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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 1915)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, JULY 18, 1915. WONDERS OF FIRST AUTO TRIP AROUND MOUNT HOOD MANY Pathfinding Party of The Oregonian Circles Mountain for First Time Within One Day Scenery Is Declared Most Beautiful in World Run Made in 11 Hours. v lilt' . -.--'9'- -'" , ... I I r '-k-Jvi"" Gyyo Sir 7-&sr3 . BY CHESTER A. MOORES. MOUNT HOOD has been circled completety by automobile for the nrst time in history "within the course of one day. Aiming deliberately at the accom plishment of this feat, our party left early last Sunday morning in Henry Wagner's 1915 Packard "48" for a tour that carried us. over the full length of the newly christened Columbia River Highway from Portland to The Dalles, south through Central Oregon to Tygh Valley and Wapinitia and then back over the old Barlow road past Gov ernment Camp and Rhododendron into Portland. We arrived at The Orego nian building before dark after com pleting the entire loop of 275.7 miles under the light of one day's sun. As the result of last Sunday's history-making trip the wonders of per haps the greatest scenic loop trip in the world have been uncovered for all time. Oregon can challenge any com munity in the world to produce a con tinuous drive that will match the scenery and the variety of atmosphere that are unfolded on. '.his trip around Mount Hood. Tourists who have traveled the world over declare that the Columbia River Highway is the most scenic drrve In the world, while the trip to Mount Hood never fails to enthuse- even the accustomed, unappreciative Oregonian. But combine these two wonderful scenic pathways, .a panorama of the world-famous Hood River Valley, flanked by three snow-tipped sentinels Hood, Adams and Jefferson a face-to-face visit with the sun-kissed wheat fields that spread out from The Dalles, a taste of real desert in the Tygh Val ley, and several hours' acquaintance with a majestic mountain that towers above a mighty chain of timbered hills. This indeed amounts to the trip de luxe of America. This Indeed is enough to make a traveler dream that he has completed a trip around the world Irt a day, with Mount Hood as the pivot of the universe. Last Sunday's trip was made under me auspices 01 xne Oregonian as one of the weekly pathfinding tours ar ranged to give the readers of The Ore gonian the benefit of first hand in formation and recommendation on au tomobile trips that may be taken out of Portland. In the party that circled Mount Hood for the first time were Henry Wagner. Sr., owner of the car that achieved the feat; Henry ("Heinle") Wagner. Jr who piloted the Packard every inch of the way; Elmer J. Clark, vice-president of the Frank C Riggs Company, and the writer. Much praise is due Heinie Wae-nrr for the masterly fashion in which he I handled the bis car throughout the uy. sui iur tno BLrengin ana power of the Packard and skill of young Wag ner, last Sunday's performance would have been impossible. Such a trip as we took Sunday is not cut out for an ordinary car and an ordinary driver. We found the Columbia River High way to The Dalles in good order and the road through Central Oregon fine, but we encountered about 30 miles of driving around back of Mount Hood between Wapinitia and Government Camp that kept us guessing all the time. In some places the mud was hub deep and the roadway for miles and miles was scarcely wide enough to give the big car passage. Many a time the sides of the car all but scraped against the giant pine trees that flanked either side of the winding path, and we felt lucky to come out with an entire auto mobile. The balance of the trip from Government Camp into Portland was not at all difficult. All lrnl to Make Trip Flnallr. The writer would discourage any but the experienced driver to make the loop trip around Mount Hood and would ad Vise against an attempt to complete the trip within one day. But every living Oregonian worthy of the name should make up his mind right now to circle Mount Hood by automobile some day, and should not boast that he knows his own country until he has. Mark you, it will mean the greatest exT perience of your life and will multiply your pride in Oregon no matter how loyal you are to your state. The entire trip required 15 hours and 48 minutes total elapsed time, but mr actual running time was un doubtedly less than 11 hours. For frog , y instance, we stopped JO minutes at The Dalies, 10 minutes at Hood River. 28 minutes while some gypsies were stalled on a narrow road. 25 minutes at Government Camp. 42 minutes while replacing two blown out tires and an hour and three minutes for lunch. These main steps authorize a deduc tion of three hours and 18 minutes from the elapsed time. In addition we stopped perhaps 30 times during the day to allow Mr. Wagner to take pictures and we also made a number of Incidental stops, at Rhododendron Tavern, in the mountains to pick rhododendrons and other flowers, and for various other reasons. Mr. Wagner took 40 pictures and within the space of a half mile in Tygh Valley he stopped for at least a half hour for that purpose. Is it unfair to assume that all of these untimed stops totaled at least an hour and a half? If they did total lust that time our running schedule was exactly 11 hours, which would give Heinle an average of 21.4 miles an hour over all kinds of road, and anyone who knows Heinle would bet he can do a lot better than that. The chances "are that the actual running time was less than 11 hours of good consistent driving and faithful ma chine performance. Start Made In Early Morntag. Amidst the glory of a brilliant sun rise The Oregonian pathfinding crew pulled away from Portland at t:S9 o'clock nlille the entire city was yet asleep. We went over the Broadway Bridge and out East Broadway to in tercept the Sandy boulevard and fol lowed that course to Troutdale. In spite of the fact that the Sandy la be ing paved, this course was found to be In fine condition all the way and it afforded us an opportunity of witness ing two or three of the 70 miles of paved country road that will be a reullty in Multnomah County before Fall. The road all the way through Trout dale to Chanticleer was in excellent shape, even the former bad stretch just this side of the latter point. Here we passed the first car seen since we left Portland, and the first of three that we passed for the entire distance between Portland and The Dalles. There were many empty cars stationed along the road and In one place along the highway we awakened a couple who had been sleeping all night on the ground alongside the car. As the Packard flew past St. Peter's Dome. opposite Castle Rock that towered up above Its base of IS acres and the north abutment of the Bridge of the Gods the road bed was good, al most all the distance to Warrendale. Even the former discouragement of crushed rock was absent except for one or two short stretches and we splashed through only one actual modhole. When we approached the Bonneville fish hatchery our eyes feasted on some wonderful scenery and some remark able road work, constituting cuts through huge blocks of rock. There Is one viewpoint near Bonneville In the heart of the Cascade Mountains which almost equals the famous Crown Point vantage. For the most part the roads on the other side of Multnomah are narrow, but they are even smoother than the grades in thia county. Jlmmie Clark, who had walked more than H8 miles of the Columbia River Highway at the upper end. pointed out each one of the many jagged mountain points and suggested a name for each peculiar formation. He also pointed out the wealth of the forests In that srction which may soon be set aside by the Government as a park. Mr. Clark says that he appreciated the wondera of the highway as seen from the auto mobile far more than he did on his walk. A fellow gets so cussed tired after walking all dny 'hat his sense of appreciation is deadened in a way. he bays. Columbia Appears aa Lake. Not far this side of Mitchell's Point a view very much resembles tho Lake Louise effect In the Canadian Rockies. One can readily imagine that several lakes are tucked away in the moun tains. But, in fact, it is only the Co (Concluded on Fane 6. FIRST LOG OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY IS PRE PARED BY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OREGONIAN ON CIRCLE AROUND MOUNT HOOD. I'ntil The Oregonian pathfinding party looped Mount Hood Sun day, via the Columbia Uiver Highway, Central Oregon and the Barlow Road, no log had been prepared or the recently dedicated Columbia Highway. Following Is an accurate log of the entire loop made especially for The Oregonian: Miles. Place. Time. Miles. Place. Time. A. M. A. M. 0.0 Portland 5:30 63.2 Summit Mitchell's Point Is. 25 Troutdale 5:55 5.7 Ruthton S:30 24.2 Chanticleer 6:08 69.1 Hood River :40 24.6 Entrance Columbia 74.1 lirand View Farm 9:07 Highway 6:09 75.4 County line 9:11 25.4 Crown Point 6:12 78.1 Mosler 9:21 -T.7 Latourell Bridge 6:1T 93.4 The Dalles 9-55 30.0 Bridal Veil 6:25 109.6 Dufur 11:05 33.3 Gordon Falls 6:Sj 119.1 Klngsley 11-26 31.8 Multnomah Falls 6:37 P.M. 36.1 Oneonta Gorge 6:4 127.9 Tygh Valley 12:30 36.5 Horsetail Falls 6:45 140.6 Wapinitia 1:01 38.4 Dodson 6:50 156.6 Bear Creek 1:53 39.5 OppoKite Castle Rock.. . 6:51 169.0 Frog 1, k ;io 40.4 Warrendale 6:55 177.7 Government Camp fc:10 45.2 Bonneville Bridge 7:07 186.8 Toll Gate 6:30 44.0 Opposite Table Rock. . . 7:09 1S7.7 Rhododendron 6 .52 44.7 Temporary Bridge 7:13 194.1 Hrightwood 7:03 4 0 County line 1:20 101.0 Marmot 7:37 47.9 Cascade Locks 7:22 207.6 Hull Run k 00 51.6 Right fork of road 7:26 217.8 Powell Valley 8:37 65.1 Wyeth 7:51 220.8 Gre.sham S 44 55 Opp. Wind Mountain... 7:52 235.7 The' Oregonian build- 68.3 Llndsey S-.02 lng. Portland 918 60.7 VIento 8:12