Page:Motoring Magazine and Motor Life July 1915.djvu/15

, 1915. {|



Barstow, with a sufficient taste of real desert traveling to make the beauties of our home development appreciated as a fitting finale to a trip unequaled anywhere in America.”
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A trip that can be enjoyed by any one is to start from Santa Rosa, thence to Burke’s Sanitarium and Mark West, on to the Petrified Forest, retracing your road a short distance and turn back by way of the Rincon grade home.

There is not a single mile of this journey that is not crowded with beauties. The pleasant ride from town on the highway to Guinns Corners, four miles, then turning off the main road a short distance until you reach Burke’s. This is a very pretty place, and worth while inspecting should you have a few moments. Then you start to climb. You wind along the beautiful Mark West Creek through beautiful scenery for several miles until you come to Mark West. Here is a pleasant and good place to stop for lunch or a rest. Starting again from here, travel about five miles until you come to the picturesque Petrified Forest. After spending some time at this place, retrace your road a short distance and turn to the south. This will take you over some more interesting road, and back home by way of the Rincon Grade, and down through the Valley.

“I have no criticism to offer of the new State highway into the Big Basin,” stated George Osen after a trip over the new route by way of the Saratoga summit into the Big Tree forest. “However, I would advise people who use the road to drive slowly, as some of the turns are rather short.”

Osen left San Jose with a party of five. Leaving San Jose at 8:30 a. m., the party arrived in Governor's Camp, a distance of 34 miles, at 11:15. No attempt was made to hurry. The distance from San Jose to the Saratoga summit, where the new State road starts, is 17 miles, according to the speedometer. The grade is rather heavy between Saratoga and the summit, and at times Osen shifted to the second but never into the low gear.

Returning, the trip was all made on the high gear. No braking was necessary in descending the east side of the summit into the Santa Clara Valley.

“A great deal of what we call pleasure is largely imaginary,” said the ready made philosopher.

“I suppose so,” replied the man who was working on his automobile.

“Now, wouldn’t you like to be able to take a long ride without having to worry about speed limits or spark plugs or tires or anything at all?” “I should say so!”

“Well, here’s a street car ticket.” –Washington Star.