Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-04-22
COAST TO COAST
IN FIFTY DAYS
BY AUTOMOBILE
Season and Route Must Be
Chosen With Care.
ROADS ARE PLAINLY MARKED

Record for Trip Is Five Days, But
Anything Under Fifty Robs Tour
lists Of Joy Of seenery-EarIy Sum-
mer Is Best Time and Best Policy ls
to Stick Firmly to One Traii-5e
Sure Car Is in Perfect Order Be.
fore Starting Long Trip.
An automobile tourist can 90 from
the Atlantic to the Pacific coast
without using map and without
consulting guide book. All that
the driver has 90 do is follow a
blazed trail. Nothing is more signifi-
cant Of the automobile than the road
ways which have been marked out
across the country for making II easy
across state after state. and into all
the places of the country.
A thousand towns claim TO be the
gateways into various regions. and
many places have regional features
which justify them In their preten-
sions. A glance at any roadway map
of the United States reveals many
curious and influential features.
Thus, between the Canadian nd
Mexican borders there are only seven
crossings feasible under present con-
ditions, from the Rockies to the Sier-
ras. distance of about Zoo miles {;
and from the Missouri river to the
Pacific coast there are only nine or
ten practicable routes from the north
to the south and of these hardly more
than five are connected with Canadian
routes. says the New York World
These are main. marked and FEAST
BILE routes. Yet at times some Of
these highways are apt to be subject
to delays and difficulties which battle
or greatly deter the passerhy. WLcn
the great coudburst aSsails The
eastern slopes of Colorados Rockies
tourists caught in the canons In the
mountains aud out on the prairies
were subjected To experiences none
of them will forget
Premier Trip in World.
Thousands of people have in mind
the tranSc"ntinental automobile trip.
This is the premier automobile jour
ney of the world. Not only is the
journey entirely feasible bur il i
coming To be n regular Iaunt OF
countless tourists who have the time
to spare. People Of Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas. Nebraska and oklahoma are
only L. or IL days lcisurely auto
mobile run from the Pacific coast,
but New York and eastern states are
twice rs far and If the journey from
coast tu coast is rcckoned In terms
of dia!@"!:!"", !: & ;.;"Y, ;ir,m iirc,
times aS hard Ia 20 from. say. Col
orado Springs Ia Los Angeles as from
New York City Ia Colorado Springs.
The conditions which II tourist used
to New England and eastern state
roads confrontS when he has crossed
the Mississippi are astonishing. The
work which states IN the West have
put upon their roads iS enormous
when one considers rhe population.
There are about five miles Of narrow
and then hundreds oi miles of almost
unworked desert and mountain trails
across nevada, where, at Ely. in the
eastern part. are about 10 miles Of
pavement as far ~ McGill. aud then
more hundreds of miles Ia Salt Lake
City. where good roads appear from
Springyillc oui of Spanish Fork
canon NJ 10 ogden.
And this is on the route OF the Lin
coin highway. probably the best all.
around roadway from coast to coast
although IN Sprins and autumn the
Santa Fc route Is perhaps better on
the average under the tircS-hul the
desert suns are mcrclcss IN July AMI
August and part of June and Scplem-
Der. NJ least.
Ignorance.
The astonishing hing about the
United States is the ignorance of peO-
pie about the actual conditions which
confront the tourist no matter In
what direction he goes away from
home.
The average automobile tourist
actually has no idea whatever of the
distance he must traverse "a 90 from
one place To another. no least notion
of what hc undertakes when he starts
for Denver ar los Angeles or san
Francisco Unfortunately wonder
lands of the country are sha'icd by the
efforts of some people Ia hclittlc what.
for example. Utah or Idaho or New
Mexico have 10 display. The war Of
automobile trails bids fair Ia hide the
genuine gloricS of the vast natiuna!
domain.
The automobile speed record from
coast To coast Is approximately i've
days. Judging from this enormously
difficult accomplishment tourists figure
ON jaunt from New York Ia san
Francisco In 20 days ar So. This