The Spanish American. [volume] (Roy, Mora Co., N.M.) 19??-19??, 1918-10-05
Travelogue

lCWo hhdttSA fbuJ VIC lietNt NioCONSlSu
the inadequacy Of the descriptive pow
ers Of our friends to express the things
they have seen, and we are impelled to
try to pass on some Of the things we
have learned by actual observation,
doing you the justice to warn you
against reading this if you doubt our
ability to make it interesting.
In planning the trip to Santa Fe,
last week we thought trip in com
, pany with Mr.. ]. M. Beck, manager
of the Roy Garage in his high-power
8-cylinder "Olds" car would be an un-
alloyed pleasure over the old utility
road. His skill as driver added to
his wit and cleverness in conversa-
tional lines promised much-but moth
ing to the trip that we really had.
At Springer "Stub" (Which is short
for Mr.. Stubblefeld, the head of the
biggest auto industry in N. e. New
Mexico) ordered the trip via Cimarron
and Taos which was one of the am.
bitions of our young life to take some
day, but not before apparent. We
fell for it without debate and rolled
along to Cimarron followed by H. Le-
bert and w. H. McCarger, and Lebert's
two little nieces, from Mills, who seized
this chance to make the trip with
reliable guide. At Cimarron, de-
serted bedraggled and pitiful-looking
relic Of fond hopes of some town-build-
ers, OF former years, and come to its
present state Of dilapidation because
they failed to support their local news,
paper or pay the preachers-we had
a good dinner-(Part of the story is
deleted by Mrs. o. and besides conyenr
tion delegations are supposed not to
tell tales on their return) and started |
up the canyon toward Ute Park From
scenic standpoint, business began to
pick up the minute we entered the |
canyon but "Joe" insisted it wasn't |
time to admire yet and urged saving
the adjectives for the real show. At
Ute Park we stopped to meet an old
lady who is immensely proud Of her
three boys over in France, and to long
to grab Fred Strong by the mitt and
hear his hearty greeting but we had
to be content with looking down among
the trees to his lonely little depot and
thinking of him.
Then the real show started-The
canyon grew deeper, the foliage on the
trees and shrubs took on more brill
liant hues, the mountain-sides turned
to scarlet and gold, while the road
wound around labyrinth of trees and
streams which, while it held the un-
divided attention of the driver was
enough for any one person to en-
joy. The end of the railroad was a
positive discord in all this otherwise
beautiful place and it seemed dis
pensation of providence that prevent
ed so sordid a thing as a railroad, in
truding forth on the things of nature.
Finally the end Of the canyon came
and with it a glimpse Of the famous
Eagles Nest" dam, the construction
camp and wild scenery which made the
really huge work of man appear in
amongst the sublime works
Of nature surrounding it. Then up
an ugly hill with several double-backs 1
to make the grade possible and down ,
into the celebrated Moreno Valley" !
where the lake made by the big dam is I
one of the attractions around the lake {
and across the valley which is big i
enough to command respect, we went, b
the rows of farms along the V
foot Of the mountains still above. Il
A new log house at the roadside at ?
tracted our attention and reminded us h
that our old friend Emerson, of Kan a
sas Valley, lived up here, and, sure e
enough, as we passed the familiar sun u
bonnet and spectacles of Mrs. Emer- is
son, appeared in the yard and she N
waved us a greeting as we passed by. il
A few miles further and the valley
net the hills and we climbed up the W
mountain side thru forest of pines rc
md poplars, and over real hills then ii
lown the valleys on the other side d.
Intil, as sunset approached, we rolled F
nto the beautiful and ancient town al
f Taos, which after all the advertising ec
he artist colony and others have given
t, is still surprise which requires ed
eeing to believe-another evidence Of ar
he ineficiency of words to convey M
N,
A nights rest at the old Adobe Ho- at
81 with good supper, and up at 5:3O he
to hit the trail before as
aylight with lunch purchased at a to
tore which outrivals in size and stock ed
S we'll as architecture any in this
art of the state, away across dreary us
,retcn Oh sage-brush land. Then, al MI
n daylight "Ranchos de Taos" large ca,
lobe village with fruit trees almost his
ding the buildings, then along the we
p of bluff 80 feet high overlooking hol
e prettiest tract of level bottom land we
rlgated and brilliant with alfalfa fro
lids and orchards and homes, the ist,
rms divided in the old Spanish man. of
# into "Veras" or strips a multiple mis-
10 feet, units, for some miles down but
e Rio Chiqua then across some des- roa
land, hills and then more hills, ord
ally canyon of some size, where it v
e road hung on by sage brush root in
the side of the cliff and the tourist '
Ids on by his breath while the car ed
des slowly down grade of some SON
ng less than 60 per cent, across a frie
ch and back up the other side, the Mr..
"8" roaring out defiance to the roa,
ades no matter what the pitch, then com
wound our wav into the canvon of a.