The Washington times., 1922-08-27

Fish Springs. About half Of the
graded road was surfaced with
coarse rock little rough, but !
would consider 1t good and safe trav'
cling. In a few places the grace
had been washed out by storms, Out
temporary repairs had already peen
made. The other half OF the seven,
teen mile flat was unsurfaced ana
from the appearance of the ruts l
could see that lot Of cars had been
stuck in the mud during the last
storm, this section still being great
barrier during rainy weather. AFTER
crossing this section known as the
Good Year cutoff, there are about
twenty miles more of dirt flats TO
Orrs ranch, where I found the ranch
men very accommodating and good
food and supplies. Orrs ranch is
about the end of the Utah deserts
going east and the beginning for
those going west, except for a little
sand approaching Fishers Pass the
roads are fine into Salt Lake City,
permitting fast time.
A lot of work remains to be done
in Utah. whether the tourists pass
around the north of the lake, the
Wendover route or the Lincoln High
way vic Gold Hill, there are lot OF
mul flats that are practically impass-
able in wet weather, and 1t Is advls.
able to tarry long enough to permit
their drying out in case Of rain.
The route from Salt Lake to Chey.
enne through Wyoming shows the
greatest improvement of any section
of the Lincoln Highway, practically
all good graded natural roads. Some
sections are slippery in wet weather
because of natural dirt surface.
Wyoming deserves a lot of patron.
age by tourists and credit for the eX-
tensive work and improvements 1t
has made on it's highways across the
State, particularly through the Bit
ter creek and Red desert district be-
tween Rock Springs and Rawlins.
On my recent trip I toured from
Rock Springs, Wyo., to Chapel,
Nebr., about 432 miles, comfortably
In one day.
The roads through Nebraska were
very good from the. State line to
North Platte, then very rough in
some sections, with a number Of de.
tours to Lexington. A few rough
places on detours until twenty miles
east of Kearney; very good through
Columbia and Grand Island to Oma-
ha. Through Iowa there Is about
100 miles Of good gravel road in the
Boone district. the remainder being
good graded dirt roads (slippery in
wet weather), with q rough detorr
most of the way between Cedar Rap.
ids and Dewitt, then paved to Gin
ton and paved across Illinois to Chi.
cago. where 1 made my fastest time.
Most people think of the deserts Of
the west as a fiat expanse Of land
with nothing on It. To the contrary,
it is mostly all mountain and valley.
mountains always in sight. There
are about fourteen mountain ranges
to cross in Nevada on the Lincoln
Highway, about three In Utah. Wy
oming Is mostly plateau and will
average above 5000 feet elevation on
the Lincoln Way. The northwest
and southern trails are very similar,
except they have less ranges to cross,
and lower elevations.
On account Of the heavy SHOWS on
the Sierra Nevada mountains during
the winter, the road from Reno to
Sacramento is not open to travel
much before the first Of July. Cross.
ing this summit on the 23rd of June
last, l shoveled snow about three
houio III pIie uIlI ana passed
through another in a cut dbout fif.
teen feet deep. which the road work
ers had just cut out. Therefore. it
is advisable for tourists to go from
Ely, New, to Los Angeles, when u.s.
ing the Lincoln route, before the last
week in June or to use the Sante Fe
trail farther south.
For the Pacific northwest the
trails are good via Minneanolis
across the Dakotas and Montana to
Spokane, Wash, then via Walla
Walla. Wash. adm Pendleton TO