The weekly soliphone., 1915-10-01
I, Breckenridge Writes Inter
 ac4i ', rr1xy

July 20 to hand ana was glad to hear from you.
 We got back last Friday from the Panama exposition, and tour of the western states, visiting San te Fe, N. M, Petrified Forest of Arizona, Grand Canyon of the Col orado river, in Arizona, Los An geles, San Diego, where one of the expositions is being held, and San Francisco; also orange groves in California and the forest of big trees and returned via Salt Lake, Yellowstone park, Denver, Colorado Sprinks, Pikes Peak and Pueblo, Colo.
 We had good time, and had no bad luck on our trip. Took a good swim in the Pacific ocean at Long Beach, also Ocean Beach, also in Salt Lake, where we could float on our backs and read newspa- per-float like a cork. The water is said to be 26 per cent salt.
 In Sante Fe, N. M., we saw the oldest church, also the oldest dwelling house in the United States. They are over 400 years old.
 The Petrified Forest of Arizona was curiosity; several hundred acres of seemingly prairie land cov- cred with logs and tree tops all solid stone. No trees standing. It looks as if it might have been a heavy forest, and afterward sunk and covered with water and dirt then afterward upheaved by some volcanic eruption, probably when part of the Rocky mountain range was thrown up. We noticed one log extending out of bluff about 15 feet below the top, or down in the bluff.
 Some of these logs were 150 feet long, and or feet through and had knots, limbs, bark and roots There is no question but they were timber some time ago.
 At the Grand Canyon of the Col orado river was another sight, but to me it was not so great as the Terrified Forest. It was canyon cut in the mountain by the Colo rado river which was over 7,00O feet or more than a mile deep, and an average width of thirteen miles and 270 miles long. Standing on the bluff and looking down at the Colorado river, though about BOG feet wide, looks like a twine string the distance being so great. The air was cool on the bluff, but nc snow or ice, but down in the can yon it was about no degrees ir the shade.
 Through Arizona most of the way was the great American desert But very little vegetation and water and the hottest country that I was ever in; at Needles, it was 120 de- grees in the shade, and while we were travelling through on the train, instead of raising the win dows to let the air in to cool us off. we shut the windows down tC keep the hot air out. It was SC hot that it would almost burn my hand when I held it out of the window.
 In western Arizona and south ern California, we saw some giant cacti-about one foot through ano 30 feet high.
 In southern California, the prin cipal fruits were oranges, lemons grape fruit and English walnuts The principal crops were sugar beets and lima beans-all by irri gation.
 Up in the mountains they have peaches, apples and grapes.
 In central California, the crop are wheat, oats, beets and beans Fruits are peaches and grapes.
 At Big Treos, California, WI saw some trees about 20 fee through and 25O feet high. The. were California redwood.
 We saw a piece sawed off of on that they said was 45 feet through at San Francisco in the exposition
 We saw quite number o things at the fair that were inter esting, but think that the fair wa not as good as it was at St. Loui in 1904, especially the foreign ex hibits.
 Most of the country after we go over the coast range of mountain to Salt Lake was desert, an when we got close to Salt Lax the ground was almost covered wit salt and looked white, like snow
 No vegetation to speak of.
 In the Yellowstone national par
 r,- x,,o,Iorc on,nn1 uyh io