The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-02-04

Francisquito Canyon to Los Angeles,
making many side trips, including
San Diego, taking in the Exposition
at that point We were now ready
to start our return trip and hoped to
make a fast run to Ohio, weather per-
Imitting.
From Los Angeles we drove to San
Bernadio, from there down to the
Imperial Valley where we spent a
day in the government date groves;
this point was three hundred feet be-
low sea level. We drove back to
San Bernadino, and started on East
through the Canton Pass by the way
Of Barstow, going on East through
the Desert and across the lower end
of Death Valley. At Needles, Cali
fornia, we crossed the Colorado Riv-
er in Arizona on the Sante Fe rail
road bridge where they charged us a
toll of $3.50. From there we went
on up through Arizonia to the Grand
Canyon "a very rough bit of travel
ing all the way and reaching an alti-
tude of 5000 feet We left the
Canyon in a binding snow storm
with five or six inches on the ground.
We had 80 miles to drive from there
to Winslow and with but one habita-
ton on the way lumber camp.
We made the run, however, over
good natural cinder roads, through
a wonderful volcanic country. We
ran out of snow into rain about fifty
miles from the Canyon when we got
down to lower altitude. From Hol-
brook, Arizona, we left the railroad
and struck South into the petrified
forests, where we drove fifteen miles
with fallen petrifed trees on either
side, one of the most interesting and
wonderful sights of the entire trip.
We struck on south to SpringerYille, |
which is l50 miles from the railroad, !
a thriving Mormon town; from there
we started East into New Mexico, !
reaching the railroad at New Magda- |
lena, a thriving sheep and cattle |
country.
We crossed the Rio Grande River |
at SoccOro, going from there to Albu- |
qerke. From this point we went on
to Sante Fe over the LeBajada grade |
which we heard a great deal about |
and the eighteen hairpin turns on the |
same. We made it very easily, how |
ever, and found one climb over 20 per !
cent. and soon arrived in Sante Fe, |
the oldest town in the United States. |
From there we crossed the Glorieta |
pass about 10000 feet, on East |
the Ranton Pass ,an eleva-
ton of about 5000 feet, going to La
Junta, Colorado, striking the Arkan-
sas river valley, following it the full
length to Kansas City. The roads
were dry but very rough in Kan
sas. From Kansas City we struck
through the state Missouri,
Missouri river in a ferry
boat, to Bonneville, the old home of
Daniel Boone. We found the roads
in Missouri rough and rocky and very
narrow.
Arriving in st. Louis we drove
across the Mississippi River on the
Eads Toll Bridge, going on across to
the state of Illinois, from there to
Ind, where we hit our
really first good roads since leaving
The state of California; from there
)n to indianapolis the roads were
very fine, making the returun trip
rom California to Ohio in fifteen
lays, distance of over 5000 miles.
Had five punctures on the way
pack, the round trip on the two orig
nal tires on the front wheels we
started out with, replacing the other
.wo in St Louis. The total mileage
If the trip was $500 miles and many
side trip and drives through Cali
Ornia.
We were not held up from break
Towns, neither was the car pulled out
II helped in any way on the trip, but
made every inch of the description on
is own power. The party consisted !
If myself, wife and two children. We
we're not sick or indisposed at any p,
ime of the entire trip.