Page:Motoring Magazine and Motor Life December 1913.djvu/6

 MOTORING MAGAZINE AND MOTOR LIFE

��December, 1913.

���The Mountain House, which crowns the summit oj Facheco Pass.

��There was no time to stop to get extra bread to segregate the eggs, so those in the party proceeded to stretch their mouths over the eats. This produced some great gymnastics on the part of those who indulged in the feast, inasmuch as the eggs had not been cooked hard, and after a couple of bites broke, and there was some fine work trying to save the contents of the sandwich.

Half-past nine saw the pilot car on Its way. Eib, who was driving, had never been through the Pass, but put on all speed, and shortly we were in Bell sta- tion. A stop was made at this point to try and see if any word had been re- ceived of the racing car. The pilot car had no more than come to a stop than it was realized that something unusual had happened at the station. Investigation proved that there had been some sort of trouble, and that one person was sh'".* dead, which heightened the excitement of the trip that was already at a nerve racking point.

Leaving Bell station, the car was whipped through the Pass at a tremen- dous speed. Soon the Mountain House came in sight. A stop was made here to ask for road instructions, as the country there looked as if we were going into the open. Some half hour was necessary to wake up the inhabitants, who seemed to be dead to the world in sleep.

Finally getting under way once again,, the rest of the pass was made, and the start out into the open country, follow- ing the instructions given at the Moun- tain House.

A finer lot of roads set at right angles cannot be found anywhere outside of the country just leaving Pacheco Pass. Af- ter turning up and down several of these, the party finally realized that they were lost, especially when they were brought up in the backyard of a rancher who came

��to the window after a flock of dogs had made the night hideous with their snarls and barks.

Finally the road to Volta was found, and then on through Volta the car soon reached Los Bancs at 1 o'clock in the morning.

Luck was with us, for when we reached the town we found that the Thomas car had arrived about an hour earlier, and af- ter taking a midnight meal, the racing crew had gone to bed with the instruc- tions to be called at four-thirty.

There was nothing to do now but to wait until four-thirty, and in the mean- time some one suggested that the party partake of the postponed dinner. Wak- ing up a Chinese restaurant keeper, some cold meat and hot coffee was produced, and the inner man appeased.

Then all hands went over to the hotel to take a couple of hours' rest. One can imagine the chagrin and surprise when informed that the hotel was full, and not a room could be had. After skirmishing around town another one with dubious

��accommodations was found and the party went to bed.

The aspect of the hotel was not invit- ing, but it was "any port in the storm," so most of the party laid down with their clothes on. The official photographer happened to be in the room with the writer, and hardly had sleep overcome the party when the writer was awakened by the photographer, who was hunting for a flea that he said was biting him. He was informed to roll over on it and try and kill it, but this did not seem to suit his fancy.

Hardly getting to sleep again, there was another noise in the room, and all the visions of burglars, cut-throats and wild mountain men came up before one's eyes. Awakening and shouting for the cause of the disturbance, the photo- grapher asked that some one come and hold up the window, as he wanted to shut up a dog that was howling at the moon. An empty flask left by a previous visitor was the ammunition which, with a true aim, the photographer landed on the cra- nium of the dog. Hence no more noise from that dog that night.

As it was then a quarter to three, it was decided as four-fifteen was the hour of calling that it would be just as well to get up and wash.

It was a sleepy party that strolled up to the restaurant for the morning meal. However, the lack of sleep was soon lost in the excitement of following the vic- torious Thomas crew. A hasty breakfast and soon all hands were aboard with the pilot car in advance, starting on the homeward journey of the first lap of the race to San Francisco.

Only those who have started out tour- ing with the breaking of the day can ap- preciate the ride that March morning. The air was just sharp enough to keep the blood in circulation. Back over the

���Bell Station thfif mgirHs the mid-way point through Pacheco Pass.

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