Arizona republican., 1915-09-05
A Months Camping
 In Northern Arizona
By G. PEE2Y

glorious days of the burro and pack train, there is still enough of exicite-
 ment and thrills to satisfy even in these days, and still I am free to l confess that in many respects I pre- fer the slow, easy going of the bur TO to the rapid transit of today, es- pecially when the lovely scenery is ! passing by you in such swift pano- ramic fashion that even the mile
 stones are gone before you could
 read the information contained
 thereon, and you fail to absorb the beauties of the landscapes as fully as you ought and could do via the burro, or shank's mule route.
 Now, don't misconstrue my inter pretation and call me a back mum Der. for I can assure you that 1 saw miles and miles of country that whilst it had its interesting features ! would become perfectly montonous from an artists point of view, if compelled to be travelled in the old way, and that even the high speed
 of the auto is barely sufficient to re- move, but to travel from an artists point of view is to be able to stop over and thoroughly absorb the won 1 derful views which appear
 There has already been so much written of the experiences of the early and modern travellers. and of the hardships they have so often ] endured. especially by their lack of water. that our many friends who | expressed such anxiety for our wei fare. are eXcusable for so many ad-
 monitions to see that all possible ex- agencies had been amply provided for, the greatest of all of which was in regard to the life-giving fluid, and we fully appreciated their interest so freely given expression in these words: Be sure and take plenty of | water Don't fail to have sufficient water You can't take too much water" If you have to tighten your | load leave anything but the water"
 In fact. it was the need of providing sufficient of the life giving fluid so
 impressed upon me, that notwith standing the fact that we had two canteens of three gallons each.
 purchased an African water bag of
 unknown capacity, and an ability to sprinkle the road continuously, and as 1t had been raining for three days, there seemed to be no liability for shortage of the precious fluid, so after filling the radiator to it's cap acity under about eighty pounds pressure, we set forth with the ad- monuons in our ears, until in the words of the poet it was water here water there, water everywhere, and before the end of the trip we found
 it so, We found it so. for too much
 water was responsible for lots of our engine trouble for we even got l water in the cylinder heads and got the electrical wiring water-logged. and even found water in the gasoline. which some -considerate dealer had 1 injected for our benefit but wfich was not appreciated by the chauf- | feur.
 The trip to Government Wells was without interest, where we filled up l our canteen, the only one neding re- rlenishing. But upon negotiating Fish Creek hill oar engine troubles com | menced, and we walked tVo-thirds 1 of the hill, and took the opportunity
 to sketch the Fish Creek gulch We had lovely weather and in spite of 1 the recent heavy rains found the | roads in excellent condition, and in ! due time arrived in sight of that wonderful creation of modern engin-
 eers, the Roosevelt dam, where we | found water galore, sufficient to re- lieve the anxiety of all our friends.
 and let me say we arrived there i with about nine gallons in our can I teens-like taking coals to New
 castle.
 ] We camped at the foot of the dam
 and commenced to pull out fish for | supper. and as it was perch that
 seemed to be the easiest to get, it was perch we got. I succeeded in | landing one bony tail, about a two
 pounder which got hooked by the
 tail. I made a sketch of the lake. 1 We proceeded to the Cliff Dwellings i about six miles south, which had to
 be transferred to my sketch book,
 and we found that these dwellings
 are in better state of preserva- tion than those we visited in the | northern part of the state.
 Hearing that the roads into the i White Mountains were practically impossible, and we being exception | ally heavy loaded, we changed our
 plan of going to the Grand Canyon | by that route, and after enjoying | another days fishing and sketching, | we returned to Phoenix and tighten | ed our load considerably Out not the water) and then continued our trip via Prescott, where we camped q l
 1 Whether it was the fault of the driver or not I don't know. but we | had to walk up practically every
 grade through the foothills, and when
 we struck the Hassayampa river we
 got stuck in the sand That took | two hours, and as it was dinner time
 we improved the occasion by taking dinner in the bed of the river. Now,
 we failed to take a drink of the
 water, but those who know say that
 don't need it. as I absorbed sui ' ficient by wading. From there we | got on to Wickenburg, via the Gar l den of Allah, but I wish to caution
 my travelling friends against this
 road, for while it is two and one | half miles the shortest, this is one of those times when the longest way round is by far the nearest way there. and big saving in the wear and tear of tires, and shoe leather 1 in walking the hills.
 Sunday we did a very foolish