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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 1920)
Automobiles, Road Trips and SECTION SIX Pages 1 to 12 Northwest Highway News - ;4 4 VOL. XXXIX. UP THE SCENIC PACIFIC HIGHWAY FROM CALIFORNIA IN A BUICK SIX San Francisco Automobile Editors Discover Oregon and the Columbia River Highway and Carry Back With Them Word That Even the Timid May Journey North in Safety. i -? "! - ; : ., 11 1 I ill " , - v : t'-i'; I fi 1 " """" " " "Jf i W!,SS j-.sfKas- - ' " : . i -w -'.b BY la. II. GREGORY. APAKTy of Sn Francisco auto mobile editors drove north over the Pacific, highway last week to obtain for the readers of their automobile sections first-hand infor mation on the condition of the high way in Oregon. Those in the party were Leon' J. Pinkson of the San Francisco Chron icle, Frank Herman of the San Fran cisco Call and James Houlihan of the Oakland Tribune. They made the trip as grrfests of the Howard Auto mobile Company In a Buick Six driven by -Claude L. McGee. Due to the atrocious condition of parts of the highway - in southern Oregon' last winter, when the rains made several stretches of newly con structed road - all but impassable, there have been reports through Cali fornia that it's about all a tourist's life is worth to attempt - to- travel the highway even now. This and the gasoline shortage have combined to hold tourist travel so far this season way below its normal volume. Forty-mile Gait All the 'Way. But these automobile editors will correct this impression. They didn't find the 'highway any boulevard, "to be sure, because of the vast amount of new construction work in progress, but they did find It passable enough over its whole length to maintain close to a 40-mile gait all the way north. McGee is a moose of a driver and he made the Buick travel. The visiting newspapermen ex pressed frank surprise at the . great amount of new construction work on tho highway and had praise for its condition, all things considered. They saw it at anything but its best, even so, for it rained almost every minute of their stay in Oregon. It began to cloud up while they were in north ern California, got cloudier as they progressed north, and from Roseburg on they were in rain continuously. McGee shot them from Roseburg to Portland through the rain in 10 hours flat, including several stops. They made quick time from San Francisco, whence they boarded the ferry for Oakland at 8 o'clock Friday Bight a week ago. McGee has a the ory that one hour of night driving -A Ss .JaS- - 111 & is worth a couple of hours by day light. Anyway, they drove all that night and by 6:30 Saturday morning had reached Dunsmulr, where they stopped for breakfast. They Saw Colombia Highway. Medford they reached at 11:50 that' forenoon and they were in Roseburg i at 6,:30, the same evening. There Mc- j hands a chance for a little slumber, and the next day they came on to Portland, reaching here at 5:30 Sun day night. -Having come this far north, the whole party were determined, rain or no rain, to see the Columbia river highway, and see the Columbia river highway they did. They made the trip on Monday to Crown Point, Mult nomah falls and Cascade locks and return a guests of George W. Dean, Portland manager for the Howard Automobile company, with Portland newspapermen accompanying them. Be it said that they lifted their hats to the Columbia river highway, which was in fine form, despite the rain. An incident of the highway Journey was dinner at 'Mrs. Hender son's chalet above Crown Point, on the return, and . Mrs. Henderson will see her name in the San Francisco and Oakland papers when she reads 'em. Likewise, here, for it wad a mighty good dinner- fried chicken and all the fixin's, home-made style. And Houlihan Kept the. Log. Houlihan of the Oakland Tribune was official map-maker and log keeper for the party. He took down very crossroad on the Pacific high way from Oakland, Cal., on north, with exact mileages and notes on the condition of the road, and mapped it, to boot. This map will be published in the Tribune and the log of the trip will probably be run in all the papers. The speedometer of the Buick registered exactly 718 miles from Oakland to Portland. Houlihan also logged and mapped the Colum bia river highway and will have a description of that trip. On the way north, McGee, who vised to be a cameraman before he went into the automobile business, took photographs. He also shot several pictures on the Columbia river high way. Just to emphasize to the news writ ers the improvement in Pacific high P. way conditions over even a year ago. McGee took the Buick over the old "Wolf creek hill short cut, which has a 24 per cent grade in such places as the grade isn't 30 .per cent. When they got off this short cut alive, all hands made it plain' to McGee that if any more "short cuts" were attempted there would be. mutiny aboard. This Wolf creek hill short cut will-not be in Houlihan's log. Siskiyou Gmde Less -Hough. , The Pacific highway is now in very good condition, all things considered, according to McGee, who has traveled it many times. He says the Reddin-g- Dunsmulr stretch in northern Cali fornia, once the worst place on the highway, hardly even barring the old Wolf creek hill, is now in excellent shape. Further south, between Red ding and Red Bluff, there are a few short rough spots a mile or so each in length where new construction is in progress, but nothing . of moment. The Siskiyou mountain grade, which a month ago was very rough for eight of the 13 miles on the Ore gon side, due to paving work, he says is now much better. Oscar Huber has done quite a lot of paving in the past month and the stretches of crushed rock waiting for the "hot stuff have been worn down by traffic until they are passably smooth. . - Between. Rogue river station and Grants Pass coming north, and vice versa going south, he says the new highway grade with its eight miles of fine new pavement has been closed to travel temporarily, pending completion of the pavement. Cars are routed over the old road, which is good enough. . t . Cow Creek Canyon Good. ' Smith's hill (Sexton mountain) is no obstacle at present, and neither Is Glendale hill. Cow Creek canyon is a combination of old road, rough in spots, and a fine new macadamized grade. It is easy enough to travel and presents no problem to the motorist. A lot of highway work is in prog ress on both sides of Roseburg now, says McGee, and consequently there is a lot of rough going, though noth ing to cause trouble. At Sutherlin there is a detour, but it is short. Pass Creek canyon is rough in places, espe cially In the Yoncalla section. But I (rom Cottage .Grove north to Eugene PORTLAND, OREGOX, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 20, 1920 7 it's merely a question of holding the I torist can go just as fast aa he likes I From Eugene to Junction City pav ear down to-a eale speed, for the mo-. 1 over moot of Wd lies has now been, entirely-completed 4l . " ".-orj-' -.t v. yt- , jr. .-v. -is- , ,A " ! JL t-v. '''' i.;tw,(,r;-r-:''''', ,' v7 V . v.. v Vj -v . , - v"V V V - s x' villi -i- ,"'l'Jbi'"..'r. t and the new highway grade, graveled last fall, is good to Monroe. Justr be fore reaching that town, however, the Buick was turned off on a new de tour along the 'Long Tom river. This detour has not previously been re ported, but it is seven-or eight miles long, though good all the way. From the point where it rejoins the main highway the going is first class into CoT-vallis and Albany. Albany to Salem Hough. One of the roughest stretches on the highway is that between Albany and Salem. This has been in poor thape for several months and is not likely to be greatly Improved until pavement Is laid. Between Jefferson and Albany some paving work is now i;i progress. Leon J. Pinkson, automobile editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, says Oregon will have an enormous amount of tourist travel next season. "As soon as your Pacific highway is completed," he said, "you will have all the tourists you can possibly han dle: They will come in throngs and droves. They hear a lot about Ore gon while they are in California and they want to come north and see the country. At present they hold back Bomewhat because of uncertainty as to highway conditions, but the com pletion of the Pacific highway will bring them in thousands. You will get many of them this season and many more next season. "We have found the Pacific high way through Oregon surprisingly good and much better than we had expected. It has been a wonderful trip and we have enjoyed every mo ment of it especially the Columbia river highway, which is worth the whole trip. "Oregon is doing an amazing r.mount of highway construction. No one can drive up the Pacific highway l and note what is being done without i being impressed at the energetic way in which the state is goiig at its good roads programme. There is no rea son now why any motorist should hesitate about driving north over the highway, but after it is paved for the whole distance the tourists will come in thousands." State Road Open for Travel. COLVILLE. Wash., June 19. (Spe cial.) The state road from Colville to the Little Pend Oreille lakes at Middleport, 26 miles eat. is now cpea NO. 25 Photos by Claude L McGoe. for auto travel and is being wet patronized. Fishing at the lakes is reported a its best and many camp ing parties are already establishing themselves there for the summer.' XEWPORT ATTRACTS TOURISTS Shortage of Gasoline Held Iitcly to Benefit Coast Resort. NEWPORT, Or., June 19. (Special.) That the shortage of gasoline will not hurt Newport's summer tourist trade is the statement of Wayne Stuart of Albany, a traveling sales man who tours the country for a Portland firm. "I find that many people are plan ning to make only one trip this- year, said Mr. Stuart. "They do not want to get stranded with their cars and will select a place where they would be contented to make a long visit. This will bring a return of the old. days to Newport, I believe. "In former days families came on the train and remained from -two weeks to throughout the summer sea son. In recent years automobile owners have planned many trips of short duration, visiting as many dif ferent places as their time would permit. Many small places which though having some attraction would now be eliminated and resorts such as Newport, with many forms of en tertainment, will be selected. The shortage of gasoline should allow a great deal of working on the roads and the,state should be better off a year hence." OCELX BEACH HIGHWAY AIDED Xasel Civic Improvement League Much Interested. NASEL, Wash., June 19. (Special. The Nasel Civic Improvement league. W. W. Moffitt. president, is particularly interested in the com pletion of the road between Nasel and the Ocean beach highway which Trill then give them automobile communi cation with Raymond. South Bend and outside points. Some 30,000 are avail able. State Representative Fred B. Nor man of Raymond, at the last meeting of the league spoke briefly of state and county, progres ' St I