Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-03-17
HOME FROM THEIR
CALIFORNIA TRIP
Enjoyed Months of Sunshine, But
Glad to Return TO Audubon and
Its Variety of Iowa Weather.

Editor Republican:
1t was my intention to write again
from Long Beach before leaving
there and in fact l had letter part
ly prepared, but during our last
week we were very busy IN one way
ard another, so / neglected to finish
and mail it. Then for another seven
days we were visiting and on our
homeward journey. So instead of
writing twice more as / had intend
ed, l am condensing it into one let
ter and this will be my last effort
in describing our trip to the south
west. We have been through a
good many miles of mountains and
on thousands of acres or rough land
but just before starting ror nome
we took the Mt. Lowe trip and went
to the summit. Mt. Lowe is in the
Sierra Madre range and is over a
mile high. 1t is especially noted
for its beauty Of scenery. Mt.
Lowe affords finer view than
many of the higher mountains Of
California, for the reason that the
summit is not far back from the
level country and one gets a Won
derful view of the towns, valleys,
snow-capped mountains, orange
groves, forests, rock formations, the
ocean, etc. Leaving Long Beach,
the first stage of the journey is
made by the electric car line
through Los Angeles, Pasadena, AL
tadena-a millionaire colony-and
on through Rubio canyon. Here
you reach an incline three thousand
feet long and in going that distance
you are elevated directly one-fourth
of a mile. This is a sIxty-two per
cent grade at some places, which
the reader knows is pretty steep.
This grade is made by two cable
cars, both of which are lifted and
lowered by a steel cable of one hun
dred tons capacity. In order to in
sure absolute safety these cars are
never loaded beyond five tons ca
pacity and to render them still SAT-
er, each car is fitted with an extra
stationary cable and a clutch so
that if the moving cable should
break, the car would grab the other
cable and hold fast until relief
came. However, was mighty glad
we had no occasion to use this safe
ty arrangement, for when you are
at the top of a steep incline over
half mile long and canyon at its
bottom, you have no desire to test
it out. 1t may be said to the credit
of this wonderful piece of mechan-
ism that since it's construction in
1893 there has never been an acct
dent. At the top of this incline is
the largest searchlight in the world.
At this place you again enter the
electric car and during the five
mile trolley ride you round 1877
curves cross IS bridges and at many
places you look down into the
chasm below on one side and up to
the mountain top on the other, for
practically the whole distance is
made over a tortuous line along the
side Of the mountain. At the end
of this road is a fine tavern. At
this place you ere still 100 feet
from the summit and to make this
elevation you m st travel about
two and a half M es either on foot
or by pony train We wanted to
walk up for the novelty of the
thing, so started out, but taking the
wrong trail lost one mile, and in or
der to reach the top were compelled
to walk six miles by the time we
had reached the tavern. One of the
incest features of the entire trip
was this: When we left Los An
geles it happened to be an exceed
ingly cloudy. and foggy morning.
When we reached Pasadena, which
is considerably higher, we passed
out of the fog and clouds and with
in five minutes time we were where
it was as clear as could be. Pass
ing on to the summit OF Mt. Lowe
we were probably a quarter, or pos
sibly half a mile above the clouds
and / could look across the clouds
to Catalina Island about sixty miles
away and see it plainly. Getting
higher than the clouds and looking
down on them would be somewhat
the same as an airplane view, sup
pose. Several times during the day