Evening star., 1947-08-14

Rushmore are not crowded together enough
for the camera fend who must add to the
congestion by including his whole family within
the range of his lens, with George Washing
ton and company for background only Every
where the tourist goes his camera goes with
him. An observer concludes that the fascina-
ton Of photography does not spring from the
collection of pictures with which to bore ones
neighbors this winter. 1t must come from the
gadgets that the real camera Zealot carries
with him-the lenses, the light meters, the
tricky tripods Cuttered with such parapher-
MALTA, the camera bearers see only that part of
America that they can find through their view
finders. 1t is a sight worth seeing to watch
20 or 80 tourists, cameras In hand, stalking a
peacefully grazing elk in some remote pasture
of the Yellowstone Park. But, after all, it is
something to have taken a picture of an elk,
grazing in pasture
Tourists in the caravan follow daily routnes
imposed by circumstances Most. OF them-the
veterans-rise with the sun. drink coffee from
thermos bottles in hotel or tourist cabin rooms,
drive hundred miles or so and stop for an 8
o'clock breakfast. The idea Is to tick off the
400 or 500 miles before o'clock, for those who
seek nights lodging after that are apt to be
out Of luck. Some tourists make a point OF
stopping every hundred miles for gas and
soft drink, Others rise late in the morning,
drive like mad and stagger into overcrowded
hotels late at night, only to be turned away
into the outer darkness. One wonders what
becomes of them.
Hazardous for Trout.
Yellowstone National Park is the mecca this
summer for these caravans-from the East,
the West, the Scuth-all the States are repre-
have reservations, they go to hotels, to lodges,
to cabins or to camping places and trailer
camps. On little money they find Million
aires vacation spot Thousands of them come
for the fishing alone. On Fishing Bridge, which
spans the Yellowstone River just as it leaves
Yellowstone Lake, hundreds of these fishermen
line both rails of the bridge, casting over the
shoulders of those in front of them. And how
they pull in the back-spotted trout-as
many as thousand day! Some of the trout
rise to the f1ies-but many other trout rise
with the flies snagged in the tail, the fins
and the gills These fish never saw the
1es-they ran into them Around the shores
of Yellowstone Lake hundreds OF other travel
ers fish, casting from the beach or trolling
from little boats, outboards attached, trans
ported atop their cars. They take 250,000 trout
a season from the lake, but the Bureau OF
Fisheries is busily replenishing the supply
doing better job at fish reproduction than
the fish ever dreamed Of doing themselves.
Members of the automobile caravans are
good-natured folk, friendly, happy and as
irresponsible lot Of vandals could
ever find. They litter the park with their
trash. They leave their tin cans. their paper
bags and all manner Of refuse wherever they
may be. They pick the flowers, grab any loose
souvenir they can find, violate every rule for
the preservation of the park. At eating
places in the park such as the overcrowded
hotels, they line up automatically for their
meals and then complain about having to
stand in line. Hotel management shakes its
head in sorrow. They don't have to stand in
line, says the management If they were not
in such hurry there would be room for all.
But the war has implanted the habit. They
have been standing in line for everything else
at home; they accept 1t as ritual elsewhere.
1t is an experience to travel in these tourist
caravans that journey this summer over all
the fine roads, from East to West and from
West to East. 1t is something to get away
from Washington and to feel the power and
the greatness Of this country that lies beside
the highways B. M. Nick.