Evening star., 1932-06-05
FINEST" AUTO TRIP
IN j. S. DESCRIBED
Bryce Canyon, Kaibab Forest
and Painted Desert Held
AIIuring.
BY ERNEST N. SMITH.
Executive Vice President. American Automo
bile Association.

NOTE: This Is one OF a series OF
articles prepared BY Mr.. Smith in
the interests OF motoring. They uiH
appear exclusively in Washington in
The Sunday Star.
shall be assaulted by Chambers Of
Commerce and motor clubs everywhere
for my temerity In selecting the greatest
automobile trip III the United states,
but l stick to my cars-of all the as
sorted travel thrills that one may seek
in this country they can all be packed
into single weeks journey from Salt
Lake City.
For one may sit on the edge OF the
mesa and gaze down into wonder
land Of exquisite beauty and riot OF
| coloring. At another spot you follow
the course of a tumbling stream and
| gaze upward at towering cliffs and
mountains of regal magnificence, cross
the high plateau Of the kaibab Ma
tional Forest, clean swept as an Eng
| lish park. In four hours drive
| through the forest. We counted over
| 100 deer. And then the brilliant eX-
| panSe OF the Painted Desert, carpeted
with wild flowers which are not more
colorful than the painted" cliffs that
hedge the horizon. And reserve for
the last that never to- be forgotten
moment when you first gaze into the
| Grand Canyon, mile deep and ~
miles wide.
Far From Railroads.
This journey 1 am urging you to
| take is far removed from the railroads.
/ but Is easily made by motor car from
Salt Lake or bus from Cedar Point.
! Utah. the nearest rullroad point. The
| trip Is made over excellent highways.
! Superior accommodations may be found
en route. I say that the journey can
be made easily In week, but 10 days
are better.
In the space OF these articles I can
give only the highlights Of our trip.
but have sent hundreds upon this
unique journey and none has ever failed
to tell me 1 underestimated its beauty,
its charm and its magniflcence.
| On the journey l am describing We
left Salt Lake City at 10 pm. and drove
254 miles through the night to reach
the rim of Bryce Canyon exactly at
day light. There sitting as emperors We
| gaZed down into a horseshoe aInpi-
theater three miles long and two wide
and watched the rising sun play upon
the cOlOringS Of natures magic city.
| There were Sculptured terraces Of blue
| and red sandstone and pinnacleS that
reared q thousand feet from the floor
Of the valley and yet were below us.
The white limestone tips OF great
columns shaded on into purple and
blue and tan and the shadows hovered
over castles and ruined Notifications
and leaning towers. And in the dis
tance WAS the lace-like tracery OF
l Ill h. nf
nature, with the rains and SHOWS and
winds acting As the implements of b
titanic sculptor who Is modelling and
remodeling and altering throughout
the ages
| Leaving Bryce Canyon
We left Bryce Canyon reluctantly aS
the sun rose high and drove $50 miles
| south reaching the north rim OF the
Grand Canyon just at dusk. We spent
the night at \ camp. but now d splen-
did hotel OH the edge Of the canyon
gives shelter and food. and from here
burro trails and fuotpaths lead one
into endless adventure. even TO the
bottom of the canyon itself. where One
may cross the Colorado River OH q
suspension bridge and climb to e
Tower. the hotel on the opposite rim
This Is two days journey one way
The wonderland of the Grand
Canyon has been described repeatedly
by ADLER pens than mine. Suffice il
to Say here that in my opinion the
north rim Is the better one to visit
1t h |, 900 feet higher than the Oppo-
site rim. has more vantage points fol
views and a more interesting adjacent
country.
Cool winds were at our back as We
| ho II, nf
the Grand Canyon headed for Zion
National Park 125 miles distant. Dur
| ing the early morning we motorec
leisurely along through the Kaibat
Forest, the occasional yellowing aSpens
flaring like parrots plumage in the
sotnber green of the forest. Beneath
the trees the ground was swept a.
clean as an English estate. At nearly
every turn Of the road. deer Of various
sizes and in assorted groups flashed
between the trees. Young ones woulc
bound madly away and zigzag through
the forests at top speed while theil
elders would regard us curiollSly unit
We swept close. when they would bounce
jerkily OF behind the shelter OF the
nearest tree and there watch Oul
retreat.
Suddenly the plateau ended. and
from our elevation Of 5000 feet ",
gaZed down vt = magnificent plain. NJ
house, or village. or tree. or humal
being was visible for miles. but the
clean earth swept like great rec
carpet almost to the horizon and there
ended ut the foot Of the distant noun
tain range, which rose. tier upon tiel
red. blue, green, yellow, pink stratal
Of magnihcence rearing upward unit
the crests. lost in the haze. became {
| ,,a ~ fha crycto1 h1ua pf tho SkiAI
above, while still higher in the heaven.
clouds hung-f1eecy, motionless. Fal
below us we caught occasional glimpse
OF our road, elusive as a ribbon. as i
ran in and out among the foothills ant
disappeared in the North.
Coast Down Plateau.
We coasted down the plateau ant
, ran out on the plain below. Recen
rains had packed the gravel close. Thu
road was wide and unoccupied ant
, ! over it at SO miles an hour, secure II
the thought that we could see mile
, in every direction, and here at leas
speed laws and traffic signals were non
|, essential.
! Running swiftly to the north TO
perhaps an hour, We rounded an arm
, of the mountain range jutting out OF
the plain like cape in the sea, ant
nesting at the foot among the trees wa!
the tiny Mormon settlement of FIRE
donia Here We took on water, oil ant
maximum load OF gas (cheap enough
ut 60 cents gallon when over 100 milei
from the nearest railroa0. Leaving
} the main highway here. We struck du,
) north across the Painted Desert. over {
wild and lonesome road that changed
its course continually, as sud d er
washes in the rainy season left gal
, where once the highway ran.
i. It became warmer, and In q few
hours we stopped at the mail station
. at Pipe Springs. q weatherbeaten. over
) heated oasis In the desert. visible fo
miles and Q welcome sight to tn,
. traveller because of the shade trees ant
) the cool waters.
Late in the afternoon we pitched
over the rise Of a drab mesa and sud