UC-NRLF
out
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
GIFT OF
Mrs. Marion Randall Parsons
CAMPING OUT
IN
CALIFORNIA.
BY
MRS. J. B. RIDEOUT,
Author of "SIX YEARS ON THE BORDER," etc.
R. R. PATTERSON
429 Montgomery St. San Francisco.
Kutered according to Act of Congress, in the year
1889,
BY R. R. PATTERSON,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Wash-
ington.
GIFT
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE.
The Gigantic Redwoods ... 4
CHAPTER II.
Mendocino City 22
CHAPTER III.
Treasures of the Deep 36
CHAPTER IV.
Hunting a Whale 54
CHAPTER V.
Sabbath on the Mountain 71
CHAPTER VI.
Sight-seeing in San Francisco 103
CHAPTER VII.
Santa Clara Valley .126
M81663L
CHAPTER VIII.
PAGE.
G. A. R. Reunions. . . 164
CHAPTER IX.
The Orphans' Home ." 194
CHAPTER X.
Insane Asylum .* 207
CHAPTER XI.
Crossing St. Helena 219
CHAPTER XII.
Home at Last,. - 226
CAMPING OUT IN CALIFORNIA.
CHAPTER I.
THE GIGANTIC REDWOODS.
In the month of July I received
an invitation to go with a party of
young folks. They were to take a large
wagon and roam " over the mountains
and far away/' pitching their tents
wherever night found them, and cook-
ing their provisions the old-fashioned
way over a camp-fire in a dutch oven
and a long-handled frying pan.
I must confess I felt dubious about
starting, but after the comforting assur-
ances that if we were upset down some
steep mountain side, or if wild beasts
devoured us, or a band of robbers car-
ried us away, they would all willingly
bear me company in each and every
6 Camping Out in California.
trouble, I consented to cast in my lot
with the rest.
There were seven of us, but as I have
not asked permission, I shall not give
their true names, but will call some of
them Linnie, Will, Eda, Ben and Harry;
all in their teens except Harry, and he
as brave and eager for fun as the
others.
After the provisions, bedding, tent
.and etceteras were packed in the wagon
it did not look as if there was room for
the living portion of the load, but when
we safely stowed away we had comfort-
able seats.
Traveling northward, we journeyed
along Clear Lake, situated near the
centre of Lake County. It is a beauti-
ful sheet of water which we have heard
tourists say reminded them of the Sea
of Galilee.
The bosom of the lake is disturbed
by a light breeze, that causes the waves
and ripples to sparkle in the sunlight
as if covered with millions of flashing
The Gigantic Redwoods. 7
diamonds, while beautiful capes shaded
with the dark green of the oak and the
light green of the manzanita, shoot out
in the lake, and the reflection of moun-
tain and cape and foliage is wondrously
lovely, for the dazzling sunlight re-
flected from mountains on every side,
turns this body of water into a grand
mirror in which the pinnacles with oak
and pine can look down and see their fair
faces and giant forms. On the western
side is "Uncle Sam," the loftiest moun-
tain in the county, and nestling close
under its shadows is "Soda Bay," a
delightful resort for invalids or pleas-
ure seekers. The grounds around the
hotel are extensive and shady, and
scattered here and there under the trees
are little cottages* and tents.
Soda Bay receives its name from the
quantity of mineral springs bubbling
up through the water of the lake near
the shore. The largest and most bois-
terous of these is situated in a reef that
extends into the lake, and over it they
8 Camping Out in California.
have built a bath house, and bathing
in its tepid waters is found very bene-
ficial to nearly all invalids.
We should have found it extremely
warm through the valley but for the
canvas cover on the wagon which shel-
tered us from the rays of the sun.
Before night we came to a sign-board
marked "Two miles to Pearson Springs."
We had heard of this health resort and
turned aside to visit it. It is in a quiet
little nook surrounded by mountains.
The springs are a curiosity, displaying
a wonderful freak of bountiful nature.
There are four springs in a strata of
rock on the mountain side, about forty
feet above the hotel. It is but three hun-
dred feet from the first to the last, yet
they are all entirely different mineral,
iron, soda, magnesia and sulphur, and
all very strong and of remarkable cura-
tive power. The sulphur water is not
unpleasant to the taste but it has an
exceedingly disagreeable odor
They told us that a few feet higher
The Gigantic Redwoods. 9
up the mountain we would find the
whiskey spring, but as we were all
"Good Templars" we did not care to
visit it.
We had great fun pitching our tent
and making down our beds for the first
time. We filled our coarse ticks with
hay, and if they were not quite equal
to spring beds, they served the same
purpose, for we all slept soundly and
well.
About two miles on our journey in
the morning we came to Blue Lakes, a
very pleasant resort for tourists; and
from there our way wound upward
around the side of a high mountain.
The view was delightful. Before us
rose the oak-croAvned mountain.
Behind us lay the little valley, and
from the trees we could still see the
bright green festoons of the wild grape
vines swaying gently to and fro in the
breeze, forming a pleasing contrast to
the brilliant scarlet of the poison-oak,
which flecked the landscape everywhere,
10 Camping Out in California.
giving tone and color to the most som-
bre place. Below us on the right
rested the three lakes like lovely tur-
quois gems with a mountain setting.
Before sunset we had crossed the
mountain and reached a small town in
the valley, where we camped over the
Sabbath. Each had taken a Sunday
suit, so we had the pleasure of listening
to an excellent service.
Monday morning our way led up
another mountain and some one told
us it was ten miles to Shady side, the
first good resting place. The weather
was hot, and after the first few miles
the mountain was so steep that the
young folks walked; then the miles
lengthened out until we were ready to
assert that we had come twenty at least,
when around a turn in the road we
found a large trough filled with water
from a cold spring near by, and a camp-
ing ground.
There were three other wagon loads
of campers enjoying the shade, and we
The Gigantic Redwoods. 11
were sorry to learn that they were going
in the opposite direction.
After a good lunch we started on and
in a short time were among the gigantic
redwoods. Words give bat a faint
idea of the appearance of these grand
old monarchs of the forest, so large
and tall and straight, tapering gradually
to the far away tops. We were all quite
excited and looked out first on one side,
and then on the other, and every few
minutes the boys would jump out and
measure a tree, until they found one
that was over forty feet in circum-
ference and even then they were not
satisfied, but wanted to measure an-
other one that looked a little larger.
It was now cool and pleasant, and we
soon began to go down, down the moun-
tain, whirling around short turns and
still seeing the road winding back and
forth below us. There were places
which made me feel dizzy to look down,
and if the other members of the party
had not reminded me of the fact that
12 Camping Out in California.
they were clinging to me I would have
been more frightened.
The road was very steep and they
kept the brake on the wheels until I
became alarmed and said, "Oh, I am
afraid the brake will break."
"If it don't brake we shall all be
killed/' replied the driver coolly.
Occasionally we passed a house built
of shakes, and in comparison with the
trees around, it looked like a play-
house built by some child.
It was nearly sundown when we
reached the bottom of the grade at a
place called Low Gap, where we were
granted permission to camp near the
spring on condition that the boys would
not shoot the quail, which were so tame
that they came up to eat with the
chickens.
Low Gap was a very dismal place,
dense woods on every side, and as
darkness settled around us the girls
became somewhat afraid and talked in
lugubrio us tones of grizzly bears, moun-
The Gigantic Redwoods. 13
tain lions and other beasts of prey.
After a moment's silence one said
softly: "The grand old woods, 'God's
first temple/ how they draw us nearer
to him;" and another repeated, "They
go up by the mountains, they go down
by the valleys unto the place thou has
founded for them." "As the mountains
are round about Jerusalem, so is the
Lord round about his people." And
his blessed promises stilled our fears,
and after committing ourselves once
more to his care, we lay down with the
quieting assurance that he would be
round about us.
We had a lively time in the morn-
ing, for the pigs smelled our breakfast,
and came flocking in from all directions,
determined to share it with us, and we
were glad when we were ready to resume
our upward way.
Now we began to really enjoy our
journey, for the air was cool and filled
with a woody fragrance that was pleas-
ant and refreshing. The joyous birds
14 Camping Out in California.
welcomed us with their sweetest music,
and the bright jay-bird flitted noisily
through the trees and ever and anon
large flocks of quail would go whirring
beyond the reach of a stray shot, while
all the time busy squirrels went scam-
pering up the trees, scolding loudly at
our intrusion, and the scenery was
both beautiful and grand all that day.
While we were driving along the top
of the mountain with the giants of the
forest on one side, and a canyon on the
other where we could look down on the
tops of the tall trees, it seemed as if we
could hear a voice whisper, "Be still
and know that I am God."
We came to a good camping place as
the sun was sinking among the distant
trees, piercing with his flying arrows of
gold the bright mountain bowers,
which, like those of Eden, had some
time in the long ago been planted by
the hand of God.
Here, while the boys were pitching
the tent, we stood and gazed in wonder
The Gigantic Redwoods. 15
and admiration upon the bright pict-
ures of nature, which, untarnished by
the hand of fallen man, hang in this
mountain cathedral. Yonder in the
canyon, hundreds of feet below us, and
in the shadow of the distant rising cliffs,
we look down upon the dark foliage,
which, too low to be disturbed by the
evening breeze, reminds us of some of
the lakes we had already passed. Stand-
ing where we were and looking down,
far down on the tops of the trees, they
seemed all on a level, but beyond the
canyon the trunks of the massive red-
woods and pines were visible from the
roots to the branches. What an army
of monsters, standing every one a little
higher than its nearest neighbor below,
and nodding their lofty heads to the
ocean wind that marched along the
high land but did not dare venture
down into the deep gulches; they almost
seemed like a battalion of giant sol-
diers climbing the mountain.
Far above and overhanging the valley,
16 Camping Out in California.
were hugh pinnacles of rock which re-
minded us of ancient castles, with high
walls, domes and vestibules, all bril-
liantly lighted by the fire-rays of the
setting sun. While just above the cas-
tellated rocks a bright cloud moved
silently like a chariot of the heavens,
from which we could imagine angels
were looking out in order to get a pass-
ing glimpse of earth's attractive beauty
and thrilling sublimity.
But our pleasant reverie was broken
by the shouts of the girls and the crack-
ling of the camp-fire which recalled us
to the fact that supper must be pre-
pared. The boys were seen coming
through the trees bringing gray squir-
rels and a young rabbit as their addition
to the bill of fare, and the dutch-oven,
frying-pan and coffee-boiler were placed
over the fire, and a good supply for all
was soon ready.
Supper being over and the curtain
of night fallen around us, we sat in
front of the tent to watch the twinkling
The Gigantic Redwoods. 17
stars with never a shadow of fear, for
we fancied the words of the Psalmist:
"Praise ye the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights, praise him
all ye stars of light, mountains and all
hills, fruitful trees and all cedars/' were
echoing in the sound of the wind-
tossed boughs high over our heads.
The morning was delightful and a
joy to be long remembered. The rock-
bound cliffs and the green valleys that
lay below were flooded with the morn-
ing sunlight, but we could not tarry
long to feast our eyes upon such loveli-
ness.
We were winding slowly along the
mountain, when we were startled by
seeing directly below us the great
feathery top of one of the mountain
sentinels moving slowly through the
air. The axe had done its work, and
an emblem of human loftiness, it was
bowing to the earth from whence it
arose.
The pyramid of bright green moved
18 Camping Out in California.
slowly along for an instant and dis-
appeared beneath the waving foliage,
as a vessel disappears beneath the
billows of the ocean. But oh ! the crash
that followed; we could feel the moun-
tain tremble as the thunder of the fall
arose from the dark canyon below, and
re-echoed among the surrounding
mountains. But in a moment all was
quiet; the boughs that were moved by
its fall had ceased to sway; the rever-
beration had died away in the distance,
and the monarch that went down would
never be missed by its giant brothers.
One of the company said: "That is a
good illustration of the great men of
the world who go down. The earth is
moved by their fall and for a short time
their names and deeds ring from ocean
to ocean , but how soon they are forgotten
and all is quiet."
Here our driver started up the horses
and our wagon again moved along the
serpentine road, and soon reached the
place where they had been cutting
The Gigantic Redwoods. 19
down the redwoods. The trees had
been cut off several feet above the
ground, and we wondered why it was
done and how, and as there was a man
near making railroad ties, we asked
him about it.
He said the timber near the roots
was not easy to work, and as it was a
hard job to saw a log off, they cut
through the bark, drove in wedges,
built a platform to stand on, and cut
the tree off as high up as they thought
best.
The boys were greatly interested
and wished we had time to watch the
men make preparations for felling a*
tree.
The logs looked immense when com-
pared with those we had seen in other
places, and an enthusiastic passer-by
had written on the ends of some of
them, "This is a buster," This is the
boss/' "Hard to beat," and they were
surely hard to beat, for Will climbed a
stump and found it measured nearly
20 Camping Out in California.
seventeen feet across, but we soon
learned that even this stump could be
beaten. Near the road where we
stopped for our nooning stood a barn
of medium height with a steep roof
made of redwood shakes. It was one
of the largest barns we had seen in
several miles. The owner said it was
large enough for four horses, wagons,
and considerable hay. This barn was
a huge hollow stump with a door in
one side. The fire had burned it out,
leaving only a shell. The gentleman
laughed at our astonishment, and told
us that over in the timber a few miles
was a large family living in a stump.
The young folks wanted to visit them,
Jbnt the road looked too rough.
We camped early on the bank of the
Albion river, for there were deer tracks
all around and Will wanted to go hunt-
ing. He loaded his rifle and started
off with the expectation of having some
venison for supper.
Ben soon made the discovery that
The Gigantic Redwoods. 21
there was fish in the river, so the rest
of us went fishing and were rewarded
with a large string of mountain trout.
Harry was eager to catch one, but after
he succeeded he felt so sorry that he
said, "Poor little fishie, you can go
right straight back to' your mother,"
and dropped it into the stream and
gave up fishing.
We heard quite a number of shots
and Linnie said, "Will must be killing
deer enough to supply a regiment/ 7 but
the sun was nearly down and we were
getting uneasy about him, when he came
into camp bringing one small cotton-
tail rabbit.
He bore all our teasing good-naturedly
as he had been quite a successful
hunter, keeping us well supplied with
small game.
CHAPTER II.
MENDOCINO CITY.
The next morning we passed an old
logging camp. Ben and Harry said
they would like to live there all the
time, they could have such fun playing
on the stumps.
The fire had swept over the fallen
trees and the side of the mountain was
seamed and scarred where they had
sent the huge logs crashing down into
the stream. We thought of the grand
and beautiful forest through which we
had been passing and the contrast be-
tween that and this blackened and dev-
astated scene was so great that it made
us think of Eden before and after the
fall, and we wondered why it was that
man so often marred the handiwork of
God.
For quite a number of miles our
Mendocitto City. 23
road lay through this despoiled forest,
We then entered a damp, dark canyon,
so cold we hastily donned our heavy
cloaks and coats, and wrapped up in
blankets to keep comfortable, while far
above our heads the grey light faintly
glimmered through the interlaced
branches. On one side of the road
there was a stream so sluggish that it
had formed in pools bordered by coarse
sedges.
It was so cold and gloomy that even
the birds did not sound <i note of praise,
although we saw them occasionally flit-
ting from bough to bough and darting
across the road before us. An auda-
cious little chipmunk was the only thing
that dared make a noise. From the
branches which overhung the slimy
pools drooped long loops and pendants
of ragged grey moss which gave a weird
look to the dreary scene, while away
through the dark vistas of the forest
we imagined we could discover under
the mistletoe-crowned oaks just such
24 Camping Oat in California.
places as the ancient Druids would
have chosen for their most inhuman
rites.
After a few hours in this dark canyon
which seemed like the "valley of the
shadow of death/' we heheld "a light
shining in the darkness." Like the
dawn of morning it presented such a
contrast to the gloom of the canyon
that we were not a little comforted by
its appearance.
Here in this opening we found other
trees, but they were loaded, almost
bending to the earth beneath their
burden of ripening fruit. What a
variety of colors, gold and red and pur-
ple, in their different shades.
After gazing upon the immense trees
of the mountains and then suddenly
coming in sight of an apple tree with
its branches bowed down with its bur-
den of fruit, we were forcibly reminded
of the words, "As the apple tree among
the trees of the wood, so is my beloved
among the sons."
Mendocino City. 25
We could feel a great difference in
the air and everything looked as if
there had been a refreshing shower,
but as we knew that was not probable
in the month of July in California we
concluded there must have been a heavy
fog.
In this opening stood a neat log
house with trailing vines over the doors
and windows, and surrounded by fruit
trees, huge black stumps, piles of rail-
road ties, and fence posts, a few stacks
of grain and hay and a number of
cattle.
The clearing contained but few acres
and on one side the forest was so near
that some of the large trees falling in
the direction of the house would have
crushed it. Around this little home of
the mountain forest, as if by the hands
of the Dryads, the wooded curtains
ornamented with waving fringe and
dotted with red and yellow leaves were
hung on every side. Not much of the
world could we see there. But it was
26 Camping Out in California.
a home that many a city child might
well envy; the atmosphere so bracing,
the water so cold and pure, and the
music of the winds and birds and brook
so cheering, while the heaven above
with eyes of radiant light looked as lov-
ingly on that secluded spot as on the
city mansions of the lordly and aristo-
cratic.
As we passed through the niche in
the forest, we saw three or four children
at play. Their cheeks were nearly as
bright red as the apples that hung over
their heads, while by their merry shouts
and ringing laughter we knew they
were as happy as the birds flying above
them.
The great region known as the red-
Woods is strewn with such little homes,
and we were told that thousands and
thousands of acres remain to be taken.
This land is not very valuable at pres-
ent, but the time, no doubt, is not far
distant when those who hold land in
that region will be very wealthy.
Mendocino City. 27
We soon came to a large plain that
some time in the past had been swept
by the fire. Scattered over it here and
there were the bare, lifeless trunks of
blackened trees. The ground was cov-
ered with dark green bushes, which
caused one of the company to say,
"That looks very much like a blueberry
bog;" and as we reached the bushes
another exclaimed, "Blueberries ! Blue-
berries!"
The bushes were loaded with berries >
and as it was the first time we had seen
any growing since we left New Eng.
land, we went to gathering the fruit,
and when we had eaten all we wanted,
w r e filled pails, pans and everything
available with the delicious berries.
What a hearty laugh we had after
we gathered at the wagon, for we were
an exceedingly blue looking company,
As there was no water on the plain we
were obliged to be resigned to our "blue
looks, but we thought if we should meet
any one he would conclude water must
28 Camping Out in California.
have been very scarce where we last
camped.
The scenery was different now, for
we had left the mountains. The trees
were not so large and we found hazel
and blackberry bushes, but we were
too late to share in the nuts and ber-
ries. We saw a peculiar looking bush
with the nuts growing each in a shell
by itself, but about twenty clustered
together in a compact ball. They were
not quite ripe and we could never learn
what they were.
We were very much interested in
the different flowers, shrubs and trees
and would have lingered longer had we
not heard the distant roar of the ocean.
As we drew near the coast, expectation
was at its height. We all eagerly de-
sired to look out on the rolling billows
of the mighty Pacific. The young peo-
ple clapped their hands and talked and
laughed so heartily that a gentle rebuke
from the more sedate was occasionally
necessary.
Mendgcino City. 29
But how exceedingly cold and damp
it was! Never before had w r e exper-
ienced such a chilling sensation in the
month of July. The fog became so
dense that we could see but a few feet
in either direction, and the great drops
of water fell so constantly from the trees
that \ve almost imagined ourselves in
an eastern forest during a shower. But
there was something pleasant in the
sound of the patter, patter of those
drops falling on our wagon-cover from
the tops of the trees. The road soon
became muddy with pools of water
standing here and there, while the
horses were as wet as if they had been
out in an actual shower, and we were
so wrapped in blankets that Ben
thought every person we met would
think we were traveling mummies.
But presently we passed out from
under the dripping branches of oaks
and pines into a broad, well-beaten
thoroughfare. Here we were at a loss
to know whether to turn to the right
30 Camping Out in California.
or to the left. After waiting a few mo-
ments in suspense, looking first in one
direction and then in the other, a very
little old women, wrinkled and bowed,
came like a misty shadow out of the
darkness of the fog.
As she came near, the driver said,
" Madam, where does this road lead to?"
"San-freen-cees-ko," was the reply.
" Where is Mendocino City?"
"Turn to de right, and you are right
dere," and she disappeared in the mist
on the other side.
Turning to the right we went hut a
few rods before we came to the bridge
which spans the Albion river. At this
point it is a large, beautiful river, clear
and deep, called by some of the people
there "Big river." A vast amount of
lumber lay along the shore.
While crossing the bridge, we beheld
a little to our left the white feathery
foam and spray that was thrown a few
feet in the air, as the waves rolled