The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-07-29
AUTO TRIP THROUGH
EASTERN WASHINGTON

A very pleasant feature of the visit
of the Glacier man and his better half
with his brother. H. G. Moe, and wife,
at Dayton, Wash, was the trip through
eastern Washington. from Wslla Walls
TO Spokane in the latter's Haynes
six" To beat the railroad train into
Spokane from Dayton by FIVE hours,
reflects much credit upon the skillful
driving of Harry" the efficiency of
his car. and the wonderful help.of the
new state road which is being built
and which has many completed stretch
es in which the car glides along as
smoothly as a Pullman and 'eats" up
the miles as fast as the crack limited
trains.
/ The road from Walla Walla north is
excellent until Columbia county is
reached, and then slow time must be
made to ease the car over the old, un-
even turnpike, which has been good
enough for the farmers and horse
drawn vehicles since the country was
settled. Leaving Dayton on the way
north, the road has been improved for
some distance, but the hills one has to
make, up over divides and down across
|
deep, occasionally striking a 25 per
cent grade, most Of it the old indiffer-
ent country road, makes travelling slow
compared to the time made whenever
the new state road was encountered.
Yet a good, powerful car does not
fret" at the grades if the track is
reasonably smooth, and we made good
time.
Dropping down for several miles into
the Snake river canyon. we crossed the
Central ferry, and then began the long
climb up over the summit. where an
altitude of probably 1000 feet was
reached, and where one could see the
Blue mountains to the south and Step
toe Butte to the north, a distance OF
perhaps 100 miles. Over this vast
stretch of country one gazed over sea
of golden grain, thousands and thou
sands of acres, broken here and there
by plowed fields of summer fallow.
which will be put in grain next year,
while this years grain fields will take
years rest.
AS we neared Colfax the roads were
better, and from that city to Spokane
the drive was magnificent. In that
section of the state the higher altitude
was noticed in the green fields, there
being but few fields of early ripening
grain that was tinged with yellow.
Much of the road is being macadam-
lied between those two cities, and its
popularity is attested by the numerous
cars constantly on the road (most of
which, by the way. are Fords).
Spokane looks prosperous; in fact,
more so than any of the coast cities we
have seen this year. No doubt this IS
due in a measure to the good grain
crop and prospective good prices. Still,
we were informed that business in gen.
eral is not as good as it has been.
The return trip was made by way of
Pomeroy. where we visited DR.. Clark
Black and family, and called on Mr..
and Mrs. Roy Knettle, all companions
of the Oriental trip. Around Pomeroy
are the best looking grain fields in
eastern Washington. DR.. Black has 33
acres of Hungarian bearded wheat
which will go from 81 to so bushels to
the acre. He brought the seed from
Hungary two years ago, and from the
small planting he secured seed enough
for his field this year. 1t has tested
out to be of a superior quality, and the
enormous yield-the stand of which is
five to six feet, with heads four to
eight inches long-has made him very
enthusiastic over it. He will plant
1000 acres of it next year. A sample
bunch of this wheat may be seen in the
Glacier Office.
The hot winds in June injured consid-
cradle of the grain around Dayton and
Walla Walla, but as a whole, eastern
Washington, especially in the higher
elevations, will have bumper crop.
In Dayton we had very pleasant
visit with Rev. W. G. Gilmore and
family, who expect to visit Hood River
next month.