The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1919-10-03
BY WILL. J. COOPER

the morning of July 16. Our speed
ometer registered zero. When we
drove off the ferry boat into San Fran
cisco at / o'clock on Monday afternoon
August 25, it registered 1925 miles.
We had beer 40 days on the road.
during which time we had slept under
a roof just -four times. And it had
been 40 days of such continued fas-
cination that we were sorry when it
was over.
Mrs. Cooper and l left Detroit
alone, but at Cheyenne, Wyoming, we
were joined by Mrs. Cooper's niece,
Miss Louise Gardner, of San Francis
co, who was with us for the remand
er of the journey.
The Outfit
Our outfit consisted of a second
hand Ford touring car and a two
wheel trailer carrying a most com
plete camping outfit-tent, two spring
beds, mattresses, feather pillows,
table, gasoline stove, ice-box, food
lockers, etc. This camp outfit came
fully up to expectations for comfort
and convenience. 1t was light (weight
700 pounds) and running on pneuma.
tic tires and ball bearing wheels was
noiseless and of no appreciate drag
on the car. To the comfort and con-
venience it afforded is due in no small
degree the thorough enjoyment of the
trip.
We went to Detroit with the idea
of buying a new automobile, but found
we would have to wait a month or
more for delivery which explains our
taking the risk of buying a used ma
chine. 1t came fully up to hopes, how
ever, and negotiated the heavy grades
of the mountains and stood the strains
of the deep sand and bumpy roads of
the plains, in excellent shape.
over the lincoln Highway
We drove by way of Chicago, and
from thence over the Lincoln High
way across Illinois, Iowa, and Ne
braska to Cheyenne. Here we chang
ed our plans of continuing on the
Lincoln highway owing to reports of
bad roads through Utah and Nevada,
and turned northwest over the Vel
lowstone highway. From the Yellow
stone Park we continued northwest
through Montana and Idaho to Spo-
kane, Washington; thence southwest
to the Columbia river which we cross
ed into Oregon at Hood River; down
the magnificent Columbia river high
way to Portland; and thence south
through Oregon and California to San
Francisco.
West Is Best
From Detroit to Cheyenne the route
was rather uninteresting to us a
whole, and when we make our next
trip l think we shall Gu out of our
itinerary all the country east of the
Rockies. The splendid firms of Hin.
OILS, Iowa and a part of Nebraska, sue
coed each other in montonous unifor-
nifty and after a few hundred miles
one grows weary of prosperous look
ing farm houses with symetrically
planted windbreaks, lush fields of corr
and wheat, sleek cattle, fat hogs; and
of the complacent towns and villages
and p~ride-puffed cities through which
the highway leads.
But when we reached the land of
tho hig sDacaS tho countrv IF nuppant
sage-brush plains and awe-inspiring
mountains; of fantastic, painted des-
erts and of ravishing woodland tor
rents, ennui dropped away and we
doors as God made it with never wan
ing delight.
Roads OF The Future
The Lincoln highway today exists
largely in name only. 1t is easy
enough to follow because its course
has been well marked with the ever
recurring red, white and blue stripes
with the blue "L", on bridges, sign
posts and telephone poles. AS We
found it, it was not bad travelling ex
c-pt in certain sandy stretches in
western Nebraska where all sembl
nee of road vanished in a labyrinth
of mere trails covering half a mile o.
mo~e in width. But woe to the mo
torist who travels hat way when til,
dust that choked us is turned to gurn
DO mud. We were lucky.
uf
Cheyenne to the Yellowstone Park, {
distance of some 300 miles, is alsC
very passable during dry weather. w,
struck a couple of days rain just gu
of Cheyenne which gave us a tast,
~ what conditions could be when no