The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1918-12-26
From Missouri to California BY
Automobile
Dear FriendE

J friends and neighbOrS knew that
was going to Southern California il
All automobile and we're interested
to know how we'll / succeeded. an
taking this means Of letting yo,
know.
We left Butler Wednesday, Nov
vember 20 and drove. to lndepend
cncc, Kansas, which Is in the south
eastern part of the state. We visit
ed my brother there until Friday
morning, when we Started on oul
long western trip. We drove ;
brand new Dodge Brothers CONNER
cial car and carried 700 pounds OF
baggage and camp equipment be-
sides myself and wife and the dog
We went by the way of Wichita te
Dodge City, Kansas, where We
struck the Santa Fe. trail, which is
thoroughly posted by the Automo-
bile Club of Southern California
from Los Angles to New York. Ii
was our intention to follow the road
to southern California, but had to
leave it at Soccoro, New Mexico, on
account of snow in the mountains
west OF Soccoro. Shortly after leav-
ing independence Friday morning it
began to snow and it showed on us
continually for three days. BY the
time we reached Trinidad, Colo, the
snow was almost foot deep. We
kept our car closed up tight and
wore warm clothing and overshoes
and were reasonably comfortable. In
spite OF the snow, made my longest
days run in western Kansas and
eastern Colorado. | drove from
Dodge City, Kansas to Lamar, Colo
RADIO in one day, 1854 and did it much
easier than | did lots of other days
when we only made 100 miles or less.
At Trinidad, we heard all kinds of
stories about the dangers of the Rat
on pass. 1t seemed to be the long
suit" OF the hotel and rooming
houses and garages to scare the tour
lists and hold them there as long as
possible to get all they could out OF
them and they were succeeding to
certain extent. There were a mum
er-of automobile tourists there be-
sides lis and some of us had misgiv-
ings about going on in bat snow but
there was a man there with big
truck, who said he was going to Rat
m for something that morning and
be said he would go ahead and break |
read-atfd if any of It's got into
trouble he would help us out, SO we
I'll looked well to our chains on the |
wheels and some extra chains for
heir front wheels and when we were |
about ready l drove to the hotel to
get my wife and our grip and here's
where the joke started ON me or the
,thers fellows don't know which
got mixed up little on the direc-
Lotions and drove around town a lit
lie before | got started out on the
light road and when | finally got
tarted right | supposed of course
he other fellows we're ahead and
vent right OH and was over the pass
'efore | knew that the truck and the
,ther cars we're coming behind. The
Dad was already broken and had,
10 trouble whatever The scenery |,
'ver this pass is grand beyond des-
ription--mountains, canyons and
vergreen trees. Some places we
ould look over the edge of the. road
own into canyons hundreds of feet
eep. We stopped several times to
ook around at the wonderful seen
ry. The high pnint on this pass is
100 feet above sea level. Going
own on the Ration side where the {
Dad is cut out of the side of the
fountain, there is heavy fence
lade with stone posts and chains
, keep vehicles from going over the {
dye in case OF accident. On this
de OF the pass the descent is very
Jrupt and is made by numerous
witch-backs. Several times we
ould look down almost on the top
the little city of Ration. 1t is IS
lilies from Trinidad to Ration over
lie pass. We made slow progress
! New Mexico. Lots of rough roads
nd ruts filled with snow. The hard :
It days work | did was Thanksgir
g Day when we drove from Las
egas to Albuquerque, a distance O: :
20 miles. We passed through num-
Gus interesting Mexican and Indian
llages that day, and over the beau-
full Glorieta Pass. We were up !;
nong the clouds part of the time !;
oing over Glorietta and we passed
HOu6A SuldI SioW olOIuls AuC' n
ovation there is $500 feet above sea
vel. 1t was so cold that had to Z
anket the lower half of my radia-
# to get the engine to work good.
bout SHUTDOWN that day. we went E
,wn the famous La Ba Jada grade.
t the top and bottom of this grade
ere is large sign cup with the
uil and cross bones painted On it
ID the word danger in big letters.
is a sudden drop of several hun
ed feet from one level plateau to
other plateau. The road makes
n switch-backs on this drop. G.
np1y crawled around those SWITCH ii
cks and down that drop in low a
ar and did not feel very safe then. Ii
was led to believe before | came N
it that would have to stop and s,
OK up and maneuver the car to get a,
ound thoes short turns. could =,
{ tracks where large cars of long
,eci base had done that very thing n
{ my Dodge went around the turns 8,
thout having to do that, for which o,
was thankful. / would not fancy ri
car around those q
q - Il