Show A TOUR IN THE WEST CHAPTER I 1 many of the readers of my rambles in oregon and on the shasta route were pleased to approve of the effort to interest them concerning localities they were not familiar with for this reason the following items concerning other points are offered my last trip extended as far as santa barbara in semitropical semi tropical california and also to santa cruz a noted watering place on the coast opposite monterey the points above mentioned are not at present on a continuous line of travel so I 1 will detail the shortest trip first the distance from san francisco to santa cruz is 82 miles the th start starting point is at the foot of market street then steamer to alameda four miles across the bay A well constructed narrow guage road enables the traveler to make two trips each way dally daily and fora short road the ride has no superior anywhere in california Ca Wornia for scenic interest alameda is a growing suburb of san francisco without the life and snap of oakland but it is quiet retired and rural with numerous beautiful homes and graceful floral surroundings the rhe track is laid on the edge of san francisco bay to a point near san jose all the available wad land is under cultivation miles and miles of orchards are oay aed through fh rough at the time of writing the fruit trees are in bloom the fields of grain look gree greemann mand beautiful every garden spot is radiant with a wealth of roses and other garden flowers while here and there is the famous california pop poppy m y crowning the patches of weeds w with h its deep orange color the weeds in the land of gold are often wild oats which rank very high as fodder san jose is a city of considerable importance and is the centre of the fruit canning industry the quantity of fruit put up in cans in this neighborhood is simply immense long lines of eu c trees are on each side of the streets and the noted monterey cypress is seen here in its vernal beauty cosy homes peep out from dense surroundings of tropical and semitropical foliage with trees of geran bums wis arias and roses resplendent with floral beauty one on e is inclined to say verily a beneficent providence has done much for this bopry happy land that boosts boasts the finest fruit the largest trees the highest waterfalls the grandest valleys in the world the greatest diversity of climate the richest soil and most cosmopolitan population anywhere on earth A good road has been built from san jose pronounced I josay to mount hamilton distant twenty four miles upon the ite summit is erected the famous lickon lick observatory atory with its ite immense telescope but great as it is they have ne never ver yet round found the man in the moon great things are expected of this instrument when all is in working order the unfolded mysteries of the starry world will take a long time to fathom if the only means of knowing anything about them is what can be seen in a telescope but we must come back to earth we are bound for santa cruz on on through verdant fields ana and flowering shrubs to los gatos another small town we leave the plains here and climb the mountains through a deep canyon from los gatos to the city by the sea we pass over a spur of tb the e coast range of mountS mountain certainly no railroad could havelow hadeca more to construct than this ow 00 0 must have done one tunnel Is M is mile and a quarter long and ww theo we are many others of great len 11 0 each time you emerge from t dark recesses you have a new traction deep canyons floed cioe wooded heights beautiful stream and rocky cliffs make up that are full of perfect to those in search of the picture sV ot at ba big tree station is a group grotto 1 redwoods that are simply wonder fw strange to say that this is the iff of redwoods on the pacific C cow the southern end of that noo growth of this most valuable trel w whose immensity fills the coast ww IW up to oregon on the north BY bya the most wonderful forethought ebeo ibeo arboreal giants have been spared ared tap 00 woodmans woodmass wood mans axe one of these trees is called the giant it is over feet high is 60 feet in circumference are nearly as large each has a bawo daab most of the largest are hollow wg the general fremont is bovero co on the inside with thong ovy ands of cards left by ate some salt lakers figure among the number there is a story that aba pioneer lived in this trunk a s that several children childr were vere N born I 1 it which by the way is jw but these W roomy are yarns DO help to make places famous the one about president preaching to the pioneers from va the top to of pulpit pull it rock in echo canyon t stopped one night in ia the on COB iodious hotel located here ftc found that night came on soon so after of sundown owing to the densi density ty helot the growth and the immense lews of the trees this must be a fa place for timid people in a night with a high wind and andew storm prevailing A some enthusiastic admirer of ofaf ingersoll has named one of the tro ae bob Ingers Inger cathedral for iw 02 redwoods have a singular baut way starting up suckers on a large 1918 1 from the edges of the alln ma intra Z which can be construed construe ad by f ML brains into pinnacled I 1 think it was bryant who WM the groves were gods first 1 I ples certainly these veteran io woods are suggestive of the idell I 1 the san lorenzo river ru runs ew to the grove and helps bw to tine the whole scene with 00 charms for at many atil 4 1 most exquisite pictures lire aillo 1 to all who love fine trees V leow p 11 dells river scenery enery Fic kySe roc 1 a and ud wondrous combinations 0 foliage this is par excelle excellence nW all place to linger at and in fact W way down to santa cruz is a V kramic revelation of natures nor t ders what shall I 1 of say 8 santa a nta w the same that can be said of agg tourist towns namely ao main street filled with acore mif TT w aly sfa aels and churches without cufr ada L gard to being laid out at rigby 1 0 glee streets clean private valte ii y ra same as all over california ed as body seems to be well III S poverty or misery in sight f vv old people population houses gw new no shrines no missions a town ion is soon done many writers berb in in speaking of cities of the e hotels as though all one do was to spend an existence in be i suc C 1 P places ces and poor nature to ale ae for curious people only to all 1 traveling is a species of an 9 it as compared with the WB of home but roughing it is the aw jg charm oi of travel to live people w people c could 0 u id ever find out what ai the orad wOrld was w a s like from pullmans pullman ats and palace hotels ul charm of santa cruz is the y beach and the magnificent ast g aaa line for miles near it on the si ha of monterey either walk or awa a vehicle and watch the grand 60 guat ad ions of old ocean spend their dpn on the western edge of uncle domain baady 1 ny places the burrowing B h have ave washed out archways arch ways H the rocks and they keep up jes J ceaseless pounding away ma thunders roaring out their echoing as ab th the crested foaming lid y 19 strike the beach wy y few of us care to think about mr of own importance in the presence uil old 0 ocean cean our littleness is pain rf of apparel in the awful presence fe a starin at a sm nothing ts we look nature changes so often as the 41 actton of a watery waste for wr reason ason I 1 suppose pose so many peo love to sit and watch the throb at asb a of the jurmu murmuring ring tea sea to td look 01 1 leave eave ake you ou gentle reader QA upon the boundless oman ocean ift reserve the other part of my erieg screed for another paper C B R |