE and housing
himself for several days In a railway coach. SO
he simply rode his horse from Arizona TO Alpens,
Mich He had been riding 30 regularly that he
knew about what he and his horse could 90.
and he estimated that the trip would take him
three months. When he made IL, II occupied
three months and one day over!
And how do you suppose way made the Jour.
ney back 90 the west7 BY canoe. Yes, all alone
I'm n smallsized canoe he went from Alpena.
Mich to Galveston, Texas-from Alpena 10
Chicago. along the shores OF the Great Lakes,
thence down 10 the Mississippi TO New Orleans.
and from there along the gulf coast TO Calves
ton And nj no time during his solitary journey
by horseback and canoe was way bored with
himself I insist that any man VINO could 90
that without getting tired OF his own company
a pretty much OF feller.
A while ago Way was stationed In New Mex.
leo The outlook is rather forlorn In most of
that state and Way didn't like II.
"But" says he. II never complained. because
I think OF the people who have TO live In New
York City and other places great deal more
| forIorn than New Mexico. Just imagine living IN
| a New York apartment where your only view
| 4. brick wall--knowing all the time that there
| are places out here where one can sit on his
| doorstep and sec 100 miles"
I asked Way n he had ever heard OF anybody
coming to the Grand Canyon and being disap-
/ noInted I'm A. He said he had. Occasionally. he
said tourist will express surprise that the
Won isn't bigger and wider One cannot conceive
what any human brain might picture in anticipa-
/ tion that could exceed the canyon itself; but
| here In the explanation as Way figures Il out:
The tourist hears that the canyon Is thirteen
miles wide and bis imagination goes to work on
that basis. But on clear day the thirteenme
gap looks 10 be scarcely more than a mile
| All water used at the big tourist hotel near
the Grand Canyon has TO be hauled by freight
train from, spring i2s miles away. Yet the
| prodigal hotel company seems not TO care a con
| tinental how often a guest turns on the water 10
wash his face There IL plenty OF water To be
had much nearer than l2s miles. The Colorado
| river In only mile away the stone falls. But
| u In not practical for one 10 drop straight down
| and the trail 10 the river II seven miles long
/ Going down a PERCEPTIONS trail seven miles long
| every time one wished TO fetch a bucket of
| water might. Of course. gradually tend 10 become
a good deal Of a nuisance.