Charlevoix county herald., 1916-11-10
VAN PELT'S TOURING DIARY

lnR-ln miles, from nine a. IN. 10 i've
p. m. and at niue o'clock we took our
farewell look at the majestic mountains
and the beautiful Lake Placid and
Mirror Lake, between which our hotel
is located don't like to mention the
name, as our bill was ten dollars for
three of us for supper, breakfast and
lodging. We gradually left the
mountains behind and passed the State
ofNew York's preserve, where they
have been and now are setting out
Pines of various kinds. We saw some
Scotch pines, ten, twelve and fourteen
feet high, that were set out in 1905.
You will see the same in MIR. Walters
farm, just north of Charlevoix. This
stretch was many miles-twenty-five,
should Judge. Then we came to level
country and quite, if not very barren
This continued through Saranac by
Saranac Lake to Malone, N. Y. From
Malone TO ChaZy we struck the best
road we have found for that distance
ffiy-eight miles. We still had nine and
half miles to 90 when we phoned the
landing 10 hold the ferry boat for us to
take us across the narrow neck Of Lake
Champlain to Vermont, that we would
be there in fifteen minutes and we
made il all o. X. In fact il was about
our average drive-thirty-five to forty
miles per hour from Malone, but we
struck different proposition when we
started for Burlington over clay road
and in hard rain storm, the first real
one we have as yet encountered. We
skid and we skid, we skidded and we
skidded, but the ride was pleasant
alopg the shores of grand old Lake
Champlain. n the evening, lcalled on
the Misses Kate and Jessie Mech,
sisters of our old settler friend and
companion, Fred j. Mech, and, of
course, had very'pleasant evening.
Eugene Van Pelt and an lrishman
were standing on the top of Bald
Mountain, situated near my old home,
near Troy, in Rensselaer, County, N. Y.
from the top of which the country for
many miles around could be plainly
seen and after enjoying the scenery
for short time, Eugene turned to the
Irishman and remarked, Dan, isn't
that a beautiful landscape? Dan look
ed in the objection Eugene pointed for
short time and turning to him, he said
"Where is it, boss? | don't see him,
where is hep" Evidently, Dan did no,
know the meaning of the word, "Land.
scape."
Now, we have many people in Char.
levoiX County who are just like Dan o.
Conner. They have never been out
side enough to know that the beauty OF
CharlevoiX County far. exceeds any
other county in our State and they
think the whole world is just like it,
but, friends, it is not and when the
good roads are built that we are going
to build and the outside world knows
| it, we will have to build hotels galore
by the dozen to take care of the tourists
that will flock to us. No lake is prettiel
than Pine Lake-some have more
rugged shores and beautiful forests, as
| they have in the Adirondacks. There,
all along the route, are numerous little
hotels that can take care of from twenty
five to one hundred, and they are al
full have paid $3.50 for a chicken
| dinner, which consisted Of one half 6
small chicken, a few vegetables ano
pie-and good pie too and cup Of
coffee and have seen this same mar
buy twenty-five chickens at 45c each
Alse saw farmers peddling sweet corn
at twenty-five cents dozen and it was
the genuine Fred Mech sweet corr
too, or they would not have gotten thai
price for it. Every few miles and some
times every few rods, nice new houses
mo, excuse me, should say cottages)
have been built Still others are being
built and real estate is improving in
price all along the route and nearly
every part of Pine Lake frontage will
sell in your time and mine for from
500. 00,to $4,000 per acre and with q
corresponding value for the land
farther back from the shore drive.
Now, come, "boys", lets roll up our
sleeves and all pull together and each
help, TO make Charlevoix County one
of the great resorts of the United States.
1t surely will pay us all. Naturally,
some will be benefited more than
others, but all will get share and be-
cause you will not get as much as your
neighbor few miles away, don't try to
spoil the game. Let's all be for Char
levoiX County, first, last and all the
time.