The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-07-08
THE JOY OF A HOOD
RIVER MOTOR TRIP

BY far the larger number Of resi-
dents of the Hood River valley have
been reared in other parts of the cOur-
try and have come here to make their
home, lured by the beauty of the COM
munity and other features that make
it one of the most desirable home loca-
tions on the topside of the great earth
aad ocean notified globe. Does anyone
of those who have chosen the valley
for home ever forget the first ride
that was taken out into the Hood River
valley? In the earlier days, before the
beginning of the age of the motor car,
you rode behind team of horses, but
the grandeur of the sight youbeh eld,
as you topped the crest of the Heights
or rode over the summit of the emf
nence just beyond the present location
of the home of j. d. Fletcher, will
never leave you.
And so today the valley, beautiied
by the hands of the hundreds of resi-.
dents, whose homesites prettily dot the
vast acreage of orchards, is such that
every stranger goes away wondering
and many of them are so bitten by the
desire that they return and stay. &&
A local resident might ride out in
the valley every fine day. and the ride
would never prove tiresome. The hills
may remain just as they were last
year, and Mount Hoods hoary head
may rise in the same jagged-sided
cone, but the shadows are ever chang
ing, and one never sees the ranges of
hills and the mountains in the same
light, as it seems, twice.
Recently party of Hood River peo-
pie on a fine early summer afternoon
embarked on wonderful motor tri
through to the Upper Valley with Bert
Head, who drives the big 7-passenger
Chalmers of the Fashion Stables. MIR.
Head is an excellent driver and con-
siderate one. He makes it pleasant for
his passengers and for those whom he
passes or meets en- route. He always
smiles and speaks with CHEEKY words. 3
The East Side route was taken. Up
over the East Side grade, then down
the dip into the level of the valley bed
of the East Side orchard district,
through orchards, alongside brilliant
flower gardens and past homes that be-
spoke content and the JOY of life out
by the Billy Sunday place, where the
noted evangelist is healing the wear
of strenuous days, spent in barking out
sermons, the words pouring from his
throat and lips like bullets from
machine gun, with the balm of Ore
CONS pure ozone. Then the Neal creek
road is struck. The machine enters the
pass alongside the bubbling stream
that waters Towering shrubs, green
bushes and wild berry vines at its
sides. Tall frs or pines arise on either
side. Evidences are seen in spots that
some of these trees have been removed
by the woodcutter, and never passer
by fails to regret that such has hap
pened. and he expresses fervent hopes
that the last tree has been felled.
The car sweeps around the orchard
place of Ralph Root and you are in the
Middle Valley Beyond the home of
Jake Len2 you cross the huge canal of
the East Fork Irrigation District. You
pass the home of j. r. Steele and Won
der what he is going to do with the
endless ricks of wood that ere piled be-
side the quarter of a mile stretch of
road leading to his residence.
You are in level country now, and
you sweep along at a clipping pace.
Slowly you take the curve at Shell
brakes store at Mount Hood to pene-
trate the Parkdale community, the
stranger never dreaming that the road
left, the one that will take him on
to Cloud Cap Inn or Homer Rogers
Mount Hood Lodge, is just as interest
ing, or more so.
Parkdale is an interesting commun-
ity, very much so, when the stranger
stops to inquire its age. 1t is very
thriving for five year old, and stores,
churches, schOolhouses and handsome
residences bespeak the progress of the
residents.
On the return trip you backtrack to
the home of Lewis Rhoades where you
begin the climb of the Booth Hill
grade. At the top of Booth I'LL you
are on what is known as the summit,
l, 700 feet higher than when you started
at the O.-W. K. 4 N. station at Hood
River. You may look over the entire
Hood River valley, see the folds of the
depressions, the clearly oulined orchard
on the hills, as you coast down into the
Willow Flat country on compression.
You pass through the progressive
and thickly populated 0dell district,
down Tucker grade and over the steel
bridge. beneath which the main Hood
river dasheS as in a frenzy, and you are
made TO wonder that there are not
more such plants as that of the hydro
Electric Co. seen here.
The West Side macadam is reached,
or you may swing into the Oak Grove
district, and along all these routes you
comment on the quality of the roads,
their excellence, and wonder who the
district supervisor is.
Fer you have realized it you are
spinning over the streets of the
Heights, the ride is over, and yet you