Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-03-06

our front wheel wouldn't turn. We took
the front mudguard off but that only
helped for little while. We soon
found we were making sled out of
our front wheel and trying to make our
engine pull us. This was the last straw.
1T broke our low-speed. Then we thought
We were up against it for fair.
| began to think pretty hard and
then | took short piece of chain and
put it under the broken yoke, taking
part OF the broken piece off, and, tight
ening the chain with the bolt, we made
the run TO Tombstone, Arizona. The
next morning | adjusted it so we could
use it to good advantage, and still used
II that way until we reached Phoenix,
about 2jO miles. Here we got Il new
part and left Phoenix, expecting to do
some walking, but on we rode, over
miles and miles of desert sands, only
seeing a person once in Il while.
And Gas Was Three Miles Away.
Just before reaching Yuma was the
first time we needed the extra gasoline,
which we had carried about 400 miles.
Leaving Yuma, we still found lots of
deserts, being forced to ride 20 miles
over railroad ties. We found il paid to
ride fast enough to only hit the high
places. Then we struck Mammoth
Wash, where we had been told we would
have to walk about miles. We met
automobiles being towed through by 9
mules and the engine running besides
so we began to think we would surely
have to walk, but we began to ride and
the good old motorcycle proved its
worth, for we rode through it all.
We thought our troubles were now
over, but still found bad roads and lots
of mountains to climb.
From time to time we were between
eight and ten thousand feet above tn,
sea level going from III Centro to Sar
Diego, Reaching Los Angeles, we pulled
up at the Excelsior agents, Girton &
Hoffer' They made us feel right al
home.
Leaving for San Francisco, Dor
Johns and friend on an Excelsior witt
a Miller Triplex sideseats, showed u
the way out of the city; about 30 mile
out, the deserts appeared again.
The Worse Was Yet to Come
We stopped at Willow Springs tha
night and found it raining next morn
ing, but the worst was. yet to come
There was as much as 4 inches of sno,
on the mountains, with no other wa
out of it, so we took to the snow. Til
snow covered about 25 miles of the roa
from two to -four inches deep, but til
motor worked well and we had but yer
little trouble in getting across. W
+, made Bakersfield, Fresno and Trace
and then came the worst yet.
Workmen had been regarding Il
a road through canyon and the hea,
. rains had made it the most sticky me
4 possible to get into, but we had {
. pleasure of helping some autos get O
. that were stuck, so it did not make
4 feel so bad after all, as we were al
> TO get through under our own pow,
9 On we rode to San Francisco. Not ha
;. ing much time TO get back home +
Christmas we went to San Pedro
q boat, then rode back to Los Angel
a and after a visit to several of the nca
. by cities we shipped our motor home !
n express and arrived home on Frida
the 18th of December.
We had no engine trouble not cv,
had to grind a valve after leaving Oh
, cago. And this was not carrying on
. person but two perOsns, and with abor
9 70 pounds Of baggage. 1t was tru
a remarkable performance for the lit
power plant and increased material
our faith in the good old "X"