Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-01-07
TO CALIFORNIA
AND The EXPOSITIONS
xUaterCOmmfSsiOner John Taylor
Oescribes TO a Journal Repor-
ter HIS Trip Through the
Great Western Country

marty of eight consisting of John Taylor
and wife, Percy Taylor, wife aud child;
Edward Taylor, wife and son Elmer,
loft Wildwood for a trip across the
continent via the Pennsylvania system
IN Philadelphia and thence through
various large cities to st. Louis where
thew remained for a day, thence v
the Wabash system to Kansas City,
where they visited the large stock yards
From there they travelled to Junction
city. Kansas, the birth place and home
,own of John Taylor some forty years
ooo. thence over the Union Pacific to
nenyer and while there an auto trip
WAS taken up Mt. Outlook, the summit
of which is some $4,000 feet above sea
level. At times, says MI. Taylor, on
the trip up very narrow road beds were
encountered and the wheels of the auto
we're occasionally about eight inches
from the edge of a precipice. 1t took a
steady hand and a cool head to guide the
machine in this locality, as the slightest
false move meant a plunge of some two
thousand feet down a perpendicular
wall of rock to sure death. They all
felt much easier after this part of the
Journey was over, and the only n un-
concerned was the chauffeur who kept
pushing the a along at a good speed.
The party then took train for Colorado
Springs via the Denver and Rio Grande
railroad and remained there two days,
ascending Pixies Peak and later a trip
through the Windy Cavern and the
Garden of the Gods, which Mr.. Taylor
described as one of the most beautiful
sights he eve saw. From here they
again took up the westward trail and
entered the Royal Gorge, the walls of
which are so high and close together
the stars can plainly be e e in broad
daylight. Portions of the travel through
this gorge was over bridges suspended
from the sides of the mountain, as it
was found impossible by the engineers
to blast or tunnel these immense rocks
when building this railroad, therefore
trestles were constructed and BRIDES
swung between-they do not look Sc
cure from a distance but they are very
strong. After passing through this
rocky scenery they entered Salt Lake
City and remained there two days, visit
ing the Mormon tabernacle and temple
also one of the lakeside resorts-the peo-
Die there call 1t q sea-ide resort-and
Tried the experiment of drinking some
| of the water of the lake, which was i'm
possible. Mr. Taylor says hal no fish
live in these waters and the only animal
that does exist in it is a small shrimp.
description OF come beautiful gardens
was given which lie bet ween Salt Lake
f and Utah Lake. From here the party
went through a low range of mountains
10 the great western salt beds, which
are twenty-five miles wide and ninety
miles long and composed of solid salt
from one 10 nine feet in depth. AT this
j place is a large factory and the salt is
dug up in blocks and prepared for the
market. They left this place at noon
and at daylight the next morning were
at the top of the Sierra Nevada range
in California from which elevation a
magnificent view was obtained of the
country for many miles. Feather River
canyon was the scene of marvellous
beauty and at two O'Clock of the same
day the orange grove districts of Cali
fornia were reached and at six o'clock
I. m. the train pulled into San Fran
cisco, and they were al the end of their
Journey west.
After locating their hotel and resting
lor the night the next morning they
began sight seeing trips and visits to
Inc fail. Mr.. Taylor said it would be
impossible to describe the wonders of
lhls magnificent exhibit-in other
Words he did not think it possible as it
would have to be seen to be appreciated.
panty lcL1dlucu AClC Ella udJo allu
Then took the Southern Pacific route
lOf Los Angeles. The farms and gar
uens in this vicinity grow strawberries
eieven months in the year and as for
vegetables they grow the year round,
aadn one need eat the canned product,
Sltls always fresh here. Long Beach,
venice and San Pedro, seaside resorts
VI much beauty, were visited. MI.
taylor very reluctantly admitted that
saese resorts far outclassed Wildwood.
speaking Of roads he said there was a
seven hundred mile asphalt road in
california that did not have a break in
~ entire length aud was the finest
"ngle stretch of public highway he had
''ef seen. Automobiles, he said, carry
passengers here and compete with the
iailfoads. From San Pedro a steamer
'ooK The party to the Santa Catalina