Miriam McFate Travel Journal - 1926

Fri, Nov 26, 1926

It is cooler here this morning. It sure makes a difference down in a valley here in this country. Ready to go at 7:05.

This valley is watered from water that comes down from the San Joaquin Mountains. As we passed out of this city we could see the cloud sailing across the Mt. tops. Some times we could see the peaks very clear. Then a cloud came floating along and the mt tops were invisible. We enjoyed watching them come and go. These mountains are all rock. 3 miles from Coachella to Indio is very nice country. Dates, grapefruit & onions are the main crops.

After we left Indo we came in to the desert and sand hills again. This land thru here sells for $30.00 an acre. From here we have a raise of 18,000 feet but it is so gradual one can hardly notice it. If it wasn’t that we could look back and see the grade one would hardly believe it.

Nothing interesting along this strip. We are 42 miles from Banning. Mts. all around us now. To look ahead it seems like it would be impossible to ever get across them. Most all the peaks here are hidden by the clouds. There is one fertile spot thru here where they have English walnut groves. Here they have artesian wells for water supply. We have drove for miles and still our mts are in the distance. It looks as if you could drive into them in just a few minutes. You can drive and drive and still they look the same. This grade does not have such sharp curves. It winds up but more gradual and longer space between each curve.

15 miles from Banning we drove thro Vista Canyon here. The wind is blowing a gale thru here. It isn’t a warm wind wither. Right at the lowest spot in this canyon is a little fertile spot. Big Sign board here telling about the all year summer resort. Just a little village all by itself.

The southern pacific railway runs thro here. The rocks in the highest peaks thro here glisten like they had snow on them. We never did get to see the highest peak here as it was completely covered with clouds. This is called the Crystal Mts. One of the most beautiful things we ever saw or expect to was a rainbow flashing up the mt. side. Sometimes we cannot see all the tops on account of passing clouds. Never have seen the color so brilliant. This seems to come right up out of the desert on this side of the mts. This truly is a wonderful sight.

We stopped at a service st. a short distance on. One can tell by the trees here, that they have some real winds, always blows from the same direction. The tree branches, leaves and trunk are all inclined to lean one way. Lots of nuts grown thro here. Almonds, Pecans and Walnuts. We met our first California shower as we came into Banning.

Fruit orchards now line both sides of our road. Rows down thru just as far as one can see. Prunes, Dates, lemon, oranges, and apricots. Drove on to Beaumont. Country practical the same. Stopped here for some groceries. Stopped for dinner 12:50. Drove on to the mts.

This is where we have to finish the coast range. Up we go for 3 or 4 miles. Then we came down about 6 miles. The up grade was not bad here. Have great deep cuts thro here some about 70 feet deep/ Canyon on our other sides hundreds of feet down. This is the San Jacinto Valley. This not as fertile as some of the others have been. More stock and chickens thru this one. In this valley we saw them putting in some small grain of some kind. They use 8 horses abreast for discing. Lots of alfalfa grown all thru here.

Drove on and on. Past orange groves as we reached our next town. Here we got a chance to see their smug pots. Between every tree was a big lamp looks like an incubator light only they are as large around as good size dishpan. They burn crude oil in these if they think they are in danger of frost.

Have passed place thru here with great hedges of red roses around the yards. This sure is a very pretty sight. Lots of young fruit trees just set out. Have left the more settled parts again. This country is all divided into lots and tracts. Not many buildings yet.

As we came nearer Riverside we came into the real orange district. There is thousands of bushels of oranges hanging on the trees. You’ll never believe there is such a number till you can see them with your own eyes. Orchards of lemons and apricots too.

Riverside is a beautiful city. We drove on thru the city and on thru several little suburbs, one never knows here when you leave one town. Finally came out into the hills again. We drove along till the sun lowered behind the mts. Then we pulled into camp at a filling station. Looks very rainy. Gave our selves a good cleaning, ready for the last lap of our journey. Went to Bed.