The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-08-17
LITTLE AUTO TRIPS
IN THE MID-COLUMBIA

In former years the most popular au.
tonobile trip in the Hood River valley
has been the Loop ride, the traveller
going out through the orchard districts
by way of the East Side and returning
on the West Side, or vice versa. The
Loop ride has never been so unpopular,
perhaps, as this year. The condition
of the East Side road has caused trav.
elers, wherever possible. to avoid the
poor stretch. Local people, desiring tC
leave a favorable impression on the
minds of visitors, have been prone to
transport their guests over the smooth
gravel roads of the West Side orchard
districts.
Despite the East Side highway and
it's poor condition, the Loop route re.
mains one of the best in Hood River,
if you have no more than couple of
hours to spare in showing visitors the
orchards in all their phases. On this
route you are privileged to see the val.
ley, in birds eye view, from the en-
inence at the entrance to the Maxwell
ton tracts. You cannot obtain 80 fine
view from any other point in the i'm
mediate Lower Valley.
The visitor, too. is enabled to see the
fertile hay fields of Peter Mohr and
Hans Lage. He is shown that Hood
River has some real farmers as we'll as
real orchardists. AS for that matter,
however, smaller tracts of grain, clo-
yer fields, herds of cows, chickens and
hog, evidence of diversity of farm
ing, can be seen on every hand.
In making the Loop trip, one can
take choice of routes both on the
East and West Side, after getting out
several miles from town. On the East
Side you may run in through the heavy
bearing orchard districts by turning to
the right at Van Horn station. You
may take the turn to the right near
the Peter Mohr farm and thus pass A. +.
|. Mason's sky-piercing water tour and
the huge warehouse and packig plant
of the Hood River Apple 4 Storage
Co. Going this way you pass the
handsome residence of Wilson Fike.
cross Neal creek over the big steel
bridge and reach the main road that
will take you to fuckers bridge and
across to the West Side at the F. M.
Cox place just north of the town of
Odell.
By taking the longer route you turn
to the left at the Pine Grove school
house. After you have passed the j.
H. Day farm and have reached the cor
ner where the Odell road intersects the
Neal creek road at the place of A. L.
Clark. you may see the valley home of
the famous Billy Sunday by continuing
down the Neal creek route. The road
leaving the Neal creek road to the
Sunday place extends all the way
through to the main Odell road. II is
in good condition, and by travelling it
one can get an excellent view of the
we'll kept permises of Mr.. Sunday and
his half-brother, L. c. Heizer.
On the West Side the traveller may
continue straight to the city over the
main macadam road, or be may d.
gress and come in over the Oak Grove,
Barrett and Belmont routes. The
highways of all these sections, surfaced
with gravel, are in fine shape.
Because of the unusually heavy rains
during the month of June and the alb
sence of dust, the orchards along valley
highways have been cleaner and green
er this year than in most seasons.
Soon the apples will begin to color, and
the journey will be more appealing
than ever.
The writer recently accompanied
Bert Head on the Loop trip, going by
way of the Billy Sunday place. If you
haven't taken the trip in sometime. re
would advise you to try it on some af-
ter Moons tour.