The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1916-01-04

tllllN UP anu up tNtn through a /
long Maroon. tortous canyon,
then climbed again until we /
reached a broad table land or
plateau. There was very little
evidence of life. think we saw
one pheasant. Nothing but
sage brush and if you didn't
know better you would think shere
was nothing else mall the world,
looking back the great sand piles
lalong the Columbia, white and
glistening in the sun, looked like
banks of snow.
We dropped down again just
Ito make another climb. The
ride from the Columbia had been
a tiresome one. Our eyes grew
tired of sand, sage brush, hills
and canyons and we began to
think there surely never would
be another hill to climb in this
world, but there was one more
and when we reached the top
there certainly was a treat for
our tired eyes. Not far away
was the freshest, greenest wall
ley we thought we had ever seen
and so it proved that always each
day brought its reward, that more
than made up for any discomfort
we might have had.
This was the Kittitas valley,
we'll known to ali western people
as the home of theg reat big
baked potato. Speak of boule-
wards, could it be possible to leave
this barren waste we had just
come through, drop down into
this sweet green valley, through
fields of wheat, orchards and gar
dens to a beautiful drive of five
miles of straight level road lined
with trees on each side, comfort
able, artistic homes, only a little
way apart, with flowers in pro-
fusion; the dahlia brought to
state of perfection we did not
think possible; there were beds
Of them and long rows of them.
a prettier sight you would not
care to see than these dahlias i'm
their luXuriant growth and dark
rich coloring. We did not see
finer ones anywhere.
At the end of this drive we
reached Ellensburg, a fine clean
little city Will broad paved
streets. From here we went to
Gle Elum and Easton. This is
a fine mountain road with little
pockets of fine ferlil cultivated
land all along the way. Easton
is a small place up in the mount
aims. Here we bought few
supplies, the following day being
Sunday.
We had dreaded the road over
the Cascades and wanted to avoid
it if possible. Imagine our sur
prise on finding a broad beautiful
mountain road, a long gradual
easy climb, so gradual that we
had gone all the way on high and
could not believe we had reached
the summit, which | think is
$500 feet and is known as The
Snoqualmie Pass. On the way
we caught glimpses of rich, green
fields, rivers and lakes. Be
cause of the heavy timber we
could see little of Lake Kachees
We wanted to camp at Lake
keechelus and So we did. The
road follows the cast side of the
lakes and for quite distance is
carved out of solid rock; it must
have been three miles at the
least.
Lake Keechelus is an Indian
, lake, deep, clear, long river
shaped, 3 miles in length; set
deep in the heart of a dense pine
forest; so dense that in the early
, days no one but the Indians
would venture near it. We
stopped our car and wandered
through the woods and along the
+ lake, now a summer resort. We
, thought of the race that dwell
! here not many years ago, a race
! with altogether different language
: habits and desires. Where
! Keechelus Inn and the rows O.
! cottages are now more than like
ly stood the wigwams, Will,
within the patient Indian mother
y dressed the deerskins, made tn,
= moccasins; in the spring tim
planted the maize and tended it
I, in the autumn gathered in tn
= golden ears that her brave lori
= might be fed when returning
y from his long hunt through tn
= quiet somber wood, disturbed
: only by the cry of some wild ami
"a mol tho coma. "a "a Hind fl,o .-.,,.,