Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1934-09-14
"A Trip To California


DIdnulWlHef nidTylan0.
Wednesday, September 5th.
Yesterday l arrived home by train
from Harrisburg. Maybe that's a
shockl Since last week was writing
about Glacier Park. Well, | waxed
so eloquent over the Canadian Rock
les that | rather got behind myself.
On the way from Glacier to Yellow
stone is Butte, Montana-the famous
wild city Of the West. A few years
ago book was written about Butte
and it was called Devils Perch
The tale is told that there is a section
Of the city that is not so well ven
tured into by well-dressed people.
Burly men strut about with guns on
their hips. And in spite of prohibit
ton neither the swinging doors nor
the sign disappeared from the sa-
looms. Once a couple of prohibition
officers went in-but they never came
back. (This should have been read
in a stage whisper). 1t was rather
rough looking town, after all. At
the best restaurant where the best
citizens were out for a Sunday din
ner, there was a special alcoye where
patrons congregated to make use Of
their toothpicks after the bill was
paid!
Yellowstone Park is a place Of in
terest, but not of beauty. Two beau
tiful things there are-Old Faithful
and the Canyon. On second thought
I'd add two more things, the dining
room at Old Faithful Inn and the
Canyon Hotel. The hotels at both
Mammoth Springs and Lake, by the
way. are closed. Old Faithful is ex-
ouisite. Every sixty minutes it
shoots into the air white pinnacles,
white spraying torrents of steaming
water. Ten to fifteen thousand gal
Ions are elected at each eruption. At
first from the steaming hole comes a
rumbling, then a little rolling spray.
The next time higherl One scarcely
breathes and suddenly shooting up,
up the pinnacles of water tower in
strength and point down again. For
at least five minutes there is a con-
slant tower turreted round by chang
ing peaks. Little perfect drops spray
from the points and all is silver white.
Yellowstone, otherwise, is more like
a natural side show. 1t is an exhibit
ton of the freaks of nature. Every
where are geysers, and boiling mud
pools, and hot springs usually ac-
companied by the smell of hydrogen
sulphideD This way to the Roaring
Mountainl This way to the Boiling
Paint Poti 1t gives one a realization
of the scientific wonder of the earth's
center. i And l should like it for that
reason If there weren't so many other
curious and interested persons be-
sides myself. For every geyser, and
there is no lack of them, l noticed at
least ten or twelve knickered tour
lists. Besides the tourists there are
too many bears. A few bears in their
place would be exciting. The moose
and elk and some small beaver that l
caught sight of in the distance thrill
ed me. But the bears-bears in the
road, bears climbing up on the car,
bears climbing in my window at night.
It's too excitingi And they aren't
tame bears. They're wild bears that
have learned where their food comes
from. Because people do feed them
in spite of the warnings everywhere.
A ranger told me that every season
many people are injured or killed,
but, of course, such accidents are kept
quiet. I'd say that the bears are the
biggest drawing card to the most of
the tourists at Yellowstone.
Wyoming has more color than any
other State, believe-that Is, color
in distance, accepted as typical OF the
West. The Cody road from Yellow
stone winds around dark brown earth
buttes beside the clear white-green
Big Horn River. Again there are
pinnacles and spears of red rock.
Occasionally a mountain, all bright
red in. color, shines against the sky.
A purple and multi-colored haze
clings about the mountains or rims
the horizon. Two deep strong rock
canyons the road follows the river
Chrough-Cody Canyon and Wind
River Canyon. The waters rush and
tumble about the rocks and the roar
ing beats against the Jagged walls
So swift the river is that the water
rolls back on itself in foam and dash
es madly on again.
In Nebraska, the reads were dreau-
full. Some one should stir them up
to a little self pride. For a whole gay
we drove through stinted, parched
cornfields. The wind of the plains
made sound in the brown waste. 1t
was disheartening. n -,
out of Iowa City it rained all day
the first rain l had seen since june
27th' II had a wondrous good smell
and / wished to walk across the helds
and feel it in my face. Strange now
ones idea Of distance changes! 70
inc West, Ohio had seemed far from
home. By the time we got TO Iowa q
on the way back was pracrcaiiy IN
Washington! j. +bo coal
The last night we spent IN the coaA "a.
citv Of hills. Pittsburgh. Tuesday as
I drove over the mountains TO mar
r;s f | looked carefully and long
Of those little blunt knobs. Inc Eas =
has ereenness and soft rain. All =
snread out quietly and eomplaceheis
~ Inc sun. But there is no glory,
No strength, no stretching to re iac4
tbe sun. Every hill and every Piah'
Of the West loves the sun ana VI,