El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-07-01
WONDERS Of THE ROAD IN BUZZ
WAGON TOURING IN GOLDEN WEST
c. H. Lester Tells of Good Roads, Fast Travelling Fertile
Valleys and Other Interesting Things Including His
tory on Trip From San Diego to San Francisco
is Now Up at the Canadian Line

little town Of Burbank-home Of the
I plant wizard-and shortly after a
grade began that continued until we
we're nearly in sight of Bakersfield
! Just before we entered the Newhall
tunnel, near San Fernando, I noticed a
: trail at our right marked 'FremOnt's
iran As l glanced at that winding
goat path up the steep hillside. I won
dered why Fremont went that way.
I We didn't
Crooked Yes, Some.
We soon reached the lyon Pass
country but ] did not notice any pass
As far as I could judge, the road
winds around. around and around. and
climbs up. and up, and up. until II
F.. goes square over the top And crooked
As once heard Uncle Joe Cannon say
while lambastin what he claimed was
the uncertain policies of an opposition
party,
1t wiggled in and it wiEgled out.
And left the beholder still in doubt.
As TO whether the snake that made the
track
Was going north or coming back
1t was so crooked that at one point
when double hairpin curve occurred.
a car that was approaching me was
going in exactly the same direction
We were, although perhaps a half mile
ahead and considerably lower. After
a long climb of many miles that is
very trying on cars with poor cooling
systems, we reached the summit and
rapidly dropped down into the san
Joaquin valley and reached Bakers
field, lf6 miles from Long Beach. at
1880. This was the first really warm.
comfortable place we had found since
leaving FL Paso-temperature in the
we ate lunch in Bakersfield and
left at $50. going for several miles
nearly due west We did not pass any
OF the oil wells for which the vicinity
is famous. but did pass a number or
storage tanks-great earthen or steel
reservoirs. North OF US. how ever. on
the little hills north OF the city. we
could plainly see forest Of oil der
ricks.
During that afternoon We had con-
siderable tire trouble with its attend
ant delay and did not reach Fresno,
263 miles, until 7:15.
A Fine Valley.
From about u miles south of Bak-
ersfield TO the vinicity of Livermore.
which we reached the next day at
noon, we were driving nearly through
the center OF the broad San Joaquin
valley. This valley is highly produc-
tive. and the broad fields OF grain,
reminding one Of the fields of Dakota
and Minnesota, was a pleasing sight;
the many orchards-the vineyards
the meadow and pasture land. covered
with luXuriant growth the fine frame
buildings and good stock, all indicated
a prosperous condition. While in that
valley and running pretty fast, Roy
suddenly slammed on the brakes and
yelled, Who 7 was studying a road
guide at the time and thought he had
sure gone loco until 7 noticed not far
away a combination machine. cutting.
threshing and sacking a 20 foot Swath
of wheat. the first he had ever seen.
The next morning we left Fresno al
$50 and reached Livermore for lunch
After lunch we entered the wooded
hills bordering the coast and after
pitching over the hill at Altamont. fol-
lowed a long, pretty. winding ravins
into Oakland, across the