Arizona republican., 1919-01-26
TRAVELLING
 E NOT WHAT T |S
 CRACKED UP ID BE

Washington, D. C.-Eastern tourists are sadly misinforned about conditions on so-called western deserts accord ing to Secretary W. D. Rishel of the Utah State Automobile association, who sends Chairman Carl G. Fisher of the 4. 4. A. touring board this sum- nation of far-Western road travel con- dltions:
 What about the so-called western desert and automobile touring travel? every person east Of the Rocky noun tains who contemplatss tour through to the Pacific coast is today in fear OI the so-called deserts He has in mind his old school geography, when branded all that country lylng between tthe Rocky mountains and the Pacific coast as the great American desert He has visions of miles and miles of sand with almost unbearable heat, through which he must push his way 10 reach the Pacific ocean. He has read col umns and columns newspaper press agen. 'slush,' where this car CT that truck made the trip after hardships worse than could be found the west ern front, and that the driver came through alive due only to the strong construction of the particular car he drove, or the make of tires the car had on, or the kind of lubMcating oil he used-depending on whether a car manufacturer a tire builder or oil re- finer was footing the bills.
 NOW what are the actual cOndl- tions? The tourist can follow any one Of the central routes and have a bed to sleep in under a roof every night. He can sit down to a table to eat his three meals a day. He will find gaso- line, q garage and automobile supplies at frequent intervals, or as often as he needs them. The lighter he is equipped the faster time he can make. Instead of heat he will find an oVercoat conI- fortable if he drives at night and he will encounter more sand at the old river bed crossing near his farm in the mid continent country then he will en- 1 counter between the Rocky mountains 1 and the Pacific coast.
 1 Whenever water caIf be turned on 1 the so-called desert land he will see crops of wheat and potatoes, fruit and 1 vegetables, that will far surpass the ! yield per acre of his eastern farm. Ana, what is more, he will scarcely ever De | out of view of another automobile oc- 1 cupied by man and his family tray. l cling to see the country.
 The desert stunt has been over
 worked and the western motorist tray | cling across the country never takes
 the deserts into consideration He 1 knows there are long stretches or
 country with nothing but sage brush and jack rabbits, but he also knows
 that as a general rule he will make more miles Der day than over any oth- CT ~sction of the United States wher. | the roads are not improved.
 Automobile associations and auto- mobile touring bureaus of information
 have Q busy time explaining away the ! fears of the timid public, but as more and more tourists cross the country the
 fact will become gradually known that
 the person responsible for calling the
 great ter-mOuntain west the grea,
 American desert did not know what
 he was talking about"
 Secretary Rishel prophecies an eX-
 ceptional amount of transcontinental i touring in 1919. which explains why
 the Utah state member of the A. A. A
 is preparing for an unusually busy sea
 son which includes 9. multiplying o1 present mem bership figures of the ac-
 tive body which has it's headquarters
 in Salt Lake City.