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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1881)
132 THE WEST SHORE. May, 1881 bid further peaaagt between thm lut a BtoaaUla atraem hare ooaveeieatly pierce th wn Bad the rood, Inverting the peat that frrrr--, U 0I1J ImIbmU Uit i.ibuf a either aide, The Barrow drill., tht lulty ail (ft, mm! the rvthing luromt, which every winter eem imiiMOM boulden down iU bed aad Wan Dm road and leave il rugged, onneli lata ante almael aohlima. (ieinilig the eum m) of (ha range, oaa looka down on a charm lag poskat or littla valley daroUil la tha iln, wbom waving cm formal! a mint pleating aeatreet to tha pastoral atrip along tha art. A hula anna aeWra thia valley, and ovar ita turn- aatt lalla a Ueam adulaaoe of VX) ft, making a pbiterU mlnlatura toaemite, anil we Itatwred lovingly In tha dark ravin of Nnjf iii tlnuet all of ona Lard'l day. ('rotting a faw atora apar wa dropped luto tha maia vallay of laa HeaU Yaaa, wboee maa la orowoad with aaa of tha old Miaeloe churchte. A (Ur leaving Uia valley and Miatina of Santa Yaat (Haiat Ageeeb wa paaaad through a well wooded paaloral oountry, where tha ooniliUoni ara aafararalila to tillage, aa la ao many Kir. tuaa af tha tha Hula, aad "walk -away oropa" nly go hand la haod with tpene xj Hook namei oua and aiUaaiva iuUniutoaa of aumauioa or uniirtgaM Uod, whioli muat Wa devoted to paaloral Ufa, muat alwayt give a apeotal aharaulor to tha raat of tha population af MM Jtuu. ioog murveoing iinunoa M twaee aowmaalliaa, ooaibiaail with biog, dry aaaaoaa aad cheap borate, InviU to aicuralnna by waaua aad boraebeek, aad thua It la that aeaare laibaaa Caiilorniaiie with nomadic traiu. Haa ha ether eeduotive aoodltiou by wbioh to kaaalU aoaaaditm Into tha oitiaana of tha I'acillo llnaii by pUatna boaaataa la aaoluilad Bouka, aa lea lop at tlta rum, avan above tha aaow baa, aba tampta tha young and atiargatio to lamely aad advaataroM wandering all over liar MKBtalaa, Ageja, ly having la a moat nig gajdly way daaud tha bona of limUr traaa to aialkim California, aha baa mult lu oitiaana lanraly diadeat apoa Oregon for thair lumbar the boaatni of tha pamila la inrtuenopd h tha elimelM aoadittnaa, for, whara It it navar aatd nor hot. tba bouaa la But tha oaaanlial thing that It it whara grant eitremet pravail ; mi lb aoaw Is la Iba ouaa air ralhar lhaa in- donra, Tbaa aatara la a Im to lha dometticity that partataa to winur Hraaida and a rainy iwgloa. aad rotating habtu rtleo parmanvnoa. Wa loaad, altar nalag oat of tha HanU Yaai atbrf, aoata arable lead laUraiaraad among tba waalnral velleyei aad paaung 00 wa ornaatd tba HeaU Maria awaaUiot. (a tha vallay of Iba hUUr atlalaaa, tha nrr u dry, ami tha Beady, rarky bad etewted at laaal a milt widt 1 bat tba tadiaai of tba trip enroa it wat relieved by tba weird look of tha blulle by which II wat aarvaaatlaa. Amrad at Kaa l-aia Obupo, wafoaad a ooun try aaal aaallad aatotig tha auwnuiM, but 000. -atattl by a narraw fukt railroad with aa owta pwV at Wblnh there M a what Heheiy. Moo- atar bava baaa aaagkl than, aad oaa M ft bang wat atraadad oa tba ahora. frees tba tawa of Haa (Hunt) l.ula lha lU.hop I'wiwf 1 1 wa aaaaa to r.1 raao da Haul ra (Iht I'M af Iba OakaL whara ara bat and ould aaaaaga aad batba af aalphar aad olhar miaaral wwtara, aad wkr Bway auraolta at baaling ara aatg ta aava a a artnrmaj by Uw aarlv 1'a.li taab apnag abaaad thraagbaat lha KUU, aad aaa BmlMtaal vtnaaa of aacfe kava aarnaal a,. I arbap tba rat mitnHru of aalara, lad by fwat, fraab air aad ml eow. paay, b) Iba Btaal njowwrfal agaat lag 4wa Iraaa laa bigb a Jaa.lt of th Kaa laai Obupa ragtam, wa iwbad tba Kaliaat waapaj aami aat lata MoaUrry bay Ibw tdaka. aa aiaa tbroaab tba awanUia a aad la aartata banalilua, ttraag windt datlyi aa4 tbaa aumiUawa larroaaa lo a atana at aaad aad rmm pabblaa laarfal la ra aaaawar. Tba wta4 Wat aa aold aad ftvaoa at ww w iin I tbaa fWliant pUiaa, Iba at la'olock h Iba tfWwana la J aaa wa war glad la aan a as iba daAaaoa, wadaf tba laa af wbwb Maaaa laawd 1 LJtHk!Uvaimt wa war lain uxinv upiormoiwi --a--out our blaokal. Again, at w approachad tha Uvarmor ptat, th wind wu to funout U.al U.a lau ul Iht driver wu aciuaiiy cui auu blad from being ttruok by tha thtrp tand flying in tha air, whifa tha rrtt of th oom)any war gUd to theltor thcmtalve in th bottom of th wagon. ltulthHooU of thea wind u to maka the mttnor vallayt htbiUhle which would otharwita iirova too tultrv for human anduranot; th prevailing direction being from th wett, oarrying th freth cool ocean atmoiphere landward. TIIK TI KI) iH1WABl. 1 savins thtaa aad wimlv iiltint. wa rote up ovar tha Han Juan mountain, and on th oreat looked back to bid th aea good-bye and then down into the ohirmina HanU Clara valley, one of th Knott in tha KUte. Thit valley opent out into the Nan rrtooitoo bay and lie between tli Coatt and Contra CoaU rangea. It it thickly Kittled and thoroughly cultivated, ana it tht renidenoe of very many wealthy people, i'rooaediniuiith KtuU Clara u far at Oilroy. wa turned tiuare)y to tha eatt, and orotted the Contra CU mountain by th I'acheoo pau, which aome of our party were diuppointod to Hud wat not a narrow delile, euch at the (Ireekt defended at Thermopylir, but ouly an exteotiv depreeaion in th rang. Th road to tha top waa one of aaay grade, and on the tummit we obuined an eitended view of the Han Jotqnin vtlley and of the Hierra Nevada, which hemt it in on th att. At agriculture it a greater tourot of wealth to California now than gold mining, tome aooount of wheat culture it here in order. W rode (or many dayt through con tinannt wheat fielda, all nnfenoed, unmanured and unirrigtled, which had been nut in iu the mnet economical manner that tuch a wholeaale proortt can luggett. Un day we ctmped next lr. Kunk, at (irayton, and watched hu levia than harvatter at work. Twenty hone in two linaa war hitched one-half each tide of the pond-rout pol which extended behind, to propelth ooloaaal machine. The end of the pole in the ratr waa eupiorii on a cat lor wheel, and a man oa a high teat on tha pole guided the huge en gine by a tiller. In front wu a outting bar anipping off only the headi of the grain and ma king a twath III lo 20 It. wide. The bight of lb cut wu regulated by a man on the platform in front attending a large levr, and the headi fell on lu an endleaa apron which carried them lo an elevator, which in turn lifted them to a mammoth threeher, mounted on th platform of the machine. Another man attended th thraaher, which ran out IU delirit on th out ilubbl. and delivered iU threihed grain into a fan, alto oarriad 00 th platform. Thit fan alto had aa alWndant, who twiftly upplied it with amply tack a, lowed up tha full onea, and then dumwd theaa overboard into the ocean of a gram lield through which they were traveling. 1 bat 40 acre war out, threehed, cleaned and aecked par day by only four men and SO horanl Magone M owing in th wakt of thtuurian mit,r, gathering up the praciont freight and hauled it lo the rivertidt for embarkation. Mr Ti! j " ""'J w.horH ranchero, and yel he drove bit mechint two and a half T.'.k .T"1 V'. i0 Kht ttretch w.lboul turning. Th. harviUr wat attended by a kitche. o. whMll , ,t d SbJU iH "iUl "hat au-t kindly racv b Jug. Hnaa.ll, of iW. h-' ' ranch, aod fhi. lruT( butfur1 '"P"! Bar- neared the river wa had report of tha wide ex. tent of country tnbmerged, and found oar tafety wu to follow tba tUge, Pottugowbag. gtge on the of otir wmn tni throe of our lediet in th itage, wa followed it a our pilot through tne lane, for 1 muea wa traveled through tha water, which waa aomt timet only fetlock deep, and eometime np to wagon bed j and in torn of the tlought there wa danger outly iwift current The driver even had to have the road indicated dj poiea pan 01 the way; and we bad the comforting aaaaranoe daring a portion of the day, that if wa deviated only a loot from the hidden cauaeway over which wa were tuppoeed to be driving, we ehonld mire down in eight feet of water, Onoe 00 thit caoi. way tht mole fall down and it wu an arduout teak to get them np again. Wa had a 40-mili drive that day, and with a heavy load, aoft roada and tired animals, it wu an exacting work to keep the boraea tteady. But all difficulties were toon surmounted and we reached onr desired haven Merced and entered on the new task of going np into th mountains in searoh of tha Happy valley. AXCINDIMO TO THE V ALL XT. At Merced, our party of nine, including two drivers and a 000k, was enlarged by the arrival of our friends from th xuurt, wno with their driver jutt doubled our numbers. Onr train consisted of a four-hone baggage wagon, thre two hone wagons, and four saddle horses a caravan of quite imposing proportion, Th driv up steep hills, five ana ten mile long, the narrow shelf or ledge whioh oonstitute th road whioh winds ao closely into and around tpun u to keep one of our nervous gentlemen in oonatant agony looking ont for "tba man com ing around the turn just ahead," and th still more dangerous drive down the steep grades, has often been so vividly described as to en able th reader to realize lha ritaation. But who shall portray tha Yosemitet Who can wield a Den or brush so as to oonvev ia its fall- Ben th lublimity of bight and maasivaoeat of thit great natural wonder? The Yotamite empties weaf oat of Sierra Ne vada into th Han Joaquin valley, and is oouned by tha Merced river. A rapid deaoant oa th Coultrrvill trail of about 3,000 ft, lata on down to th floor of the valley, whioh isaaearly level area about six miles In length and from half a mil to a mil in breadth, sunk almost a mile in perpendicular depth below tba general level of the adjacent region. It may be likened to a gigantic trough, hollowed in the mountains, nearly at right angles to their regular trend. Thia trough is quite irregular, having several angle and ncesses, let back, aa it were, into iU aide, and at its upper and it tarns sharply and soon divides into three branches, through either of which we may (going np aeries of gigantic itepa, as it were) asoena to the general level of tha Sierra. The great bight of th almoat vertical walls of the valley, aapecially a oompared with tha width of it, ana the very small amount of debris at tha baaa of that gt gantio olifla, give the trough a U shape, rather than tha V shaps of other California valleys. TIIK TKATURKfl Of TUB aCKHH. Having entered th vallay at its western or lower end by either of th three wagon roads, one is soon face to face with the gigantic Kl Capitan, a rock standing out from tha north tide of th valley, so imposing ia its stupendoot bulk u to seem as if bwn from th mountains, luarely out and lofty, on purpose to ooostituU th type of eternal mataivenma. On the other side of the valley w have tha Bridal Vail fall, uniutionablv on of the mott beautiful ob jecu ia tha Yosemite. This fall, though di vided into two oaacadet, ona of 630 ft. and the other of 300 ft, hu the effect of a continuous leap of 000 ft vertical bight, ita baas being eon oealed by th trees whioh surrounded it At 4 o'clock in the afternoon tha aan shines oa it end a shifting rainbow is teen, now rising, sow ailing, now swaying to th right and bow to eft, now irndeaoeot, now evanescent, a lb leaping water ahifto and sways about under th utluenc of tha passing wind. Proceeding ip