The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-10-28
Mank alto Folks
Visiting Ii, West

The Free Press Is in receipt OF
another letter from Mr.. and Mrs.
L. H. Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Eric
Holberg who are on trip to San
Diego, California.
"Kingman, Arizona, October 10.
1921.-Dear- Friends at Home: Eight
A. M. Had our breakfast and are
now on our way to Needles, Cali,
We are riding on the desert; nothing
here but sand, stones. cactus, and
brush. Now into Needles, just eros
sed the line into California. Needles
is situated on the banks Of the Col
orado river. 1t gets its name from
the needle shaped rocks; speed limit
here is twenty miles per hour. Hur-
rah! for California: Beautiful flow
ers, trees, palms, Eucalyptus and
pepper trees; beautiful city. There
are women BARRIERS here. Now on
to Barstow. People are lying in the
shade, very hot. Just saw a big fat
indian lady weighing about 300
pounds, dressed in black, long black
hair, black shawl and red, yellow,
and greenl trimming on the bottom
of the dress about twenty inches
wide. Fifteen cents pound for ap-
pies here. We are again on the des-
ert but are having good roads, riding
on desert all day. Some paved roads
but sand has worn some off. We
are on to Amboy where we will camp
tonight.
October 16, 1921.-Had breakfast
and are on our way to Ludlow and
Barstow. We are still on the desert,
awful roads, all stones and sand,
oasis on ahead so we can get water.
It is hot enough to melt. The paved
roads have begun and are so on into
San Diego. We are now on our way
to Victorville and Hesperia where
we camp tonight.
October live are now on our
way to San Diego. Paved roads the
rest of the way. The electric line
on the steel towers look like wind
mills; on to Ell Cajon pass, most
beautiful drive, horses and mules
with bells ON and packs on their
into California;; San Bardena Is a
beautiful city; we are driving through
groves of oranges, lemons, palm trees
roses along the cornfields to River
side where we ate our dinner Spring
birds are singing. We are travelling
along the Santa Ana river where
spineless cactus grow. Harvesting
honey along the way. Climbing
another mountain and see all kinds
Of oil wells; oranges are ripe here;
next come the olives. We are cros-
sing the Santa Ana river bridge,
river dry; now Fullerton where we
stop with Holberg's friends a little
while and then on to San Diego which
is one hundred miles: Gas Is twen-
ty three and a half cents here. We
visited a bean farm that is eight
miles long, and that thresh $4,000
bushels of beans a year.
1--WE drove 1882 miles from home
to the end >of our journey and used
1874 gallons of gasoline. There are
cold winds blowing strong gale
from the ocean. We are travelling
along the Pacific ocean watching the
breakers come in; damp and foggy
here. The fog was too dense to see
so we camped by the ocean side to-
night.
October 1s.-Fog So dense this
morning we can see only few feet
ahead. Meadow larks are singing
and everything is beautiful and green
like spring in Minnesota. We arriv-
ed at Mrs. Jones sisters, Mrs. A. A.
Mann, formerly Minnia A. Johnson
and Annie S. Johnson, formerly of
Mankato. We gave them a great sur
prise as Irma went ahea das a camp
stove canvasser. Arrived at ten A.
M, October IS, 1921 all safe and
sound. Hurrah! forl the Nash.-With
best wishes, JoneseS and Holbergs. I"